The Fox 



99 



As the fox could not take to the water in the frozen 

 streams, he tried another trick which worked admira- 

 bly. It was this: Within the valley and in sight of 

 the himters were two ploughed fields, each containing 

 a marked elevation. The wind had swept these higher 

 areas completely bare of snow and loosened bits of 

 earth had rolled away, imtil the surfaces were quite 

 smooth. The runway of the fox may have been 

 across these wind-swept places. Be that as it may, 

 the fox crossed each in turn. When the hound came 

 upon the first place he lost the trail for a time, but 

 finding it, proceeded to the second. The fox, instead 

 of continuing his course as would naturally be ex- 

 pected, returned to the first by a circuitous route and 

 then again to the second. He repeated this manoeu- 

 vre three times, taking the same course each time, 

 finally quitting the game by turning sharply to the 

 left, and making off to the south, leaving behind him 

 a most weary and perplexed dog. 



At another time a fox was seen to follow a rail 

 fence for about forty rods, nearly in the opposite 

 direction from that in which he had been traveling; 

 he then jumped from the fence upon the ice of a 

 small creek. By this ruse he succeeded in completely 

 eluding the hoimds. 



If the fox is an old one and has often been before the 



