Meanwhile also came the chickadees in flocks， which， picking up the crumbs the squirrels had dropped， flew to the nearest twig and，placing them under their claws， hammered away at them with their little bills， as if it were an insect in the bark， till they were sufficiently reduced for their slender throats.  A little flock of these titmice came daily to pick a dinner out of my woodpile， or the crumbs at my door， with faint flitting lisping notes， like the tinkling of icicles in the grass， or else with sprightly day day day， or more rarely， in spring-like days， a wiry summery phe-be from the woodside.  They were so familiar that at length one alighted on an armful of wood which I was carrying in， and pecked at the sticks without fear.  I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment while I was hoeing in a village garden， and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.  The squirrels also grew at last to be quite familiar， and occasionally stepped upon my shoe， when that was the nearest way.

　　When the ground was not yet quite covered， and again near the end of winter， when the snow was melted on my south hillside and about my wood-pile， the partridges came out of the woods morning and evening to feed there.  Whichever side you walk in the woods the partridge bursts away on whirring wings， jarring the snow from the dry leaves and twigs on high， which comes sifting down in the sunbeams like golden dust， for this brave bird is not to be scared by winter.  It is frequently covered up by drifts， and， it is said，"sometimes plunges from on wing into the soft snow， where it remains concealed for a day or two."  I used to start them in the open land also， where they had come out of the woods at sunset to "bud" the wild apple trees.  They will come regularly every evening to particular trees， where the cunning sportsman lies in wait for them，and the distant orchards next the woods suffer thus not a little.  I am glad that the partridge gets fed， at any rate.  It is Nature's own bird which lives on buds and diet drink.

　　In dark winter mornings， or in short winter afternoons， I sometimes heard a pack of hounds threading all the woods with hounding cry and yelp， unable to resist the instinct of the chase，and the note of the hunting-horn at intervals， proving that man was in the rear.  The woods ring again， and yet no fox bursts forth on to the open level of the pond， nor following pack pursuing their Actaeon.  And perhaps at evening I see the hunters returning with a single brush trailing from their sleigh for a trophy， seeking their inn.  They tell me that if the fox would remain in the bosom of the frozen earth he would be safe， or if be would run in a straight line away no foxhound could overtake him； but， having left his pursuers far behind， he stops to rest and listen till they come up， and when he runs he circles round to his old haunts， where the hunters await him.  Sometimes， however， he will run upon a wall many rods， and then leap off far to one side， and he appears to know that water will not retain his scent.  A hunter told me that he once saw a fox pursued by hounds burst out on to Walden when the ice was covered with shallow puddles， run part way across， and then return to the same shore.  Ere long the hounds arrived， but here they lost the scent.  Sometimes a pack hunting by themselves would pass my door，and circle round my house， and yelp and hound without regarding me，as if afflicted by a species of madness， so that nothing could divert them from the pursuit.  Thus they circle until they fall upon the recent trail of a fox， for a wise hound will forsake everything else for this.  One day a man came to my hut from Lexington to inquire after his hound that made a large track， and had been hunting for a week by himself.  But I fear that he was not the wiser for all I told him， for every time I attempted to answer his questions he interrupted me by asking， "What do you do here？"  He had lost a dog， but found a man.

　　One old hunter who has a dry tongue， who used to come to bathe in Walden once every year when the water was warmest， and at such times looked in upon me， told me that many years ago he took his gun one afternoon and went out for a cruise in Walden Wood； and as he walked the Wayland road he heard the cry of hounds approaching， and ere long a fox leaped the wall into the road， and as quick as thought leaped the other wall out of the road， and his swift bullet had not touched him.  Some way behind came an old hound and her three pups in full pursuit， hunting on their own account， and disappeared again in the woods.  Late in the afternoon， as he was resting in the thick woods south of Walden， he heard the voice of the hounds far over toward Fair Haven still pursuing the fox； and on they came， their hounding cry which made all the woods ring sounding nearer and nearer， now from Well Meadow， now from the Baker Farm. For a long time he stood still and listened to their music， so sweet to a hunter's ear， when suddenly the fox appeared， threading the solemn aisles with an easy coursing pace， whose sound was concealed by a sympathetic rustle of the leaves， swift and still， keeping the round， leaving his pursuers far behind； and， leaping upon a rock amid the woods， he sat erect and listening， with his back to the hunter.  For a moment compassion restrained the latter's arm； but that was a short-lived mood， and as quick as thought can follow thought his piece was levelled， and whang！ ―― the fox， rolling over the rock， lay dead on the ground.  The hunter still kept his place and listened to the hounds.  Still on they came， and now the near woods resounded through all their aisles with their demoniac cry. At length the old hound burst into view with muzzle to the ground，and snapping the air as if possessed， and ran directly to the rock；but， spying the dead fox， she suddenly ceased her hounding as if struck dumb with amazement， and walked round and round him in silence； and one by one her pups arrived， and， like their mother，were sobered into silence by the mystery.  Then the hunter came forward and stood in their midst， and the mystery was solved.  They waited in silence while he skinned the fox， then followed the brush a while， and at length turned off into the woods again.  That evening a Weston squire came to the Concord hunter's cottage to inquire for his hounds， and told how for a week they had been hunting on their own account from Weston woods.  The Concord hunter told him what he knew and offered him the skin； but the other declined it and departed.  He did not find his hounds that night，but the next day learned that they had crossed the river and put up at a farmhouse for the night， whence， having been well fed， they took their departure early in the morning.

