720 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



old burrow in a hillside about a quarter of a mile from the tree. 

 In going back and forth she had gone over a different route each 

 time, sometimes far out from a direct line on either side, and 

 sometimes far beyond. The number of tracks showed that 

 she had carried the young one at a time. For the next two or 

 three months I went to the locality of the den frequently, and 

 occasionally, from a distance, would see the young Foxes out 

 playing in the sunlight. When I attempted to steal nearer to 

 them, 1 would invariably hear the old one give a bark or two 

 from some place on the hill, which was a signal for the cubs 

 to disappear into one of the holes. About July i, wnen the 

 young became larger, my desire to take one became irresistible. 

 As the den was in ground that was filled with rocks and roots 

 of trees, digging for them was out of the question, so I de- 

 cided to set traps in each of the holes. The next morning I 

 found one of the traps pulled out of the hole and sprung, likely 

 by the old Fox. I set this trap again, but none of the traps 

 were disturbed thereafter, the Fox family having moved 

 away." 



On these occasions Fordyce saw only one Fox about, and 

 assumed it to be the female. His observations, however, were 

 made chicHy while the cubs were small. 



That the father Fox (of Vulpes vulpes) is never forgetful 

 of the young brood is shown by evidence sent me from Wales 

 by T. W. Proger: 



"When the cubs are very young, he will frequently bring 

 food right up to the earth, but as they get older he does not do 

 this, but drops it at a distance from the earth, a hundred yards 

 or more. This may be done to teach the cubs to hunt for 

 themselves, as the rabbit or bird, as the case may be, is often 

 lightly covered with leaves and mould, and it would certainly 

 be very good practice for the youngsters." 



The place around a fox-den is usually littered with bones 

 and feathers of their prey, but they also have an indoor banquet- 

 ing hall. As already noted, Fordyce dug out a fox-den early 

 in May, 1878. "During the winter of 1878," he says, "I had 



