FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



in chief demand for this purpose. No doubt 

 the idea of using such a dog originated from some 

 fowler watching a fox playing about on the bank 

 of a river or pond, his antics attracting the ducks 

 to within springing distance. 



Once a tame fox escapes, he is likely to celebrate 

 the event by a wholesale slaughter of poultry in 

 the vicinity of his erstwhile home. Nor is such 

 an escaped captive always easy to kill, as many a 

 huntsman has discovered ere now. 



Cubs taken young before their eyes are open 

 should be fed on milk. This is best administered 

 by means of a small rubber teat attached to a 

 bottle. As they grow older, scraps of meat may 

 be offered them, a bit of rabbit flesh with the skin 

 adhering to it being as good as anything. At a 

 very tender age fox cubs fight and growl over 

 their food, each one running off to some corner 

 to devour the portion it has secured. In ad- 

 dition to keeping the enclosure in which the cubs 

 are confined spotlessly clean, in order to prevent 

 disease, the food should be varied as much as 

 possible. Cubs can be reared on nothing but 

 dead rabbit and clean cold water, but they do 

 much better if some fruit, such as blackberries, 

 etc., frogs, and beetles are offered them. A 

 species of black beetle is very plentiful in spring, 

 and a large number of them can easily be gathered 

 in a short time. Cleanliness and proper attention 

 to diet is the secret of rearing cubs by hand, 

 although many people entrusted with a litter fail 

 to practise it. 



Drastic measures should be employed directly 

 an outbreak of mange makes its appearance. 

 All mangy foxes should be shot or otherwise got 

 rid of, and the earths, both natural and artificial 



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