FEB. LARGE FOX KILLED. 185 



but seemed not to observe me, for I was standing 

 quite still close to the trunk of a birch-tree. He 

 then listened to the hound; and finding that he was 

 going eastward, the fox came trotting up the road 

 directly towards me. When within about eighty 

 yards he suddenly stopped, and seemed to suspect 

 my presence. I had had my gun up to my shoulder 

 for some time; and the moment he stopped I pulled 

 the trigger, trusting to a B. B. cartridge, notwith- 

 standing the distance. He immediately began 

 tumbling about, dancing on his head, and springing 

 into the air. I ran up to give him the contents 

 of the other barrel, which was loaded with small 

 shot, but he had disappeared ; however, with the 

 help of the hound, who had now come up, I found 

 him within twenty yards of the road. He was shot 

 in the chest, and was in the very act of giving up the 

 ghost when we came to him. In this country all 

 ways of killing foxes are considered fair, as hunting 

 is out of the question; and if they are not kept down 

 they destroy every kind of game, lambs, and poultry. 

 Feb. 8. — I shot a female pochard to-day, one out 

 of a large flock : the rest, of course, all flew away. 

 But presently a male bird, probably the mate of the 

 one I had killed, came flying back from the lake to 

 which the flock had gone, and after passing once or 

 twice low over the place where I had shot her, he 



