THE MIND OF THE FOX 57 



turns back. But some are much greater wanderers 

 than others. One Master of Hounds tells me that 

 he thinks that imported foxes — i.e. Scotch, Welsh, 

 or foreign — knowing that they are ignorant of the 

 country, remain below ground when hounds are out, 

 for the first season at all events. But I am inclined 

 to think that foxes that are turned down very often 

 do not stay, but return, or endeavour to return, to 

 their own haunts. 



It may be asked how it is that animals find 

 their way back to their homes from a considerable 

 distance. I am inclined to think that they have 

 a sense of direction. If we watch a blind dog in 

 a field, we shall see that as long as we are 

 going away from home he is puzzled, but if left to 

 himself and he once gets his head in the right direc- 

 tion for home, he trots off without hesitation. I have 

 an old terrier with whom I walk every day : he is 

 nearly if not quite blind, but he can always find his 

 way home if once his nose points in the right direc- 

 tion. This is the only theory to account for the 

 wonderful way in which marked foxes return. A 

 Duke of Grafton hunted bag foxes round Euston. 

 These were captured for the purpose in Whittlebury 

 Forest in Northamptonshire, and sent up. One fox 

 is known to have returned no fewer than three times. 



