36 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



in this plough country, I was at times much more 

 distressed after being hunted than on former 

 occasions, and was often nearly beaten ; for it is 

 not in our nature to be moving in the heat of the 

 day, and not being so much inured to it as the 

 hounds were, I expected to fall a prey to their 

 able huntsman, who, when his hounds would not 

 hunt me, appeared to know where I was gone to ; 

 and very often, when all was silent and I thought 

 myself safe, brought them on without hunting, and 

 crossing the line I had come ; so that against him 

 and his clever whipper-in, I had, notwithstanding 

 the dry weather, enough to do to save my life. 



On one occasion I had a most severe day's 

 work, for the scent was remarkably good. I was 

 lying quiet in my kennel, very unwilhng to move, 

 though I heard the hounds running a fox close to 

 me, which they very soon lost, as they could not, 

 or would not, hunt it. I thought this very strange, 

 as by the use of my nose I knew it to be a good 

 scenting day. It turned out that the fox was a 

 vixen, which had just laid up her cubs ; the effect 

 of which generally is, that the scent becomes so dif- 

 ferent that hounds, old ones particularly, appear to 

 know it, as if by intuition, and wiU not hunt it. 

 As I had not had more notice of their approach I 



