THE FOX 71 



foxes, and I believe that it is true he does some- 

 times kill a cub ; but I feel quite certain he never 

 kills a full-grown fox. Not that he is unable to 

 do it, but the fox is much too wary to quarrel 

 with an animal of more than twice his strength. 

 I believe the fox rather imposes on brock's good 

 nature, and makes himself at home in the other's 

 house whenever it suits him. Then Mrs. Fox 

 has a large family in brock's best bedroom, and 

 all goes happily together until that family begins 

 to run about. One day, when the mother fox 

 is out on a foraging raid, the cheeky little cubs 

 scamper about brock's private sanctum, and wake 

 him from a blissful sleep. One snap from the 

 powerful jaws and a cub is dead ; but I do not 

 believe a badger will ever go out of the way to 

 kill either fox or cub. How it comes about can 

 only be a matter of conjecture, but cubs are 

 occasionally found dead at the mouth of the earth 

 with a bite through the head, and the badger is 

 accused of committing the crime. 



When badgers are very numerous they become 

 a nuisance in another way, and that is by opening 

 the earths after the earth-stopper has been his 

 rounds. They do good, however, in keeping the 



