THE" FOX. 89 



Animals of this class depend far less upon their 

 sight than upon their hearing and sense of smell. 

 Neither the fox nor the dog is capable of much dis- 

 crimination with the eye • they seem to see things only 

 in the mass ; but with the nose they can analyze, and 

 define, and get at the most subtle shades of difference. 

 The fox will not read a man from a stump or a rock, 

 unless he gets his scent, and the dog does not know 

 his master in a crowd until he has smelt him. 



On the occasion to which I refer, it was not many 

 minutes after the dogs entered the woods on the side 

 of the mountain, before they gave out sharp and eager, 

 and we knew at once that the fox was started. We 

 were then near a point that had been designated as a 

 sure run-way, and hastened to get into position with 

 all speed. For my part I was so taken with the mu- 

 sic of the hounds as it swelled up over the ridge, 

 that I quite forgot the game. I saw one of my com- 

 panions leveling his gun, and looking a few rods to the 

 right, saw the fox coming right on to us. I had barely 

 time to note the silly and abashed expression that came 

 over him as he saw us in his path, when he was cut 

 down as by a flash of lightning. The rogue did not 

 appear frightened, but ashamed and out of countenance 

 as one does when some trick has been played upon 

 him, or when detected in some mischief. 



Late in the afternoon, as we were passing through a 

 piece of woods in the valley below, another fox, the 

 third that day, broke from his cover in an old tree top, 



