30 FOXES AT HOME. 



this he repeats at intervals until at last an 

 answering cry is heard in the distance ; not a 

 bark this time but a " squall " ; rather resem- 

 bling the peculiar screech a peacock frequently 

 utters when, like " Gabriel Junks" of immortal 

 memory, foretelling the approach of rain — 



a — a a — ow^ is something like it in print ! 



This is the cry of a vixen, and call and answer 

 are repeated until the happy couple meet, and 

 jog off together side by side. 



Foxes seldom bark in the summer months. 

 If they do it is not a good sign and looks as if 

 a member of the family were missing — having 

 come to an untimely end. 



In Ireland the common belief amongst the 

 peasants is that a fox only barks when in the 

 vicinity of a farmhouse, in order to ascertain if 

 there is a dog about, who would, of course, 

 immediately reply ; should no answer be 

 returned, then Reynard knows he may rob the 

 hen-roost with impunity ! 



A vixen, when once she has paired, keeps 

 all other dog foxes at arm's length — what an 

 example of conjugal .fidelity for weak mortals ! 

 — and should a stranger be run to ground by 

 hounds in an earth in which she happens 



