THE GEAT FOX. 201 



Washington count}', Texas, by the hounds of a Mr. 

 Cooper, who lived there. 



The gra}^ fox, when much pressed by the hounds, 

 will ' tree ' as readily as a cat. In America every- 

 thing seems to ^tree,' or perch — quail, grouse, snipes, 

 and lastly, foxes. 



As cat-hunting has seldom been participated in by 

 English sportsmen, I shall recall a hunt at which I 

 took a part. 



In the sunny South, when cat-hunting is the order 

 of the day, the meet is always fixed a little before day- 

 break, as the trail is then hot amongst the dewy grass, 

 where the cat has been prowling about. Very often a 

 fox is found first ; but, as sport is the object, it does 

 not much matter what animal shows* it, whether cata- 

 mount, leopard-cat, panther, or fox ; and sometimes 

 one, or more, of each kind is killed. 



One of the best morning's sport I ever had with 

 cats was on the Trespalacios Creek. This stream was 

 then without a single settlement upon it, from its 

 mouth to its source ; and, being heavily timbered, was 

 a harbour for game, animals, and vermin of all kinds. 

 Once, perhaps, in three or four years, some half-dozen 

 hunters would go for a fortnight's camp-hunt, and 

 pitch their camp upon its banks — its bright waters 

 abounding in fish, whilst in the woods, animals of every 

 kind common to Texas could be found, from a wild 

 bull to a ground squirrel, from a turkey to a quail. 



