THE IfKl) FOX. 



555 



(111(1 the fox would niii ;il()ii<i' the top r'ail For sonic (lislnncc, then 

 s|)rin<i' aside into tlic huslu's. In i)lac'os vvlierc tlierc is much ice in 

 winter it is said that the li^^ht stepping fox delights to cross on thin 

 ice, h'aving a good trail on either ])ank, and the heavier hounds, 

 coining down with a rush, often ])reak through. 



Stone and Cram say that the fox delights to trail Ihe hunter, 

 and give an instance of two hunters hurrying to head off a fox 

 where they thought it would cross a stream, wiiile all the tim(i the 

 fox was following in their footsteps. These authors, wdio base their 

 observations chiefly on New^ England foxes, say: "It does not 

 worry him in the least to have the dogs close on his heels ; he 

 knows that they are afraid to touch him and that he can easily 

 leave them miles behind whenever he cares to. I have more than 

 once seen a fox turn and drive the hounds back w^hen they got too 

 close." 



What miserable, cow^ardly curs they nuist use for fox hunting 

 in New^ England ! I have heard it said that a dog w^ill not attack 

 a female fox during the mating season. But wdien the lust of the 

 chase is strong and the pack, led by some giant, bass-noted black 

 and tan, w^ith the tenor of the brindle and the shrill soprano of the 

 ''yelper" (mongrels all, but trained to the chase) swelling the 

 chorus, bursts over the hilltop and catches the warm, body scent as 

 the fox speeds down the low^er slope, there is neither fear nor mercy 

 in the hearts of the hounds. The race then becomes deadly earnest 

 to the fox, for his life hangs in the balance. Little time is there 

 then for strategy and none at all for delay. Speed, and speed only 

 can save the fox, although he may choose the roughest paths and 

 lead the chase uphill, where his wind lasts better than that of the 

 hounds, and so gain a breathing space in which to execute other ma- 

 neuvers for throw^ing the dogs off the scent. 



I have known of a number of instances in southern Iiuliana where 

 dogs have run dow^n foxes and killed them without hesitation. 

 When they fail to kill it is invariably because thev can not catch 

 the sly brutes. 



It can not be questioned that foxes are among our most destruc- 

 tive animals. At the same time, there is a dash and wit about their 

 thievery that makes one feel somewhat lenient toward them. A 

 fox w^ould about as soon take a chicken from a farmyard when 

 there are two or three men in sight as at any other time, and he 

 seldom fails to make, a successful get-away wnth his booty. The 

 chicken yard suffers most from their depredations, but other poul- 

 try are also relished, and rarely a young pig or lamb is the victim. 



