102 The Fox 
posed, and is usually seized and despatched by one 
of the dogs. 
Another method of ferreting the fox, when rocks and 
stones make digging impossible, is that of “smoking 
him out.”? Dry punk is set on fire and, when burning 
well, is forced some three or four feet into the entrance 
of the burrow. Through the lack of sufficient air, 
quite a quantity of smoke and gases is formed, which 
after a time becomes diffused through the remotest 
parts of the burrow. This is a new enemy to the 
bewildered fox, and one on which his usual cunning 
has little effect. In his last desperate effort to escape, 
he tries to gain the entrance of his burrow, but falls 
exhausted near the smouldering heap that not only 
blocks his way, but is pouring forth its deadly fumes. 
After about two hours the remaining mass is raked 
out and a slender, slightly forked stick inserted and 
twisted about. In so doing the end usually becomes 
entangled in the fur of the fox and he is then easily 
drawn to the entrance of the burrow. 
Still another method of capture is sometimes at- 
tempted, that of “drowning out the fox,” but this 
is seldom successful. It requires a large quantity of 
water, and often the soil is so porous that before the 
second supply can be added the first has been absorbed. 
But we must not forget that these “holes” are 
