DOG KIND. 51 



dog, and that but once a-year. Its litter is gene- 

 rally from four to six, and seldom less than three* 

 The female goes with young about six weeks, 

 and seldom stirs out while pregnant, but makes 

 a bed for her young > and takes every precaution 

 to prepare for their production. When she finds 

 the place of their retreat discovered, and that her 

 young have been disturbed during her absence, 

 she removes them one after the other in her 

 mouth, and endeavours to find them out a place 

 of better security. A remarkable instance of this 

 animaPs parental affection happened while I was 

 writing this history, in the county of Essex. A 

 she-fox that had, as it should seem, but one cub, 

 was unkennelled by a gentleman's hounds near 

 Chelmsfordj and hotly pursued. In such a case, 

 when her own life was in imminent peril, one 

 would think it was not a time to consult the 

 safety of her young ; however, the poor animal, 

 braving every danger, rather than leave her cub 

 behind to be worried by the dogs, took it up in 

 her mouth, and ran with it in this manner for 

 some miles. At last, taking her way through a 

 farmer's yard, she was assaulted by a mastiff, and 

 at last obliged to drop her cub, which was taken 

 up by the farmer. I was not displeased to hear 

 that this faithful creature escaped the pursuit, 

 and at last got off in safety. The cubs of the fox 

 are born blind, like those of the dog ; they are 

 eighteen months or two years in coming to per- 

 fection, and live about twelve or fourteen years. 



As the fox makes war upon all animals, so all 

 others seem to make war upon him. The dog 



