The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-06-24
N>4ZCfZZ/y0 THE HOkIXDcS

any COtOI dDOuI l4O duClSut VII
lage of Chester, Orange county,
New York, and at this season at
almost any time of the day or
night the hounds may be heard ma
king mellow music on the trail. Daily
and nightly there is a pretty skirmish
of wits between quarry and dog, for
1t is the testimony of those who hunt
the fox hereabout that the dog that is
! in at the death stands at the top in
canine astuteness and endurance.
THE foxes that challenge the
hounds around these hills and in these
tangled woods said Chester hunter
who has studied the ways of Reynard
for many years, "are not only smart
but are downright humorists also. The
fox shows this when he does his favor
lite trick of doubling on his trail when
the dogs push him a little too close
| for his wind.
"On doubling the fox prepares for
the maneuver by making a great squirt
and getting long distance in the lead
OF the hounds. He knows as well as
can be, for he has reasoned it all out
before, that the dogs can't possibly
come up with him until a certain time,
so he turns on his trail and follows 1t
back the distance he has calculated
on, which brings him back to the spot
he has marked for his purpose when
he made his squirt ahead. The spot he
picks out for doing this trick is where
log or fallen tree lies at right angles
from the trail.
Now here is where the uncanny
smartness of the fox is demonstrated.
When he came to that log or fallen
tree as he sped along he swerved
away from it to carry his trail at a
distance from 1t, a distance he esti-
mates in passing that he can cover by
leap from the trail when he returns
in doubling, so that he will land on
the log without touching the inter
vening ground. This he does.
when he lights on the log from the
trail he runs along it to one end of
1t, clears another space of ground by
long leap away from it, and frisks
away to some nearby knoll or stump,
where he sits on his launches, hidden
from sight of the dogs but able to have
good view of them, to watch the
eager pack go crying by, for the
hounds of course go dashing along on
the trail past the spot.
Going at full speed, rhey will run
on some distance beyond the point
where the fox doubled on his trail and
then they begin their confused and ex-
cited efforts to recover the lost scent.
1t may take Is or 20 minutes to do
this, and you would naturally suppose
THAI the fox had taken advantage of
this and placed miles between him
and the dogs in the meantime. Not
he! He is too fond of his little joke
and the enjoyment of it to do that.
"He stays right there, actually SEEM
ing to be chuckling over the worried
dogs as they run about, bowling and
yelping, in search of the trail, whisk-
ing his bushy tail, standing now and
then on his hind feet to get better
view of some particularly pleasing bit
of dog discontinue and manifesting
delight at the whole proceeding, for
which he knows his cunning is respon-
sible, by various pirouettings and COM
ical caperings.
But the moment a dog, having at
last ciphered out and discovered what
had caused all the trouble, strikes the
trail back Mr.. Fox pricks up his ears,
gives his brush an extra flourish and
bolts away in the opposite direction,
to repeat at his leisure the same trick
elsewhere If all goes well.
Speaking of the fox's ears. don't
suppose there are many, even among
those who have hunted the fox, who
ever took particular notice of the
structure of the fox's ears. They are
wonder.
They are broad below to catch
every sound, from the highest note
of the shrillest bird to the faintest
chirp of the cricket-for the fox is