52 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



came on, I got into the New Forest. Fortunately 

 for me the system of hunting in that part until 

 near the middle of May was discontinued by Mr. 

 Codi'ington, who then hunted it. He was an ex- 

 cellent sportsman ; and would never take an unfair 

 advantage of us, but left all to his hounds. 



Although I had escaped during the winter 

 months from other good packs, it was doubtful 

 that I could have escaped at this season, when the 

 weather is sometimes very hot ; for although, as I 

 have observed before, the heat affects the hounds, it 

 is more usual for them to be moving about in it than 

 it is for us, and they therefore suffer from it less. 



I passed this summer most agreeably, living 

 much on beetles, with which the forest abounds, 

 occasionally visiting the sea-shore to seek for dead 

 fish, and getting a fair supply of rabbits. The old 

 rabbits frequently laid up their young in the open 

 parts of a country, in the middle of fields, or any 

 where far from hedges, probably to be more out of 

 the way of stoats and weasels. The number of 

 nests of young rabbits that a single one of us 

 destroys is so enormous that it would seem to many 

 quite incredible. I got well acquainted with the 

 purheus of the forest in my frequent travels ; in 

 spite of which my feet were never tired by treading 



