Do Animals "Commit Suicide"? 



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the enemy, man, all of whose works are to be 

 suspected, is easy of belief. " Vix knew right 

 well," says Mr. Seton, " what poisoned bait was ; 

 she passed them by or treated them with con- 

 tempt, but one she dropped down the hole of 

 an old enemy, a skunk, who was never afterward 

 seen." 



One must wish this naturalist would substan- 

 tiate by more particulars this revengeful mur- 

 der by indirect means, which seems to me to 

 imply more, in several directions, than we have 

 been able hitherto to grant to the intelligence 

 of even a fox; yet this is easy of acceptance 

 beside the further deeds of this prodigy, after 

 its mate had been shot and its home ravaged by 

 men and dogs. Three of its cubs are killed and 

 a fourth is made captive and chained in the 

 farmer's yard. Night after night, urged by 

 mother-love, old Vixen comes to feed her im- 

 prisoned bairn, and to try by every strength 

 and device of tooth and nail and mind to get it 

 free. At last she becomes convinced that no 

 effort of hers can loosen the chain, and the 

 next night she turns to her last resort: 



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