138 THE FOX 



the ailment, which is highly contagious so much so 

 that it has been said that horses have contracted it 

 from the masks of mangy foxes being suspended 

 from the saddle of a hunt servant, and that terriers 

 which have been used to bolt a mangy fox have 

 been found suffering from the disease. The only 

 way of dealing with mange is on the sound principle 

 that prevention is better than cure. It is profitable, 

 then, to examine into the causes of the disease. 

 These are the same as those which cause it in dogs : 

 a low state of health and a bad state of blood induced 

 by foul and dirty surroundings, improper food, and, 

 I think, anything that seriously lowers the vitality. 

 It used to be said that foxes hard run, which take 

 refuge in an earth when hot and wet, become mangy ; 

 but I can find no evidence of this. It may be so, 

 but I confess that I have no faith in the statement. I 

 believe the principal causes to be four : 



First. Unwholesome captivity in fox-pits, pig- 

 styes, or any dirty place. 



Second. Turned-down foxes bought from dealers, 

 that have travelled in dirty crates. It may be taken 

 as a certainty that markets which deal in such things 

 are simply hotbeds of mange, and that it is far better 

 to go short of foxes than to buy them. 



Thirdly. Feeding on horseflesh or other flesh. 



