50 THE NATURALIST IN NORWAY. 



The fox is said in Norway to be partial to honey, 

 and when he conies to a beehive he makes a hole in it, 

 through which he insinuates his tail, the enraged in- 

 sects swarm round it, when the fox coolly walks off, 

 switches his tail against a tree, or immerses it in water, 

 and when he has thus got rid of the bees, he returns 

 to the hive and devours the honey. 



According to Pontoppidan, the fox gets rid of fleas 

 in the following manner : He takes a small bunch of 

 straw, or some of his own hair, which he holds in his 

 mouth, and then gets quietly into the water. His 

 restless little enemies are immediately on the alert, 

 and, fearing a watery grave, they hasten to take re- 

 fuge in the straw or hair which is floating on the sur- 

 face of the water. As soon as the fox perceives the 

 state of things, he opens his mouth, and abandons the 

 vermin to their hapless fate. 



Pontoppidan also relates the following amusing stra- 

 tagem of a fox : " When an old bitch-fox is pursued 

 by the dogs, she is at her wit's end, and is even more 

 fertile than the male in expedients for throwing off her 

 pursuers. One ingenious device is to deluge her tail 

 with her own water, and when the dogs approach near 

 enough, she whisks her tail in their faces, when they 

 are glad to beat a hasty retreat, their eyes smarting 

 with the pain caused by the penetrating fluid \" 



Olaus Magnus has also some curious stories to tell 

 of the fox. When Michel is hungry, and unable to 

 find anything to eat, he stretches himself out at full 

 length, shuts his eyes, hangs out his tongue, and pre- 

 tends to be dead. The crows then, thinking they have 

 fallen in with a rich prize, approach the supposed dead 

 fox, in order to feed on its body. When they are near 



