Hoiv to Manage a Vixen and Her Cubs. 75 



sweeter quarters. The cubs, while living entirely 

 in the earth, foul it a good deal, and the remnants 

 of their food do not add to its sanitary condition ; 

 hence the vixen may leave the first earth where 

 she is desired to remain in favour of another where 

 she is certainly not wanted. 



When the entrance to an earth and the imme- 

 diate surroundings show that the cubs emerge to 

 play, preparations must be made to shift the w^hole 

 family to another earth in the midst of a stock of 

 rabbits, and this is more easily managed than readers 

 may imagine. The keeper should procure a long- 

 handled Norfolk rabbiting-spade, and with. this tool 

 scrape out the disused earth the vixen is intended 

 to occupy to as great a depth as he can reach, 

 depositing the excavated soil m a heap just outside, 

 as if it had been torn out by a fox. This heap, if 

 consisting of nice, fresh soil, will act as an adver- 

 tisement of a house to let, of which the vixen when 

 passing is sure to take notice. Having prepared 

 the earth as suggested, every effort must be 

 directed to attracting the vixen to it If a fox's 

 excrement is found, remove it near ; also snare a 

 few^ rabbits close by, and leave them alive in 

 the snares, for a squeaking rabbit will draw a 

 fox a mile on a quiet night. If the vixen fetches 

 these away see that others replace them, so 



