FOX 47 



or hornets, whose nests he routs up with great avidity. In exceptional cases 

 he will even devour his own kind, especially when he finds one caught in a 

 trap, and will do the same to other animals captured in the same way. He is 

 contemptuous of owls and most birds-of-prey, but not of crows and magpies, 

 which, when they espy a fox sneaking about, generally follow him with a loud 

 croaking, and so betra}' his whereabouts. It is scarcely necessary to say that, 

 when he has the opportunity, the fox is a dangerous enemy to domestic fowls. 

 He is an expert mouser, but seems to carry on the sport more for his own 

 pleasure than because he is hungry ; for he has often been seen to catch a mouse, 

 let it go again, catch it once more, throw it up with his muzzle, then stand and 

 watch it, and go on repeating this game for hours. 



His usual and characteristic gait is a sort of mixture between a run and a 

 trot. Avoiding everything that might in any way betray him, from time 

 to time he stops and listens, or seems to reflect, and then, quick as lightning, 

 will catch the field-mouse that has been stirring the dry leaves. Then he 

 .will sit down on his hind-legs, like a dog, to devour his prey, greedily licking 

 up the last drop of blood. Yet all the while he remains watchful and observant, 

 and for safety will often lie huddled up, hiding his nose, dog-like, beneath the 

 tip of his tail. 



In most parts of Eui-ope the fox has not many enemies, but in othei 

 countries he is pursued by the lynx and the wolf, and, in districts where owls 

 and eagles abound his adversaries are by no means few. The diseases to which 

 he is subject generally end fatally. The most dangerous is the mange, which 

 is infectious in the highest degree, and generally comes on in warm weather. 

 Females, or vixens, are more troubled with this complaint than dog foxes. The 

 second disease is tubercle, which is shown by the rapid wasting away; and 

 the third is rabies, which attacks both sexes. But except in countries where 

 he is preserved for sport the most dangerous enemy of the fox is man, who 

 has invented innumerable devices for catching and killing him. In England 

 the fox is hunted solely with hounds, but in Germany dachshunds are used as 

 terriers to drive him from his hole. If a fox-earth be noiselessly approached 

 and a dachshund sent in, the fox will bolt after a few minutes at the other end, 

 and run headlong into the net placed ready. But if the trapper make a noise 

 in approaching the hole, the occupant will remain below, no matter how strong 

 the dachshund may be, and must be dug out. If a fox be driven from covert, 

 he avoids making for his hole, especially when chased by hounds; but, at the 

 slightest sound behind him seeks to escape in the direction which offers the 

 best chance of safety. In many cases, and particularly if his pursuers make 

 much noise, he will ensconce himself in a tree, and quietly wait there till all 

 have passed. At other times, as when allured by an imitation of the cry of 

 a mouse, he will readily follow the sound, and be led into danger. Baits laid 

 for foxes are taken with the greatest caution, and if the trap be set in such a 

 way that it can be seen, they will never be deceived by the lure. If one of his 

 fore-feet gets caught, a fox will unhesitatingly bite through the sinews or fleshy 

 parts held in the trap, in order to save his life. 



The fox is found in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, from northern 



