CUBDOM. 41 



these days of over-preservation, and they had 



very probably to travel far for food. Nowadays 



they can find food easily enough inmost places, 



and one does not hear complaints of lambs 



being taken, and personally I have never known 



a fox kill one. At home, when I was a lad, the 



shepherd used to put a daub of reddle round 



each lamb's neck as a preventive, although he 



informed me he had never lost a lamb by a fox, 



either reddled or otherwise; the tradition had, 



however, been handed down to him, and he was 



bound to keep it up ! He also used to blow a 



huge Spanish bullock's horn every night to scare 



the foxes away, which sounded like a steamer 



in a fog, and must have amused the foxes 



immensely. 



" Said the fox I like good music still, 

 And away he went to his den O ! " 



I have no doubt, where food is scarce and 

 lambs plentiful, as in hill countries, that foxes 

 will occasionally take toll, but stray dogs are 

 more often the culprits, and the poor fox gets 

 the credit for the depredations of the latter. 



Rabbits undoubtedly are the favourite food of 

 foxes; they must get rid of hundreds in a season, 

 and farmers and others should be obliged to 



