352 Practical Game Preserving. 



he finds himself sufficiently near to raise himself from the 

 stooping position in which he has approached, and, by 

 poking his head round, is able to seize the rabbit, or, in 

 other cases, when thick rank grass or similar substances 

 offering no resistance form the shelter of the rabbit, a 

 dexterous strike from one of his unerringly sharp pads 

 quickly secures the unsuspecting animal. When a partridge, 

 pheasant, or bird of similar habits, is discovered, much the 

 same mode of procedure is employed to bring the fox 

 sufficiently within reach ; but if circumstances prevent a 

 near enough approach, he very often makes a rush and 

 catches the bird before it has recovered from its surprise, 

 or, maybe, before it has time enough to start its flight, 

 although foxes will take, on occasions, tremendous leaps at 

 a just risen bird in the hopes of being yet able to reach 

 it, and, what is more, they very often succeed in bringing 

 it down. 



When the fox, however, in the case of rabbits or hares, 

 discovers them feeding towards the centre of a large field, 

 and is lucky enough to get sufficiently near for its purpose 

 without arousing them, it will, perhaps more for the sake 

 of play or sport than a desire for food, make a headlong 

 chase of one. In such case, the animal pursued has to 

 bring all its power of limb into effect, and then may not 

 succeed in eluding the first rush of the fox ; but if it does 

 this, and once gets fairly under way, a rabbit stands a good 

 chance of getting clear of its enemy, while a hare has no 

 great advantage over its smaller friend, as it cannot start 

 with the same speed, although it increases it at every 

 stride. 



