From Fox's Earth 



loss of his lowland lamb ; but here has no re- 

 dress, save to take it out of the culprit. 



As is often the case, the evil is much ex- 

 aggerated. The wilder an animal the less it 

 cares to touch what is not wild. It may have a 

 contempt for the herded, or a vague sense of 

 wrong in outwitting the herd. Certainly it is not 

 guilty of one tithe of the nefarious deeds of its 

 cousin. Both may sneak away with a hen, while 

 carrying off a rabbit with a certain measure of 

 self-respect. A lowland fox will enter a pheas- 

 antry much more readily than a hill fox. A 

 single cunning collie dog, which may well belong 

 to the shepherd, will do more damage to a 

 flock in a night than all the foxes on the hill for 

 a season. 



An increasing number of upland moors have 

 no sheep on them. The reason is that these hills 

 have been taken for moor or forest. If the sheep 

 farmer grumbles at the fox for taking an odd 

 lamb, much more does he grumble at the sports- 

 man for making lambing impossible. If Saul has 

 slain his thousands, David has slain his ten 

 thousands. If a gun is to be put into the 

 shepherd's hands to solve the lambing question 

 why, it might be awkward ! 



Remains of grouse appear among the debris 

 by cairn or moraine. But so were the fragments 

 of other game found round the earth by the 

 streamside, and not a word said, nor any steps 



