164 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
beat we put up three foxes; my friend then said, ‘It will be of 
little use walking over these turnips any longer, for we shall find 
no birds, there being so many foxes.’ I, however, persuaded him 
to try another beat; we did so, and found a good covey of 
partridges, at which we had four barrels, my friend bringing down 
a brace, and I one bird; my friend’s second bird dropping from 
eighty to a hundred yards in front of us, when to our great 
amazement the last fox we had started deliberately turned round, 
met us, fetched the wounded bird, and ran off with it over a brook 
on to the brow of a hill, where we watched it enjoying its repast, 
notwithstanding all our shouting and the mounted marksman 
galloping after it as far as the fence by the brook.” The 
‘Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News’ of November 12th, 
1881, gave a full-page illustration showing one beater only, two 
pointers, two guns, a mounted marker, and a fox carrying off a 
partridge in turnips; but no details were published, except that it 
was an actual occurrence, and that the bird was a hen pheasant! 
Thus do stories become altered as they are repeated. A telegram 
from Atherstone, published in the ‘ Leicester Daily Post’ for 
January 10th, 1885, narrates a singular hunting incident. While 
the Atherstone hounds were out they started a fox, and pursued 
him hotly for some time. Reynard made for Atherstone, and 
after passing some distance down the main street, darted into the 
“George and Dragon” public-house, and took refuge upstairs. 
On the huntsmen coming up he was captured, and the head and 
brush were presented to the innkeeper. Poor fellow! he deserved 
a better fate. The following incident, related by my friend Mr. 
Macaulay, occurred on the farm of Mr. J. Perkins at Laughton, 
who vouches for the facts:—A labourer at work in a ploughed 
field saw a fox come through the hedge with a rabbit in his mouth; 
proceeding some distance into the field he laid the rabbit down, 
and, scratching a hole, placed the rabbit therein, covered it over, 
and then took his departure. So soon as the fox was gone the 
man went to the place and took up the rabbit. About an hour 
afterwards he saw two foxes come into the field and go straight to 
the spot where he had seen the rabbit buried. One of them 
began to search for the rabbit, but not finding it, he cast round 
in every direction, being joined in this operation by the other. 
After a few minutes had been thus spent in fruitless search, the 
two foxes fell upon each other, and a fierce battle ensued until 
