xii THE LIFE OF A FOX 



tion served by a keen pair of eyes, rather than the hypo- 

 thetical theorising to which Nimrod attributes it. Most of us 

 must have heard the question discussed whether dew rises or 

 falls. Smith solved the problem for himself (page 279), by 

 simply taking note of the fact that, while the top of a gate 

 may be covered with dew, the under side remains perfectly 

 diy. Needless to say that meteorological science confirms the 

 conclusion he arrived at independently, namely, that dew, 

 being condensed vapour, falls out of the atmosphere and does 

 not rise out of the earth. 



In laying Mr. Smith's works once more before the public, 

 the Editor has made none but a very few verbal alterations in 

 them. In a few instances long footnotes have been incorporated 

 in the text, and the profuse use of italics, to which wTiters 

 and printers of sixty years ago were so prone, has been checked 

 by the substitution of roman t}'})e, as being more agreeable 

 to modern readers. 



The story is current, how a certain noble lord, at present 

 holding important office in Lord Salisbury''s third administra- 

 tion, being anxious that his younger brother should prepare 

 himself also to take part in public affairs, was urgent that 

 the youth should not waste too much time over frivolous 

 literature. Seeing him one day deeply engrossed in the 



perusal of a red - covered volume, Lord observed 



reproachfully that his brother would be much better employed 

 in reading Lord Rosebery's L\fc of Pitt, which had just been 

 published. 



" All right, old fellow ! " replied the younger man, " Fll 

 read that too, but hadn't I better finish this first ? It is the 

 Lrf'e ofFoxr 



The book in question was Tom Smith's Life of a Fox. 



In the present edition the author's drawings have been 

 reproduced in facsimile, and coloured illustrations have been 

 added by Mr. G. H. Jalland. Herbert Maxwell. 



MONREITH, 1896. 



