THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FOX n 



couple of not too fast greyhounds. Their turns 

 and twists are very rapid, and the dogs are easily 

 unsighted by them. More often than not, the fox 

 escapes by going to ground, and my recollection of 

 our courses is that the kills were few. I have more 

 than once found them in the Punjab when drawing 

 for jackal with foxhounds, but the pack could seldom 

 run them farther than they could see them. Major 

 Clerk, who was Master of the Queen's Bays' Hounds, 

 told me, however, that he had a few good gallops 

 after foxes in the Punjab. 



It occurs to me that individuals may vary in 

 leaving a scent, more or less strong, and that the fact 

 of some members of the fox family being deficient in 

 scenting qualities may be a confirmation of this 

 theory, which is held by many hunting men. If 

 closely allied species differ in this respect, why not 

 individuals, since all general variations probably arise 

 from the inheritance of individual peculiarities? It 

 is easy to see that the Asiatic foxes gain greatly by 

 the absence of scent, for with it their presence would 

 be made more evident to wolves and leopards, both 

 of which animals destroy them. The advantage of 

 scenting powers to the English fox, a widely scattered, 

 solitary species, is obvious. It need not surprise us 

 to find intermediate variations, and it is noteworthy 



