1896] Bad Neighbors 



All foxes are monogamous for life. Alopex makes 

 its nest deep down in crevices of the lava blocks 

 along the shore, where the young are born, and where 

 they gurgle-gurgle in their throats until big enough 

 to come out and run along the ancient "fox walks" FOX walks 

 from one hole to another. The adult animals have 

 a very high, sharp, rasping note. "Kling-g-g, 

 kling-g-g-g!" like the noise of a "scared buzz-saw" 

 as I once ventured to put it. 



From August on, the Pribilof foxes feed largely 

 on the starved or trampled pups which they fur- 

 tively steal as soon as discipline is sufficiently re- 

 laxed to allow them to enter the harems. In the 

 height of the breeding season it would surely be 

 more than a fox's life is worth to try to break in. 

 They then make raids on the chutchki and other An odd 

 auks which abound about the cliffs, especially on 

 the black sea-parrot or tufted puffin, tall, erect, 

 and dignified, with a great red bill apparently made 

 of sealing wax, a white mask over his face, and a 

 white plume at his crown. 



Once as I lay without apparent sign of life on the 

 moss behind remote Vostochni, a little blue fox 

 espied me and ran round and round in narrowing 

 circles until at last he got near enough to make a 

 quick snap at my rubber boot, meanwhile fixing on 

 me his hard, gray, selfish eye; for among all the Cruel eyes 

 beasts no other has an eye so cruel-cold as his. But 

 the boot being unexpectedly tough, he ran away as 

 fast as he could, crying "Kling-g, kling-g, kling-g-g!" 

 while all the little foxes went gurgle-gurgle-gurgle 

 underneath the rocks. 



On Morjovi once lived also the greatest of all 

 Northern beasts, the Walrus, for which, in fact, the 



counte- 

 nance 



