Prairie Red-fox 721 



tracked a Fox into this den. In early May it was reported 

 that Foxes were killing lambs in the neighbourhood. I went at 

 once to the place and found about the hole abundance of bones, 

 wool, and feathers, indicating that it was the home of a Fox 

 family. The next morning two other boys went with me to dig 

 them out. We followed the main hole, which went down 

 with a gradual slope for about 3 feet from the surface of the 

 ground. It continued nearly level for about 20 feet, where 

 we found 3 young Foxes grown to about the size of an ordinary 

 house cat. After getting them into a bag we went back to a 

 branch from the main hole that we had passed in digging. 

 Following it for about 4 feet, we found an enlarged dug-out 

 space which was used as a store-room. " (See plan, page 716.) 



Concerning one which he kept captive, my informant 

 writes: "One day in June, 1876, my cousin and I chopped 

 3 young Foxes out of a long hollow log. They were about one- 

 third grown and quite savage. 



"We each took one to our homes. After keeping mine for 

 several months, until well grown, it was killed by a neighbour, 

 on account of catching chickens. It seems to me this Fox did 

 some 'thinking' in its method of taking the chickens. I had 

 dug a trench in the ground, gradually sloping it down until 

 about 2 feet deep and 6 feet long. At the bottom of the 

 trench I placed a wooden box with a wooden arch leading 

 down to it. When the dirt was filled in, this made rather a 

 good den underground. The Fox was fastened with a chain at- 

 tached to an overhanging pole, which gave it free access in and 

 out of this den with a radius of perhaps 20 feet on the out- 

 side. Our neighbour's chickens were running about the yard 

 more or less, and the Fox began catching them. I watched to 

 see how it was done, and found that when food was given the 

 Fox, it would, instead of eating it, place it almost as far away 

 from the opening of the den as its chain could reach. The 

 Fox would then back down into the hole and wait until the 

 chickens came for the food, and when one got inside the 

 radius of its chain, it would have chicken for dinner instead of 

 the food I had given it. One thing I noticed in particular was 



