THE FOX. 101 



morning at daylight shot a vixen, returning to 

 her den, and in her mouth were a hen grouse, 

 two grouse's eggs, and two frogs. He kills the 

 hares, but this we could forgive, and the young 

 fawns. 



A keeper in the Lewes once observed a hind 

 running in a circle and continually jumping 

 high in the air. He stalked in on her and 

 found she was defending her fawn from the 

 attacks of a fox, trying to strike him with her 

 feet every time he rushed at the fawn. From 

 the marks on the ground the poor thing must 

 have been doing this for a long time, and she 

 was nearly exhausted. Owners of deer-forests 

 may find they are making a mistake in pre- 

 serving these animals, as some of them do. 



But he also habitually kills lambs when 

 rearing his own cubs, a thing that the fox of the 

 Lowlands never does. With mutton at the price 

 it now commands, there can be no forgiveness 

 for this crime. Mr. E. Gray, in his evidence, 

 states that they ' take a sickly lamb in preference 



