THE FOX IN FABLE 175 



crow that came down. Now there are just two 

 touches of truth here : one fact is the surprise of the 

 person who saw this, the second that the fox only 

 caught one crow, for these shrewd birds would 

 certainly take warning from the first mishap. After 

 all, the old story of the fox, the crow, and the bit of 

 cheese is just as good and quite as true a way of 

 accounting for a fact which the fabulists had observed, 

 that there is a great enmity between foxes and crows. 

 Who has not seen the crows and magpies swoop 

 and chatter at a fox nearly at the end of his powers, 

 after a long chase ? Is it that two of a trade both 

 arrant thieves cannot agree, or that the crows foresee 

 the fox's end, and a possible meal for themselves ? 

 At all events the fox's character is of the worst, and 

 Buffon draws a lively account of the fox listening to 

 the crowing of the cocks and hens, and forming his 

 plans accordingly. Probably, not being a foxhunter, 

 that great writer exaggerated the iniquities of the 

 fox. Somervile, too, shows that the fox in his time 

 had not had his misdeeds condoned for the pleasure 

 he gave : 



From his kennel sneaks 



The conscious villain, see he skulks along 



Sleek at the shepherd's cost, and plump with meals 



purloined. 

 So thrive the wicked here below, 



