20 FOXES AT HOME. 



some years ago in Ashley Wood, near Birchetts 

 Green, and running him hard towards Maiden- 

 head Thicket, when he turned sharp left-handed 

 just in front of hounds and headed for Hall 

 Place past the chalk pit close by. As we came 

 down the road we saw him running along the 

 top of the pit on the very edge, and when at 

 the highest part he either slipped or jumped 

 over, and down he went into the pit. After 

 falling about twelve or thirteen feet he struck a 

 slight projection, which turned him completely 

 over, but he immediately extended his legs 

 and brush, like a squirrel, and landed with a 

 '^ flop " on the hard bottom of the pit, rebound- 

 ing quite two feet. We all thought he was. 

 smashed to ^toms, but not a bit of it, he was^^ 

 on his feet almost immediately, and went and 

 lay down in a corner, where he was eventually 

 killed by the hounds, our difficulty being to- 

 keep the latter, running with a burning scent,, 

 from dashing over the edge of the pit, when 

 many of them would undoubtedly have been 

 killed. The fox must have fallen some sixty or 

 seventy feet I should say, if not more, and I am 

 sure if he had been given a few minutes to 

 recover his wind he would have been all right ;. 



