216 IN BERKSHIRE FIELDS 



a matter of fact, he is well worth studying more 

 closely, and a closer study will show that he isn't 

 half such a fool as he looks sometimes when you see 

 him sitting on his haunches in a field of daisies and 

 clover, or curled up in a lazy ball in the sun. 



In the first place, the chuck is a good fighter, con- 

 sidering his waddling build and his avoirdupois, and 

 while he usually fights on the defensive, standing 

 off his foe till he can get back to his burrow, he 

 often shows a generalship in retreat that would do 

 credit to Sir John French. When he cannot get 

 back, he stands right up and makes a brave scrap 

 of it, like his much smaller distant cousin, the 

 muskrat. I have seen an adult fox-terrier corner a 

 woodchuck against a steep bank where there was 

 no escape, and fight for a full hour before he killed 

 it. The terrier looked as if he had fallen into a pot 

 of red paint when the battle was over. A larger 

 dog, of course, makes quicker work of it; but even 

 the larger dogs, when once they are wary, respect 

 this apparent ball of waddling fat, with teeth like 

 chisels hidden in its black muzzle, and close in on it 

 by a spring from above, if possible. Wise chuck 

 dogs have been known to hunt in couples — one in 

 the open, keeping the prey's attention fixed, while 

 the second sneaks in from behind and does the actual 

 killing. 



Against a large dog, of course, the poor chuck has 

 little show, but often with half a chance to get back 

 to his hole he can stand off a small dog and make 

 good his retreat. His method is simple and is 

 based on the fact that the dog's instinct is to circle, 

 like a boxer sparring for an opening. When the 



