152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



running across the fields to this thicket. Search was made, and the 

 home of Reynard found. The burrow extending beneath a ledge of 

 rocks, no attempt was made to dig them out, it being determined to 

 lie in wait and shoot them at the first opportunity. Accordingly, one 

 day I took my gun, and hiding myself behind an old stone wall, less 

 than a gun-shot from the mouth of the burrow, awaited events. Shortly, 

 I heard a rustling in the bushes, and looking, saw the old one coming up 

 the hill with a nice large domestic duck in her mouth. I waited till she 

 got near the burrow, when I fired, one barrel loaded with swan shot ; 

 she did not drop dead, but ran limping across the fields to some woods, 

 where she was subsequently found dead. I loaded up and waited 

 patiently for her to return, but she did not. I was about giving it up 

 for that day, when suddenly there ran out a young fox presently fol- 

 lowed by three others ; they were about of a size, and were about half 

 grown ; they were very playful, rolling on the ground and over each 

 other like kittens or puppies. I watched them for a while, and shot 

 them, killing two with each barrel. They were much grayer than the 

 old one, and the fur lacked the hairs which in the old animal extended 

 beyond the fur. 



The food of the fox consists of hares, rats, squirrels, and birds ; he is 

 a great nuisance to farmers, on account of his love for poultry. Several 

 fine specimens furnish the following 



Description. — Head long, sharpened to the nose ; ears large and 

 pointed, with fur on the exterior and interior, the latter the longest and 

 coarsest ; color of fur behind the ear, brownish black ; fur on the body 

 above and on each side, yellowish red, darkest on the anterior half of the 

 body ; in this fur are thickly scattered hairs which extend beyond the 

 fur ; these hairs are darker than the fur ; chin and belly white ; fur 

 beneath the body deepening into yellowish white as it extends to the 

 yellowish red of the sides ; breast yellowish gray ; limbs pretty long and 

 strong, their anterior sides brownish black ; feet brownish black, with 

 naked spots beneath the soles and toes ; tail very bushy, largest near the 

 end, lighter colored than the body ; tip of the tail white. Length from 

 nose to root of tail, from two feet two inches to two feet five inches ; 

 length of tail, sixteen to seventeen inches. 



Family: MuSTELiDiE. — (Weasel Family.) 

 Characteristics. — Head (generally) long and pointed to the nose ; 

 ears short and rounded ; incisors, six in each jaw ; canines, two in each 

 jaw; prc-molars, six or eight in each jaw; true molars, tuberculated, 

 two in tlie upi)er and two or four in the lower jaw; body (generally) 

 long and slender ; legs short ; feet, five-toed, provided with long, sharp 



