CHAPTER III 



THE MIND OF THE FOX 



THE fox offers one of the best possible subjects for 

 the study of the mind of an animal. Our friend the 

 dog is greatly affected and influenced by his asso- 

 ciation with ourselves. He is a leading case of 

 variation produced by domestication. The fox, on 

 the other hand, has always resisted all efforts to 

 domesticate him. It is doubtful if a fox ever be- 

 comes really tame. The long enmity between the 

 vulpine and human races cannot be wholly made up. 

 The fox may be to a certain extent sophisticated by 

 the artificial methods used to preserve the race, but 

 he is never domesticated ; he is always at bottom 

 the beast of prey. Yet in spite of his wildness and 

 wariness, whether as friend or enemy, the creature 

 is always under observation, and we know as much 

 about him as it is possible to know about any wild 

 animal. Of our other outlaws, the badger and the 

 otter are still something of mysteries to us. Of their 



