THE FOX 101 



to me how this bird manages to catch so many, 

 but can only suppose that it watches for those 

 which are unwary enough to venture for a moment 

 to the surface of the ground. 



Another small creature that the fox will kill, 

 but not eat, is the common shrew. Like cats 

 and dogs, it will not eat this little animal, being 

 apparently disgusted by the peculiar smell. 

 Curiously enough, owls do not share this dislike, 

 consuming quantities of shrews, but probably their 

 sense of smell is not so keen as that of the fox, 

 dog, and cat. 



To return to the trail left by a fox, it is of course 

 much more difficult to track one when the snow 

 has gone, but even then much can be done if you 

 know what to look for and where to search for 

 the signs. On damp footpaths, in places where 

 the soil is soft and wet, and by the margins of 

 the streams, you will find that neat little footprint 

 which was impressed by the pad of a fox. The 

 track is small compared with that of the average 

 dog, and is narrow in proportion to its length. 

 When a raid has been made on a hen-roost it is 

 not, however, usually necessary to look for such 

 details as pad-marks, for the very way in which 

 the robbery has been committed will decide 

 whether the fox was, or was not, the culprit. A 

 fowl is a big mouthful for a fox, it is as much as 

 it can do to carry it, especially if the bird is still 

 able to flap a little, so every few steps it has to stop 

 and readjust its grip. The result is that the 

 course the fox takes is strewn with feathers. There 



