Foxes a7id the Rearing Field. 35 



meshes, and he is fortunate to escape severe injury 

 if attempting it. Where a fox does contrive to 

 break into a rearing-field fenced in, the netting 

 enables him to do far greater damage, particularly 

 if the birds are beginning to use their wings. 

 In their terror they run and fly against the 

 netting, do not seek to go further, crouch at its 

 bottom, and the fox simply snaps them up as he 

 follows it round. For this reason alone a watch- 

 man must be present every night, as, however 

 good the fence, there is always danger of a fox 

 scratching beneath it, and in that way gaining 

 entrance to the field. Too often the conviction 

 that he has a fox-proof fence round his broods 

 causes a rearer to consider watching at night an 

 unnecessary trouble ; but he who has once experi- 

 enced the holocaust of which a fox that does 

 force an entrance is capable will not be easy 

 again in his bed under similar circumstances. 

 Foxes are not frightened at wire netting as they 

 were when it first appeared and its use was 

 limited. At the present time it is to be seen in 

 greater or lesser quantity on every farm, and 

 Reynard no longer entertains dread of going near 

 it ; in fact, he regards it much as a schoolboy does 

 a locked door between himself and a well-stocked 

 pantry — as an obstacle to be surmounted if possible. 



D 2 



