NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



This tame fox was horribly afraid of strange dogs, 

 and the sight of one sent it into an extremity of fear, 

 and at such times it would dash madly away, making 

 for the nearest cover, and once it obtained sanctuary 

 nothing could induce it to show itself for hours 

 afterwards. One day my friend was walking along 

 a country road with his foxy chum trotting behind 

 him when, from a neighbouring Kafir kraal, a mon- 

 grel dog dashed out. The fox made off full speed 

 in the opposite direction, and was lost to view in a 

 dense belt of thorny bushes. For hours its owner 

 sought for it, ever and anon calling its name and 

 clapping his hands, which was the signal it had been 

 taught to respond to. The following day the entire 

 bush was searched, but no trace of the fox could be 

 obtained. On the morning of the third day my 

 friend was gratified, on going out of his room, to 

 find his chum, the fox, out in the yard. When it 

 saw its master it was wild with delight. With age 

 it became more confident, and used to make long 

 excursions alone over the veld in search of insects 

 and other small forms of life, and one day it wandered 

 farther than usual and was suddenly confronted by 

 a man with a gun who, mistaking it for a wild fox, 

 shot and killed it. About a week later my friend 

 happened to call at the farm of the man who shot 

 the fox, and in the course of conversation he went 

 on to relate how he had shot a wonderful fox-like 

 animal out on the veld, and proudly produced the 

 skin. My friend recognised it as the skin of his 

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