THE MOUNTAIN-FOX. 255 



other check, when I heard a woodman's axe. More by signs 

 than by words, I made him comprehend that he must follow 

 the dog as long as he was able ; sat down to rest for a moment, 

 and then loaded my gun. No sound was now to be heard; 

 the whole wood seemed as if it had never been disturbed. 

 I shouldered my gun, and was proceeding, as I thought, in 

 the direction of the chase, when I met my brother, who had 

 from the first taken a different route, in order to intercept 

 the fox at another point. We proceeded together in search 

 of hound and woodman, but for a long time unsuccessfully. 

 At last we thought of returning to the place where I first 

 found him at work. Our delight may be imagined, when we 

 saw the hound tied up, the woodman smoking his pipe, and 

 the fox lifeless on the ground, a perfect monster. The man's 

 account was, that after following a considerable way, and 

 being nearly distanced, there was a sudden check : when he 

 came up he found the fox dead, the hound standing over him, 

 without having touched a hair he had run till his heart 

 was broken. We sent this magnificent fox to be stuffed at 

 the College Museum, Glasgow. Those who had charge of it 

 told us they had never seen one nearly so large, and many 

 who came on purpose to see it were equally astonished at its 

 size. It is now in my possession ; and the engraving shows 

 most correctly the difference between it and a very fine 

 specimen of the poultry-fox, shot by myself in my brother's 

 preserves. The brush of the larger fox is not longer than that 

 of the smaller, and less white on the tip, but it is uncommonly 

 thick and bushy. He stands very high upon his legs, which 

 are exceedingly muscular ; his head is very broad, and his 

 nose not nearly so peaked as the other's; his coat is also 

 much more shaggy, and mixed with white hairs an invari- 

 able mark of the hill-fox, and which makes his colour lighter 

 and a less decided red than that of the Lowland fox. 



Fewer and fewer of the badger's tenements among the 

 crags of Glen Falloch are now challenged or required by the 



