THE FOX. 327 



be out of place to mention a few which have not as yet found 

 their way into any text-book. 



The shifts and expedients indulged in by Foxes when hard- 

 pressed are interesting examples of their sagacity, but, for 

 obvious reasons, are seldom, if ever, seen by the hunting man. 

 If noticed at all, it is by some chance passer-by who is not 

 hunting ; by the second whip, who has been told to stay behind 

 to prosecute inquiries as to the sudden disappearance ; or by 

 some member of the field, more curious than his fellows as to 

 the. habits of the Fox. In stone- wall countries, such as part of 

 the Duke of Beaufort's, the Heythrop, or Cotswold countries, 

 Foxes have been known to jump on to the top of a wall, and to run 

 some distance before jumping down again. Where they do this, 

 it will generally be found that they make their spring as far from 

 the wall as possible ; and there are many instances of Foxes 

 seeking still further to baffle hounds by running a wall till within 

 a few feet of the corner, and then jumping on to the one forming 

 the other boundary of the angle. It would seem, too, as though 

 Foxes were familiar with the fact of scent being difficult to follow 

 in water, as, where marshes come in the line of a run, a Fox will 

 often lay up in a bed of reeds, if he has to wade through water 

 before reaching them. In the Vine country a Fox was accustomed 

 to run the same line time after time, and eluded the hounds by 

 jumping first on the top of a pleached fence, thence to a wall, 

 and thence to the roof of an uninhabited cottage, by the chimney 

 of which he lay down out of sight. One of the most curious 

 devices for self-preservation was shown by a Fox in the Fitz- 

 william country. This Fox, after changing his direction several 

 times, and vainly seeking shelter in a bed of rushes, made 

 straight for the railway, and lay down on the permanent way. 

 The rapid approach of a train necessitated the withdrawal of the 

 hounds, but the Fox maintained his position until the train was 

 close to him, when he got up and made good his escape. Unless 

 he was in a manner conscious of the fact that the huntsman's 

 prudence would not allow the hounds to remain on the line, it is 

 difficult to understand what could have prompted him to remain 

 in a position not unattended with danger.* When pressed by 

 hounds, Foxes have taken refuge up trees, and in hollow stumps, 



* ' The Field,' Jan. 2nd, 1886. 



