TURNED-DOWN CT^S. 77 



were left In peace and quietness, and we had to 

 consider ourselves very lucky If a vixen or two 

 remained behind to reward us for our trouble 

 with a wild litter the following spring. Out 

 of eight vixens turned down one season there 

 were only two wild litters on the ground the 

 next, but these two gave one a good start, and 

 we have had never less than three or four wild 

 litters ever since (some eight or nine years), and 

 this year (1903) there are no less than seven 

 litters on the same ground. It generally takes 

 two seasons at least to re-stock satisfactorily 

 with foxes any district which for some reason 

 or other has been entirely cleared out of 

 them. 



On one occasion, when there was only one 

 wild litter here, of five very fine cubs, three very 

 small ones, which had to be removed from an- 

 other part of the country, were sent to increase 

 the stock, and put down In the usual way, about 

 half a mile from the earth where the wild litter 

 was. The second night after the wire was. 

 removed the cubs disappeared ; the food was 

 left untouched, and the most careful search 

 failed to reveal their whereabouts, so that 

 eventually we had to 2^1 ve them up for lost,. 



