46 
MAMMALIA. 
vances devised by man for his capture, and avoids them all, eluding 
and circumventing his pursuer with an intelligence and promptness 
that command our wonder and respect. 
The pastime (?) of Fox hunting is largely practised everywhere along 
the border-lands of our Wilderness, and two or three men, with one 
or two fox-hounds, commonly constitute a hunting party. As soon 
as a fresh track is found the dog is allowed to follow it, which he 
does with great joy and alacrity. The men now separate, each pro- 
ceeding, without further delay, to some ravine, hill-side, or other 
point that is known to be one of the “ run-ways” of the Fox. Oc- 
casionally the Fox, on being started, makes a round on one of these 
courses, and is shot while passing the first station. More commonly, 
however, he makes off, taking a tolerably straight course, and runs 
several miles before commencing to circle and wind about among the 
hills. Therefore the hunter is, on these interesting excursions, generally 
obliged to walk many miles over the deep snow, and night frequently 
overtakes him, tired and hungry, far from the cheerful fireside of his 
pleasant home. And he may, or may not, have been rewarded by 
securing the object of the chase. 
It sometimes happens, especially during a thaw, when the snow 
“slumps,” that the dog catches up with the Fox. At such times both 
pursuer and pursued are commonly well-nigh exhausted, and the weary 
hunter lags far behind. The resulting scene, to which I have myself 
been an eye-witness, is so graphically depicted by Audubon and 
Bachman that I take pleasure in reproducing their account of it here : 
. . . every bound and plunge into the snow, diminishes the dis- 
tance between the Fox and his relentless foe One more 
desperate leap, and with a sudden snappish growl he turns upon his 
pursuer, and endeavors to defend himself with his sharp teeth. For 
a moment he resists the dog, but is almost instantly overcome. He 
is not killed, however, in the first onset; both dog and Fox are so 
fatigued that they now sit on their haunches facing each other, rest- 
ing, panting, their tongues hanging out, and the foam from their lips 
