TURNED-DOWN CUBS. 85 



or lost. It Is also a mistake to turn them down 

 too young, but I would prefer young to very old 

 if I had to make a choice. About as large as a 

 full-grown rabbit Is a good size, as they are then 

 fairly strong and active, but will not ramble 

 farther from the earth than they can run back 

 again in time to escape any passing danger. 



The vixen, which was the smaller (as they 

 usually are) of the above two, soon became 

 very tame, but the dog was always a bit 

 shy, and I think he would have gone off 

 on his own hook had not his little playmate 

 detained him close to the earth, from the 

 immediate vicinity of which she declined, for 

 the present at any rate, to shift. A rabbit 

 was their daily food, but some water which 

 I placed at the earth, as the weather w^as very 

 hot, they hardly ever touched. One evening 

 the keeper had omitted to obtain the rabbit 

 (and this shows how necessary it is, If possible, 

 to see the cubs fed oneself), and as a punish- 

 ment for him I took one of his laying hens 

 in default of the proper food. As it had to 

 die I thought It w^ould be good practice for 

 the cubs to kill it for themselves ! So 

 cramming it into a ferret bag we proceeded 



