82 FOXES AT HOME. 



In order to insure the cubs being properly and 

 punctually fed, I frequently took the food to 

 them myself, as It has to be done, as I said 

 above, at a season of the year when the keepers,, 

 as a rule, are very busy with their young 

 pheasants, and are in consequence very apt tO' 

 let the cubs wait, or slide altogether ; or, in 

 order to save themselves trouble, obtain paunch ;s. 

 and other scraps from the butcher's, enough at a 

 time to last a week or so. This is almost 

 certain to give the cubs the mange. A vixen 

 does not give her cubs sheep's paunch and 

 butcher's scraps, and to be successful you must 

 imitate nature as closely as possible. 



There is nothing so good for a cub as a nice 

 fat rabbit, fresh killed, warm if possible (not 

 cooked !), and this should be cut into six or 

 eight pieces, and scattered about the earth so 

 as to give each cub a chance of getting a piece 

 without either having to fight for It or to wait 

 till the stronger are satisfied ; but, even having 

 done this, should any cub come up late (which,. 

 by the way, seldom happens), it would probably 

 find the board swept clean, as the first cub, or 

 cubs, up Invariably collects and carries off as 

 many pieces as It can possibly hold In Its. 



