Ground Vermin Habits of the Fox. 351 



such signs are apparent it pays increased attention to the 

 hole towards which the rabbit may be moving, shaping its 

 actions accordingly, and placing itself in suitable posture 

 for a snap directly the rabbit shows its head from the 

 burrow, or rather its body ; for when expecting no danger, 

 and not having been disturbed, Bunny most often comes 

 right out of his hole, after taking a prospect of the outside 

 state of things from the fastness within. The fox, watching 

 in this manner, often raises its head and takes sidelong 

 glances at the aperture before the critical moment arrives, 

 in much the same manner as a dog might. The instant 

 the rabbit shows out, Reynard seizes it, generally across 

 the back of the neck, with a jerk of the head throws it 

 over his shoulders and trots away, proudly enough, until 

 he arrives at such spot as seems a suitable place of 

 repast ; or, if his hunger has been already satisfied, 

 whereat to bury its prey ; or, if a family be in prospect, 

 to the cubbing earth, where he deposits his capture and 

 proceeds in quest of a second. 



Another favourite mode of capture practised by the fox 

 is to attain its object by stealth, and in such case the 

 animal or bird captured may be a sitting rabbit, a hare, 

 some game bird, or any furred or feathered creature of 

 like nature. Rabbits in danger in their forms sit very 

 close, and to this fact may be attributed the easy manner 

 in which Reynard accomplishes his desire when he happens 

 to discover one so situated, and it is to be noted that 

 many rabbits are taken which are quite unaware of any cause 

 for fear ; the fox invariably creeps up in a perfectly noise- 

 less manner towards the back of the sitting rabbit, until 



