LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



these passes within twenty or thirty rods of my 

 window, and there are comparatively few nights 

 in the year when at least one fox does not pass 

 along it, and often half a dozen, judging from 

 the tracks in the snow. But the fox is a good 

 deal of a tramp, and sometimes for days together 

 there will not be a fox track to be found for 

 miles about. 



From what I can learn, fox-hunting, as it is 

 practised in this part of the country, is a science 

 that requires years of study to make it a success. 

 And the novice, though his dogs are of the best, 

 may not even get a shot for the first season or 

 two. Different hunters probably follow different 

 methods ; but I know one, at least, who bears the 

 reputation of being the most successful in the 

 region. I don't know how he manages it when 

 the ground is bare, though he seems to be just as 

 successful at such times. But when there is a 

 good tracking snow, he follows the most promis- 

 ing trail, examining it carefully from time to time, 



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