THE THREE FOXES. 489 



gether different reflections on their predicament; and here 

 they had to remain until the afternoon, when aid at length 

 arrived. 



" And what of the assembled congregation ? inquires the 

 reader. Why, they had in all patience the men with long 

 tobacco-pipes, and the women with still longer histories of what 

 had occurred in the parish whiled away time on the church- 

 yard, until hunger told them it was their dinner-hour ! 



" The report of this misadventure soon circulated ; and as 

 rumour generally makes a story worse than it really is, people 

 at length said that three foxes of different colours three 

 cunning old rogues, in short had been caught in the parson's 

 Varg-grop ! Happily there was no one ill-natured enough to 

 tell the tale to the Bishop ; but it is related that, from this 

 time forward the reverend gentleman was careful to attend to 

 his congregation in the first instance, and to his wolf-trap 

 afterwards." 



The wolf is also frequently captured in Sweden by means 

 of the Varg-gdrd, or wolf-enclosure. This device is ingenious 

 enough in its way the principle being to erect such a fence 

 that the beast may readily find his way into the enclosure ; 

 but from which, owing to the height of the fence, and its 

 inward inclination, it is next to impossible for him to find 

 his way out again. 



Varg-gardar differ somewhat, however, in their nature. 

 In some, a considerable gap is left in the fence, so that 

 wolves may have free access to the Luder-plats ; which gap, 

 on its being known that the beasts have entered, is hurriedly 

 closed with Jagt-tyg. In others again, the fence completely 

 encompasses the enclosure ; when therefore the wolf has 

 surmounted it, one has only to knock him on the head. 



