There are two species of foxes in the eastern states--the gray fox, common from New Jersey southward, and the larger red fox, so frequent here in New England and northward, popularly known at Reynard. Far up under the Arctic circle lives the little white or Arctic fox, so valuable for its fur; and in California still another species known as the coast fox. The so-called silver or blue, or black, or cross fox, is only the red fox with a blackish or bluish coat. PAGE 9 _Mullein Hill_: the name of the author’s country home in Hingham, Massachusetts. The house is built on the top of a wooded ridge looking down upon the tops of the orchard trees and away over miles of meadow and woodland to the Blue Hills, and at night to the lights that flash in Boston Harbor. Years before the house was built the ridge was known as Mullein Hill because of the number and size of the mulleins (_Verbascum Thapsus_) that grew upon its sides and top. PAGE 10 _mowing-field_: a New England term for a field kept permanently in grass for hay. PAGE 11 _grubby acres_: referring to the grubs of various beetles found in the soil and under the leaves of its woodland. _BB_: the name of shot about the size of sweet pea seed. PAGE 12 _Pigeon Henny’s coop_: a pet name for one of the hens that looked very much like a pigeon. _shells_: loaded cartridges used in a breech-loading gun. _bead drew dead_: when the little metal ball on the end of the gun-barrel, used to aim by, showed that the gun was pointing directly at the fox. PAGE 16 _the mind in the wild animal world_: how the animals may really feel when being chased, namely, not frightened to death, as we commonly think, but perhaps cool and collected, taking the chase as a matter of course, even enjoying it. PAGE 17 _The Chase_: The sound of the hunting is likened to a chorus of singing voices; the changing sounds, as when the pack emerges from thick woods into open meadow, being likened to the various measures of the musical score; the whole musical composition or chorus being called _The Chase_. PAGE 18 _dead heat_: a race between two or more horses or boats where two of the racers come out even, neither winning. PAGE 19 _Flood_: Why spelled with a capital? What flood is meant? PAGE 20 _hard-pressed fox had narrowly won his way_: In spite of the author’s attempt to shoot the fox that was stealing his chickens do you think the author would be glad if there were no foxes in his woods? How do they add interest to his out of doors? What other things besides chickens do they eat? Might it not be that their destruction of woodchucks (for they eat woodchucks) and mice and muskrats quite balances their killing of poultry? (The author thinks so.) CHAPTER III TO THE TEACHER