4 6 THE MAMMALS OF THE WOODS 



blackish orey streak. The hind-legs of both are of much the same colour. Both 

 sexes are of the same shade and marking, but vary with the two varieties. 

 Besides these two differently coloured phases of the typical race, there are also 

 black, fawn, grey, white, and piebald foxes, while now and then we meet with 

 the so-called cross-fox, which has a yellowish brown or sometimes almost black 

 stripe along its nose, head, and back, to the end of the tail, which is crossed by 

 one of the same colour and width running across the shoulder. 



The usual yelp of the fox, not unlike the bark of a small dog, is uttered 

 five or six times in rapid succession, and generally ends in a wailing, croaking 

 howl. In winter it is mostly heard at night, when it is commonly believed to 

 foretell cold and stormy weather; the yelp is also heard during pairing-time, 

 but is then accompanied by a sound resembling the cry of a peacock. Much 

 more tender are the cries with which the female fox calls to her offspring, or 

 teaches them how to seize their prey ; and equally low are the voices of the 

 whelps while still in the burrow crying for food. When defending himself 

 against hounds, the fox utters a fierce growl or a hoarse scream ; while very 

 rarely he emits a plaintive sound difficult to be described. A fox is exceedingly 

 hard to kill, and often runs off' as if nothing had happened when wounded even 

 to death. Sometimes he seems to collapse suddenly ; violent convulsions contract 

 his body, his gleaming white teeth are shown, and he soon lies motionless as 

 though dead ; yet all the time there is a crafty twinkle in his eyes, and, at 

 the moment when he is believed to be dead, he draws a long breath, jumps up, 

 and gallops off at full speed. Some naturalists consider that the fox shares 

 the hole of the badger, but this can happen but very seldom, and only if the 

 dimensions of the burrow are unusually large. If the burrow has been dug by 

 the fox itself, it consists of several tunnels opening in all directions, and 

 containing one or more chambers connected by tunnels with the outer world. 

 Sometimes in front of the principal chamber there is a large oblong space nearly 

 a yard long, which is used as a larder. Occasionally foxes take refuge in holes 

 formed of two tunnels of from 24 to 30 inches in length, which run deep into 

 the ground, have two outlets, and are a little wider at the bottom than at the 

 top. The burrow or " earth " is by no means so sweet as that of the badger, 

 on account of the disgusting smell of the decaying food which the fox brings 

 in for its young. This smell is noticeable a long way oft', and attracts an immense 

 number of insects, which remain in the deserted burrow long after the original 

 owner has departed. 



The fox is generally described as a greedy, cruel murderer, who rejoices in 

 slaughter even when his hunger is appeased, but in times of plenty he is very 

 particular. He chooses for his robberies a spot from which he is able to overlook 

 his whole surroundings, and can pounce unhindered on his prey. When he has 

 captured an animal he first bites off and then eats its head. He leaves what 

 he cannot eat on the scene of slaughter, sometimes covering it up with dry 

 leaves. His favourite food consists of the flesh of animals with a strong scent 

 of their own, such as the shrew-mouse and the hedgehog. It is not known 

 how a fox manages to tackle a hedgehog; possibly he is to a certain degree 

 insensible to its pricks, for he does not seem to mind the stings of wasps, bees, 



