4 EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 



almost before my eyes she had melted into the land- 

 scape. 



I stood like a stone until the cub had lain down 

 once more. This time evidently he was watching 

 me out of his wrinkled-up little eyes, for at my very 

 first forward movement he got up, and with no 

 appearance of haste turned around and disappeared 

 down in the burrow. The watch-tower log was va- 

 cant, although I have no doubt that the mother fox 

 was watching me from some unseen spot. 



When I came to examine the den, I found that 

 there were three burrows in a line, perhaps fifteen 

 feet in length, with a hard-worn path leading from 

 one to the other. The watch-log behind them was 

 rubbed smooth and shiny, with reddish fox-hairs 

 caught in every crevice. Near the three burrows 

 was a tiny one, which I think was probably dug as 

 an air-hole; while in front I found the feathers of a 

 flicker, a purple grackle, and a chicken, besides the 

 remains of the crow aforesaid. How any fox outside 

 of the fable could beguile a crow is a puzzle to me. 

 All of these burrows were in plain sight, and I hunted 

 a long time to find the concealed one which is a part 

 of the home of every well-regulated fox family. For 

 a while I could find no trace of it. Finally I saw on 

 the side of a stump one reddish hair that gave me a 

 clue. Examining the stump carefully, I found that 

 it was hollow and formed the entrance to the secret 

 exit from the three main burrows. 



A week later I went again to look at the home of 

 that fox family; but it was deserted by them and was 



