

Ground Vermin Habits of the Fox. 355 



It is therefore compelled, guided partly by sound, whenever 

 the chance offers, to obtain a sight of the rabbit, and bound- 

 ing over the gorse and impediments of its course, attain 

 such proximity to its prey as may be possible until either 

 the coney makes good his escape, and scuttles into a burrow, 

 or else is captured, jerked over Reynard's neck, and borne 

 dangling away, half dead, but kicking vigorously, to the 

 fox's earth. The chase most similar to that of a fox hunting 

 by sight, and by nose when the sight fails, is that of a rabbit 

 by a very quick spaniel, when the dog first puts the coney 

 going. We have several times seen rabbits come bursting 

 over and through a hedge out of a plantation, and waited 

 for the fox in pursuit to follow, but have rarely more than 

 caught a glimpse of shining colour through the green, to 

 hear immediately the gentle rustling of dry leaves as Rey- 

 nard slowly retired to a more respectful distance. 



When a fox is out foraging for the supply of food which 

 it obtains for its young, and which is always far in excess 

 of what they require, or when hunting merely for the sake 

 of catching and killing, on coming across a fresh trail, it 

 will turn and follow it up, by scent, of course, until it may 

 hope to come upon the animal in whose steps it is moving. 

 In such cases the care with which it follows the scent foot 

 for foot, turning and twisting strictly according to the trail, 

 is remarkable, and often, when the fox happens to hit upon 

 the scent of a rabbit or hare that has been out feeding, 

 and whilst thus occupied hopping about in an aimless 

 sort of manner over a portion of the field, Reynard follows 

 the gyrations over their whole extent, whereas, if he had 

 any real intelligence, it surely would prompt him to try 



