634 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



follow them, over their own course. The best horses, in 

 the best condition, carrying light weight, over our finest 

 race-tracks, can scarcely maintain their rate through four 

 miles, A Red Fox, in front of a dangerous pack, scarcely 

 gets down to business in less than three times that distance. 

 I have seen a chase in which the Fox' s course was twenty 

 miles, the running being desperate from start to finish. 

 I was never out of hearing, and much of the time in full 

 view of the chase; but I did not ride more than two- thirds 

 as far as the pack ran. 



At this point, I can not forbear to turn aside to comment 

 briefly on the remarks upon the speed and endurance of 

 our Red Foxes, by a distinguished scholar. In a costly and 

 pretentious work on natural history, he says: "It runs with 

 great swiftness for about a hundred yards, but is easily over- 

 taken by a Wolf, or a mounted man." Even great authors 

 must slip sometimes, but probably a more complete display 

 of ignorance was never made by a competent writer than in 

 the above brief sentence. I doubt if any creature lacking 

 wings is fully equal to the American Red Fox in sj)eed 

 and endurance combined. I have seen him, when at his 

 best, outfoot and run away from as fine a pack of hounds 

 as ever was seen, and also leave out of hearing a whole field 

 of sportsmen, not one of whom was meanly mounted. I 

 know but little, practically, of Wolves, but I do know some- 

 thing of mounted men, and I doubt whether the finest rider 

 in 'the world, mounted on the finest horse in the world, can 

 easily overtake an American Red Fox, or overtake him at 

 all, or in a race of twenty miles keep within four miles of 

 him. I have seen the thing tried many and many a time, by 

 many distinguished riders finely mounted; I have tried it 

 myself often — but never yet saw a race between a mounted 

 man and a Red Fox in which the Fox was easily outrun. 



The best season for hunting the Fox is, with us, in the 

 months of October, November, and December, or as late in 

 winter as the weather may be open and the ground not 

 frozen. Some persons hunt in the spring months, until the 

 vegetation is too far advanced to permit either hearing, 



