152 Wild Life in a Southern County 



than he went, and refused to venture a second time. The 

 fox remained there all day, and of course ' made tracks ' at 

 night, knowing that his presence had been discovered by 

 the commotion and talking at the mouth of his cave. He 

 might easily have been captured, but that was not attempted 

 on account of the hunt. 



Though the fox as a general rule sleeps during the 

 day, he does not always, but sometimes makes a successful 

 foray in broad daylight. Fowls, for instance, at night 

 roost in the sheds at some height from the ground often 

 the sheds are contrived specially to protect them ; but in 

 the day they roam about in the vicinity of the rickyards 

 where they are kept. They will make runs down the 

 centre of a double-mound hedge, and while thus rambling 

 occasionally stroll into the jaws of their foe, who has been 

 patiently waiting hidden in the long grass and underwood. 

 In the day, too, rabbits often sit out in a bunch of grass, 

 or dry furrow, a long way from the ' bury.' Their form is 

 usually within a few paces of a well-marked ' run ' they 

 follow the run out into the field, and then leave it and go 

 among the grass at one side. The run, therefore, some- 

 times acts as a guide to the fox, who, sheltered by the tall 

 bennets and thick bunches, occasionally glides up it in the 

 daytime to his prey. 



There is sure to be a snake or two in the grass of the 

 orchard during the summer, especially if there chance to 

 be an old manure-heap anywhere near ; for that is the 

 place in which they like to leave their chains of white 

 eggs, out of which, if broken, the little snakes issue only 

 two or three inches in length. The heat of the manure- 

 heap acts as an incubator. When it is wet and the hay 

 cannot be touched, the hay-makers, there being nothing 

 else for them to do, are put to turn such heaps, and fre- 



