THE FOX AS A CAPTIVE 125 



creep along several garden walls before he could find 

 his own. 



But the most remarkable instance of a tame fox 

 comes from County Cork. In this case, the fox had 

 been captured as a cub. Before he was a year old 

 he made his escape, but to the surprise and delight 

 of the lady who brought him up, he returned of his 

 own accord. Henceforth, he led a half-domesticated 

 life in a covert on a steep and rocky eminence at 

 the back of the house. A correspondent of the 

 ' Field ' relates how the fox's mistress would take a 

 plate of meat and a whistle. Joe was sure to make 

 his appearance. When he received a piece of meat 

 he always took it away and buried it, returning for 

 another piece, which he also buried. Not only 

 would this fox come at call : if hungry he was in 

 the habit of appearing at the kitchen window, where 

 the cook would feed him. 



Joe was on excellent terms with the two dogs, and 

 when he felt inclined for company he would come on 

 to the lawn in front of the house to seek a game 

 with them or with the cat. He was fond of hiding 

 and springing suddenly on a dog's back. One of 

 his playfellows was a setter which would invariably 

 point if he touched the line of Joe's travels in 

 the coverts. The fox would go out rabbiting with 



