232 ARTIFICES OF ANIMALS. 



wide circuit, and returns to the hole, where he is fired upon 

 a second time; but, when he discovers that the entrance is 

 shut, he darts away straight forward, with the intention of 

 never revisiting his former habitation. He is next pursued 

 by the hounds, whom he seldom fails to fatigue ; because, 

 with much cunning, he passes through the thickest part of 

 the forest, or places of the most difficult access, where the 

 dogs are hardly able to follow him ; and, when he takes to the 

 plains he runs straight out, without either stopping or dou- 

 bling. But the most effectual way of destroying foxes is to 

 lay snares baited with live pigeons, fowls, &c. The fox is 

 an exceedingly voracious animal. Besides all kinds of flesh 

 and fishes, he devours, with equal avidity, eggs, milk, cheese, 

 fruits, and particularly grapes. He is so extremely fond of 

 honey, that he attacks the nests of wild bees. They at first 

 put him to flight by numberless stings ; but he retires for the 

 sole purpose of rolling himself on the ground, and of crushing 

 the bees. He returns to the charge so often, that he obliges 

 them to abandon the hive, which he soon uncovers, and de- 

 vours both the honey and the wax. ^ 



When the female perceives that her retreat is discovered, 

 and that her young have been disturbed, she carries them off, 

 one by one, into a new habitation. The fox sleeps in a round 

 form, like the dog; but, when he only reposes himself, he lies 

 on his belly, with his hind legs extended. It is in this situa- 

 tion that he eyes the birds on the hedges and trees. The 

 birds have such an antipathy against him, that they no sooner 

 perceive him than they send forth shrill cries to advertise 

 their neighbors of the enemy's approach. The jays and 

 blackbirds, in particular, follow the fox from tree to tree, 

 sometimes two or three hundred paces, often repeating the 

 watch-cries. The Courrt de Bufifon kept two young foxes, 

 which, when at liberty, attacked the poultry ; but after they 

 were chained, they never attempted to touch a single fowl. A 

 living hen was then placed near them for whole nights ; and, 

 though destitute of victuals for many hours, in spite of hunger 

 and opportunity, they never forgot that they were chained, 

 and gave the hen no disturbance. 



In Kamtschatka, the animals called gluttons employ a sin- 

 gular stratagem for killing the fallow-deer. They climb up 

 a tree, and carry with them a quantity of that species of moss 

 of which the deer are very fond. When a deer approaches 

 near the tree, the glutton throws down the moss. If the deer 

 stops to eat the moss, the glutton instantly darts upon his 



