24 The Fox 



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 

 hounds, he tries in succession several blocks to the 

 trail, thus gaining time and tiring the dogs- I once 

 knew a fox to throw the hound from the trail by 

 taking to the highway for a distance, passing among 

 a large number of cows feeding about a stack, and 

 finally walking a fence; all this within half a mile. 

 Why did the fox go among the cows ? Did he reason 

 that his passage would scarcely be noticed, whereas 

 the hound would create quite a disturbance among 

 the cattle, — enough disturbance to confuse him and 

 perhaps cause him to lose the trail? Since the fox 

 was far in advance of the hound and there was no 

 immediate need for such an unusual act, and knowing 

 as I do the cunning of Reynard, I am led to believe 

 that this move was not entirely accidental. 



I knew one fox to enter a village while being 

 pursued; another ran into a large bam by one door 

 and out through another on the opposite side; and 

 still a third crossed the dooryard of a farmhouse 

 and went upon the porch where a man was stand- 

 ing, actually crouching nearly exhausted at his feet 



