Ho7i^ to Manage a Vixen and Her Cubs, 79 



the earth they occupy, but where this Is done the 

 vixen goes on hunting all the same and inflicts 

 just as much damage on the game. The aim 

 of a keeper when feeding cubs should be to 

 employ the vixen during the hours when under 

 ordinary circumstances she would be engaged 

 hunting. As a rule she forages during the night 

 only, but, when food is scarce and enough cannot 

 be procured on her excursions after dark, is 

 forced to make daylight expeditions. With a 

 little observation it should be a simple matter to 

 discover the favourite direction of a vixen when 

 starting out foraging, and the points for which she 

 makes. It is at the furthest of these food should 

 be placed for her, as a lot of her time will then 

 be employed in carting it to the earth, and while 

 thus engaged she cannot be doing harm. By 

 judiciously placing such supplies, a vixen may be 

 encouraged and tempted to resort farther and 

 farther from her earth, and the journeys taken to 

 and fro will employ and tire her. This is the 

 way to feed a litter of cubs, for food placed near 

 the earth has no effect on the vixen, and has no 

 influence in staying her hunting. 



Some attention must be paid to the kind of 

 food provided. As before stated, where rabbits 

 are abundant there will be little difficulty in 



