muzsle into a hole in the turf. Jast as he did so, the 
squea.king sounds again csjne to my ears. He then drew hack 
a few feet and turned his head away from the hole. These 
cth 
manoeuvers were repeated several times. Finally as he drew 
his head out of the hole, he shook it violently as a dog 
does when worrying a rat, but I could not see that he had 
anything in his teeth* Immediately after this he walked 
to the top of the boulder and sat down on his haunches 
there, looking off over the open country to the south as 
if admiring the view. Then he turned and came trotting 
evenly like a little dog towards a bar way that opened 
into the lane or road where I was standing. As he came 
out into the road he was within ten yards of me. Al¬ 
though I remained perfectly motionless, he at once saw 
or smelt me and,turning,ran swiftly off up the road, 
making a succession of long, light bounds. Finally he 
jumped over the stone wall on my left and disappeared in 
the oak woods. 
His fur was of a bleached yellov/ish color and 
seemingly thin and scanty. Even his brush looked worn 
and faded, I have rarely seen so large and gaunt a Fox. 
What he was doing in the pasture I do not certainly know. 
As the light was fading (it was now half an hour after 
sunset) I did not go to the place where he was jumping 
about but I ^all examine it closely to-morrow. He must 
have had either a Mouse or a_ Shrew, probably the latter. 
