34 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



young friend of mine of the other sex in a large 

 covert some distance off, and there, to my chagrin, 

 I met no less than three rivals. 



One morning we were surprised by hearing the 

 voice of Foster, di-awing the covert with his hounds, 

 and giving his pecuhar " E-dhoick ! e-dhoick ! kille- 

 kid-hoick (probably for Eloo-in-hoick) ! " It seems 

 that none of us felt very comfortable or much at 

 home here, and all must have left our kennel 

 about the same time ; for the hounds were soon 

 divided into several packs and running in full cry 

 in different directions. Fortunately, those that 

 were following me were stopped ; at which I 

 rejoiced not a little, having travelled twenty miles 

 the night before, besides my wanderings in and 

 about the covert. These travellings and wanderings 

 are the cause why so many more of us dog-foxes 

 are killed by hounds in the month of February 

 than in any other three months of the year. Two 

 dog-foxes which had come from a great distance 

 were killed by the hounds that day. I had had 

 reason to be jealous of them, as they had for the 

 last week or two been tracing and retracing the 

 woods in pursuit of a female incessantly each 

 night, until daylight appeared, when they were 

 obhged through fatigue to retire to their kennels. 



