HABIT 



732 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



taking care not to go straight towards it. At length its sus- 

 picions were aroused and it crouched; ahhough the grass was 

 but six inches high, it sunk so low that he could see nothing but 

 its black ears. The gunner drove in a circle ever nearer with- 

 out alarming it, except that the Fox crouched yet lower, and at 

 fifty yards shot him with a charge of heavy shot. Although it 

 was October, the pelt was already prime. 



The squeak of a Mouse has such a charm for the Fox that 

 even a poor imitation will bring him at a run towards the 

 squeaker. Even when pursued by the hunter he will jump at 

 the sound of a mouse-squeak and, if the dogs be not too close, 

 will turn for an instant to a statue, then try to locate that 

 sound of sweetest promise. 



STORAGE Most animals of the Dog Family store up food when they 



have more than they need. T. W. Proger writes me concerning 

 the Fox (Fill pes viil pes) in Wales, that "it usually buries sur- 

 plus food. These caches he returns to infallibly. I think it 

 probable that the Vixen stores up food as her time draws near, 

 so as to have plenty to eat while she is unable to hunt. I do 

 not think one Fox would touch a cache belonging to another, 

 unless hard pressed. They certainly never forget the place, 

 though I do not believe the story that they mark it well by 

 urination. 



"A cock pheasant killed by a Fox and cached for a week in 

 cool beech leaves is considered by poachers the finest eating on 

 earth." 



The Ontario Fox is said to hide food in this way, but I 

 have no evidence for the Manitoba species. Observations on 

 these points are much desired. 



On the fur farm at Dover, Maine, the Foxes {F. fulvus) 

 habitually bury food. They watch near the place and are 

 ready to fight any other Fox trying to appropriate the store. 

 If it is interfered with by man they bury it elsewhere. They 

 return to it as soon as hungry, and if there is more than they 

 need, they re-cache the remainder. The Red-fox has not been 

 seen to urinate on its cache, but the Blue-fox does. 



