feet are naked, or nearly so. There are four elaws on 

 both the fore and hind feet. 



The skunk partly hibernates during the winter 

 but it does not enter a comatose state as do the wood- 

 chucks, for example. It is much less active in winter 

 than in summer but it ventures forth at every mild 

 break of the weather. 



Foxes 



The foxes are generally conceded to be the 

 shrewdest of all our native mammals. Their ability to 

 outwit dogs and human hunters shows a keenly devel- 

 oped animal intelligence. The term "sly old fox" is a 

 complimentary recognition of their cunning. The 

 manner in which foxes evade pursuers by doubling 

 their tracks, wading in shallow water, and by leaping 

 from one tree stump to another, wins the admiration of 

 the fox hunter. Their habit of breaking the trail so 

 that their pursuers cannot take it up again, or making 

 it necessary to do considerable reconnoitering, enables 

 the animal to frequently make its escape. 



Economically, foxes are destructive. They de- 

 stroy great numbers of quail, grouse, and other ground- 

 nesting birds. They reduce the number of smaller 

 game animals, and frequently they cause the loss of 

 many dollars to farmers in a single night. I have seen, 

 on several occasions, whole flocks of turkeys, ducks and 

 chickens destroyed in a short time by these marauders. 

 The fox does not seem content to kill a single fowl and 

 devour it but will often slay, apparently for the joy of 

 killing. Fowls perched on the lower branches of a tree 

 and on high fences are not immune to danger from 



-*>C 104 ><;-■ 



