Io8 FOXES AT HOME. 



of our pursuits of wild bird or beast, and those 

 who condemn it on account of its supposed 

 cruelty don't know what they are talking about. 

 Hunted foxes have been known, over and over 

 again, to snatch up a rabbit or a fowl, in sheer 

 wantonness, when quite close in front of hounds, 

 and if hungry and they had time would there 

 and then have sat down and eaten them. Only 

 recentlv with the Garth Hunt a cub came out 

 of covert with a rabbit in his mouth, regardless 

 of the fact that the hounds were close behind 

 him in hot pursuit I Imagine a thrush when 

 chased by a sparrow hawk stopping to pick up 

 a worm ! 



Foxes have the greatest aversion to going 

 under a gate, and to avoid doing so prefer 

 to squeeze through the thickest fence. When 

 one sees a hunted fox crawl under a gate, it 

 is pretty evident that he is near the end of 

 his tether, and, as Somervile says — 



" Greedy death 

 Hovering exults, secure to seize his prey." 



Foxes have a habit when on the prowl of 

 fouling every rabbit burrow they come across, 

 and this is evidently done with the object of 

 making the occupants lie out. It is most 



