272 EEMINISCEXCES OF A SPOETSMAN. 



CHAP. XXVI. 



THE FOX.— HIS MAXCETJTEES. — "THE BITEE BIX. — ALWAYS THE 

 SAME. — HIS GREATEST EOE. 



" ' Come down,' said Eeynard, ' let us treat of peace;' 

 ' A peace, with all my soul,' said Chanticleer ; 

 Bnt, with yoiir farour, I will treat it here ; 

 And, lest the truce with treason shoxild be mixt, 

 'Tis my concern to have the tree betwixt.' " 



Detden, Cock and the Fox. 



In writing about tliis animal I am treacling on tender 

 ground, and must be cautious in treating of the habits 

 of sly Pug to prociure his livelihood. Gramekeepers 

 have almost always a decided hatred against him, and 

 father on him many sins of which I verily believe 

 he is blameless. There can be no doubt that he 

 enjoys exceedingly his supper, which may consist of a 

 pheasant or a partridge, but it has been fully ascertained 

 that where there is a tolerable stock of rabbits, tills is 

 his favourite food, and to catch them alive he makes 

 use of all his cunning and artful wiles. I have men- 

 tioned in another part of this work, — his manoeuvres 

 to catch young rabbits near their burrows, and his pre- 

 tending to be asleep on the banks of decoy ponds until 

 the wild ducks swim sufficiently near, when he makes a 

 spring at them, and seldom fails in providing himself 

 with a ffood meal. However, with all his craft and 



