MANGE IN FOXES. 95 



The following instance, amongst many which 

 could be produced, will illustrate how useless it 

 is to expect diseased parents to produce a 

 healthy stock. 



A vixen with a slightly ragged brush only, the 

 rest of the body being to all appearance per- 

 fectly healthy, had a litter of seven cubs close 

 by, and, although the dog fox was perfectly 

 healthy, we thought the litter should be done 

 away with, as the previous year a litter, also of 

 seven, with what appeared to be a perfectly 

 healthy vixen, but the dog fox in this case with 

 a ragged brush, had all become mangy, and 

 dropped off before the following November, and I 

 feared this lot would only do the same. How- 

 ever, I consulted the huntsman on the subject, 

 and he said we ought to give them a chance, as 

 perhaps some of them might turn out all right ; 

 and, as we were rather short of foxes, I was 

 then rather glad to comply, hoping against 

 hope that perhaps the fact of the dog fox being 

 healthy might make some difference. 



During the month of July, to our chagrin, two 

 or three of the cubs began to look patchy and 

 soon dropped off, though three or four remained 

 for some time, as far as we could see, all right. 



