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Notes on the Season of ]886 — The Migration of Birch, 

 Meteorology, and Natural History. By Chas. Stuart, 

 M.D., Edinburgh. 



1st January. New Year's Day was as unlike the season of the year as 

 possible, the weather being bright and sunny : the temperature balmy and 

 mild. In this district the Fox has been more than usually fearless, coming- 

 Tip from Ninewells into the village at night, carrying off ducks and poultry. 

 One was observed by a neighbour to come to the upper part of the village 

 in the early morning, and examine a netted poultry run, where there were 

 some rat holes. It appears that a Fox prefers a rat to almost anything for 

 food. Although some chickens were missed from another run, it was not 

 after fowls this fox came, for after the rat holes being filled up, he never 

 returned. The foxes have been unusually plentiful this season. At Harelaw 

 they have been a nuisance to the shepherd ; the young cover there being a 

 stronghold for them. The cubs played among the sheep all the autumn 

 and early winter. When of a larger size, they persecuted the rabbits, their 

 tactics, when hunting, being highly characteristic of the animal. Two or 

 three beat the fields outside the cover, while a brace lay prone on the top 

 of the fence. When the rabbits were driven to their shelter the brethren 

 stationed on the wall top dropped down on them, and thus between two 

 sets of foes the rabbits became confused, and fell an easy prey to the foxes. 

 The shepherd at Harelaw, with the aid of a field glass, repeatedly observed 

 these maiiceuvres. A few years ago the Berwickshire hounds were upon 

 the point of killing a run fox at the west side of the Harelaw Cover, indeed 

 were mouthing him, when suddenly he was ncm est inventus after jumping 

 ^the wall. Some drainers, who were working close to the wall, ran at once 

 to see "the kill" the horsemen also coming up immediately. After cast- 

 ing about in all directions without success, the dogs could never hit off the 

 scent again ; and eventually they were called off. The drainers however 

 were not satisfied, and after the hounds had left the cover, they looked 

 carefully all about, and at last espied Reynard mounted on the top of a 

 spruce fir tree. In place of taking to the ground where he assuredly would 

 have been worried, he sprang first into one tree, then into another till being 

 a little farther in the cover, and out of sight, he climbed to the top of a thick 

 spruce and escaped. The drainers stoned him out of his stronghold ; but 

 he lived to fight another day. The insolent boldness of the animal was 

 well exemplified at Paxton quite lately. The hounds had found a fox in 

 the dean, run him round by Broadmeadows, and again back to his strong- 

 hold. When near to where he knew he could get shelter, coming down the 

 strip of wood behind Nabdean, the hounds being within three hundred 

 yards of his brush, the Steward saw him there pick up a fowl in his mouth, 

 and run off with it to his earth. Of course all holes should have been 

 stopped, but fox knew of one where he could get into, and escaped. The 

 fishers at Hutton who fish in the summer evenings till midnight, tell me 

 that Avhen it became dusky, the foxes from " The Cripple Nick," opposite 

 Huttonhall Mill, were out on the prowl, and every gap in the hedge sur- 



