96 FOXES AT HOME. 



We, however, picked up the last of them dead 

 before the first of September. The vixen 

 remained on for the best part of the season, 

 when she, too, died ; and I then registered a 

 vow — No more chances for mangy foxes ! 



The next season there were only two litters 

 on the ground, and, being naturally very anxious 

 to find out what the vixens (which we had not 

 seen the whole season) were like, I went one 

 evening to watch at one oi the earths, and, to 

 my great disgust, out came what seemed to be 

 a white fox — not a hair on her body except her 

 head and neck— and jogged off. This was a 

 sad blow — one litter out of two of no account, 

 and I had yet to see what the other vixen was 

 like ! This one, however, was doomed to 

 instant destruction. As we could not get near 

 enough to shoot her on leaving the earth, and 

 it was impossible to dig her out, three traps 

 were set in the mouth of the earth, so that she 

 could not possibly come out without being 

 caught. At dusk that evening the dog fox 

 came up — a splendid big fellow he was, too, 

 with a fine glossy coat, and the wonder was 

 how ever he paired off with such a hideous- 

 looking vixen ! However, as vixens were 



