farming world; but after you objected to cigars it occurred to me to wonder." There were no objections, and the tale was finished in July. The spring of 1912 was emotionally unsettling for Potter; her father was ill and severe strikes across the country caused hardships. In April 1912, she managed to get away from London for Hill Top to execute background drawings for the tale. By July, most of the colour blocks were finished, but Potter was concerned about the anatomy of the fox, and checked photographs and reference books in the Natural History Museum in an attempt to distinguish the true English red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from other species. The book was finished by the end of July when she left for holiday at Lake Windermere. Completion of the tale had taken longer than usual because her time had been shared with participation in a campaign opposing hydroplanes on Lake Windermere and the proposed construction of an aeroplane factory near the lake. The Tale of Mr. Tod was published by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1912, and dedicated to Francis William, the two-year-old son of her cousin Caroline (Hutton) Clark, who had married the Laird of Ulva and was living and farming on a small island off the coast of Mull: "For Francis William of Ulva – someday!" During the course of the tale's development, Warne proposed launching Mr. Tod as the first in a new series of tales in slightly larger formats with elaborate bindings to accommodate wider spines. Potter objected. She did not want to become involved in a new series; her eyesight was failing, and she had grown weary of writing. She complained of having difficulty in producing "fresh short stories", and believed children preferred little change in the books. Nonetheless, Mr. Tod, and the next book, The Tale of Pigling Bland were published in a larger format with elaborate bindings as "Series II, New Style". Potter disliked the new endpaper depicting Samuel Whiskers sticking up a giant poster while watched by other animal characters, thinking it too like a railway advertisement. Eventually, the larger format and new designation were dropped, and the ordinary binding adopted for reprints. Plot The tale begins with Tommy Brock, a Eurasian badger, being entertained by old Mr. Bouncer, the father of Benjamin Bunny. Mr. Bouncer has been left to tend his grandchildren while his son and daughter-in-law Flopsy are