XX FOXES AND TRAPS 187 



A fox, after he has lost one of his feet in a trap, is still able 

 to get his own living, and to keep himself in as good plight as 

 if he had his whole complement of legs effective. One, which 

 had left a foot in a trap, and escaped on the other three, lived 

 for two years afterwards about the same ground. We knew 

 his track in the sand by the impression of his stump. This 

 winter, while shooting in the sandhills, we saw a fox sneak 

 quietly into a small thicket of trees. I immediately placed the 

 two sportsmen who were with me at different points of the 

 thicket, and then took my retriever on the track. The dog, 

 who, from his former battles with fox and otter, is very eager 

 in his enmity against all animals of the kind, almost immediately 

 started the fox, and, after a short chase, turned him out within 

 shot of a very sure gun. The consequence was the instant 

 death of Mr. Reynard. On examining, he turned out to be 

 the very fox whose foot had been nailed up two years before. 

 He was an immense old dog-fox, in perfect condition, although 

 he had only three legs to hunt on. The fox is a constant 

 attendant on the rabbit-trapper, robbing him of most of the 

 rabbits that are caught in his traps or snares. He sometimes, 

 however, pays dearly, by getting caught in the wires ; and 

 although he generally breaks the snare and escapes, does not 

 do so without most severe punishment. I shot a fox this season 

 who had the remains of a rabbit-wire round his hind-leg, which 

 was cut to the bone by his struggles to escape. 



When living in Ross-shire, I went one morning in July 

 before daybreak to endeavour to shoot a stag, which had been 

 complained of very much by an adjoining farmer as having 

 done great damage to his crops. Just after it was daylight, 

 I saw a large fox come very quietly along the edge of the 

 plantation in which I was concealed ; he looked with great care 

 over the turf wall into the field, and seemed to long very much 

 to get hold of some hares that were feeding in it — but apparently 

 knew that he had no chance of catching one by dint of running ; 

 after considering a short time, he seemed to have formed his 

 plans, and having examined the different gaps in the wall by 

 which the hares might be supposed to go in and out, he fixed 

 upon the one that seemed the most frequented, and laid himself 

 down close to it in an attitude like a cat watching a mouse^ 

 hole. Cunning as he was, he was too intent QO his own. hunting 



