57 



As enemies to insects, rats, &c., foxes are well worth preserving ; 

 they may occasionally eat a melon which they find in an unpro- 

 tected garden, or a mango which has been knocked off a tree by 

 their detestable namesakes the " flying fox," but beyond this I do 

 not think they destroy vegetables, and certainly the little harm they 

 could do to ihe husbandman, is far more than repaid by the number 

 of his foes they slay. 



Since the above notes were first printed, the same friend from 

 whose letter, on the habits of the panther, I have made the extracts 

 entered at pages 32 and 33, has kindly given me the following very 

 pleasing account of two tame foxes in his possession. I feel sure 

 that it will interest those, who like the writer, are fond, not only of 

 field sports, but of natural history- That both of these tastes go 

 hand in hand ; many Indian sportsmen could, if they only would, 

 afford most valuable proof. My friend writes : 



" At Vizianagram* my horse-keeper got a couple of young foxes, 

 " not so large as the common rat, from a tank-digger who had dug 

 " them out of an earth. They throve very well and were always 

 " as tame as dogs. The male took up his quarters under a chest of 

 " drawers in my bed-room, where he remained all day, but at night 

 " he was generally out feeding ; the female was not so sociable, but 

 " lay in a cool hollow which she had scraped under the garden 

 "hedge. They attained their full size about the eighth month. 

 " They always fed with the greyhounds, and after they had eaten 

 " all the meat that was in their own dish, they would often get 

 " under one of the dogs from behind and, when he raised his head, 

 " spring between his fore legs and, in going over the dish, pick out 

 " a bit of meat and make off with it. In doing this their movements 

 " were so quick, that the dog could never catch, although he inva- 

 " riably made a savage snap at, the nimble thief. They always 

 " came to my call ; and at breakfast the male usually sat on my knee, 

 " looking out for scraps. I think that during the night they were 

 " in the habit of going to a great distance ; as one morning, while I 

 " was taking an early ride, I saw one of them at the race course, 

 " going home in a great hurry as if he thought he was out rather 



* A small Military Station in the Northern Circars. V. 



8 