　　在黑暗的冬天早晨，或短促的冬天的下午，有時候我聽到一大群獵狗的吠聲，整個森林全是它們的嚎叫，它們抑制不住要追獵的本能，同時我聽到間歇的獵角，知道它們后面還有人。森林又響徹了它們的叫聲，可是沒有狐貍奔到湖邊開闊的平地上來，也沒有一群追逐者在追他們的阿克梯翁。也許在黃昏時分，我看到獵者，只有一根毛茸茸的狐貍尾巴拖在雪車后面作為戰利品而回來，找他們的旅館過夜。他們指點我說，如果狐貍躲在冰凍的地下，它一定可以安然無恙，或者，如果它逃跑時是一直線的，沒有一只獵犬追得上它；可是，一旦把追逐者遠遠拋在后面，它便停下來休息，并且傾聽著，直到它們又追了上來，等它再奔跑的時候，它兜了一個圈子，回到原來的老窩，獵者卻正在那里等著它。有時，它在墻頂上奔馳了幾桿之遙，然后跳到墻的另一面，它似乎知道水不沾染它的臊氣。一個獵者曾告訴我，一次他看見一只狐貍給獵犬追趕得逃到了瓦爾登湖上，那時冰上浮了一泓泓淺水，它跑了一段又回到原來的岸上。不久，獵犬來到了，可是到了這里，它們的嗅覺嗅不到狐臭了。有時，一大群獵犬自己追逐自己，來到我屋前，經過了門，繞著屋子兜圈子，一點不理睬我，只顧嗥叫，好像害著某一種瘋狂癥，什么也不能制止它們的追逐，它們就這樣繞著圈子追逐著直到它們發覺了一股新近的狐臭，聰明的獵犬總是不顧一切的，只管追逐狐貍。有一天，有人從列克星敦到了我的木屋，打聽他的獵犬，它自己追逐了很長一段路，已經有一個星期了。可是，把我所知道的告訴了他以后，恐怕他未必會得到好處，因為每一次我剛想回答他的問題，他都打斷了我的話，另外問我：“你在這里干什么呢？”他丟掉了一只狗，卻找到了一個人。

　　有一個老獵戶，說起話來枯燥無味，常到瓦爾登湖來洗澡，每年一回，總在湖水最溫暖的時候到來，他還來看我，告訴過我，好幾年前的某一個下午，他帶了一枝獵槍，巡行在瓦爾登林中；正當他走在威蘭路上時，他聽到一只獵犬追上來的聲音，不久，一只狐貍跳過了墻，到了路上，又快得像思想一樣，跳過了另一堵墻，離開了路，他迅即發射的子彈卻沒有打中它。在若干距離的后面，來了一條老獵犬和它的三只小獵犬，全速地追趕著，自動地追趕著，一忽兒已消失在森林中了。這天下午，很晚了，他在瓦爾登南面的密林中休息，他聽到遠遠在美港那個方向，獵犬的聲音還在追逐狐貍；它們逼近來了，它們的吠聲使整個森林震動，更近了，更近了，現在在威爾草地，現在在倍克田莊。他靜靜地站著，長久地，聽著它們的音樂之聲，在獵者的耳朵中這是如此之甜蜜的，那時突然間狐貍出現了，輕快地穿過了林間的走廊，它的聲音被樹葉的同情的颯颯聲掩蓋了，它又快，又安詳，把握住地勢，把追蹤者拋在老遠的后面；于是，跳上林中的一塊巖石，筆直地坐著，聽著，它的背朝著獵者。片刻之間，惻隱之心限制了獵者的手臂；然而這是一種短命的感情，快得像思想一樣，他的火器瞄準了，砰――狐貍從巖石上滾了下來，躺在地上死了。獵者還站在老地方，聽著獵犬的吠聲。它們還在追趕，現在附近森林中的所有的小徑上全部都是它們的惡魔似的嚎叫。最后，那老獵犬跳入眼簾，鼻子嗅著地，像中了魔似的吠叫得空氣都震動了，一直朝巖石奔去；可是，看到那死去了的狐貍，它突然停止了吠叫，仿佛給驚愕征服，啞口無言，它繞著，繞著它，靜靜地走動；它的小狗一個又一個地來到了，像它們的母親一樣，也清醒了過來，在這神秘的氣氛中靜靜地不做聲了。于是獵者走到它們中間，神秘的謎解開了。他剝下了狐貍皮，它們靜靜地等著，后來，它們跟在狐貍尾巴后面走了一陣，最后拐入林中自去了，這晚上，一個魏士登的紳士找到這康科德的獵者的小屋，探聽他的獵犬，還告訴他說，它們自己這樣追逐著，離開了魏士登的森林已經一個星期。康科德的獵者就把自己知道的詳情告訴他，并把狐貍皮送給他，后者辭受，自行離去。這晚上他找不到他的獵犬，可是第二天他知道了，它們已過了河，在一個農家過了一夜，在那里飽餐了一頓，一清早就動身回家了。

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