108 THE LION KILLER. 



THE FOX, 



The African fox is but half the size of his European 

 brother. He inhabits the open plains, where he digs large 

 and deep holes in the sides of the brooks and in the pits left 

 by the Arabs. This animal is not as troublesome here as 

 among us ; it is only now and then he will dare to steal a 

 chicken, but lives entirely on the proceeds of his hunting, 

 that is to say, on little birds, jerboas, lizards and serpents. 



The* Arabs hunt them with greyhounds at daybreak in 

 the morning, when they are late in crossing the plain to 

 return to their hiding-places. This chase has no great interest 

 for me, but I think for Europeans who like ferret hunting, it 

 would be more agreeable, and they could practise it with 

 success, using terrier dogs instead of ferrets, the terriers being 

 used in the same manner for the fox, that the ferret is 

 employed for the rabbit 



