70 NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Catching rabbits, crows, &c. 



thdr combs, and leave them to him as the reward 

 of his victory. 



A great degree of cunning is exhibited by the 

 fox in digging young rabbits out of their bur- 

 rows. He does not enter the hole; for in this 

 case he would have to dig several feet along the 

 ground, under the surface of the earth; but he 

 follows their scent above, till he comes to the 

 end, where they lie; and then scratching up the 

 earth descends upon them with perfect facility. 



Pontoppidan, bishop of Bergen in Norway, 

 observes, that when the fox perceives an otter go 

 into the water to fish, he will frequently hide him- 

 self behind a stone ; and when the otter comes 

 to shore with his prey, will make such a spring 

 upon him that the affrighted animal runs off' and 

 leaves his booty behind. " A certain person," 

 says this author, " was surprised on seeing a fox 

 near a fisherman's house, laying a parcel of torsks' 

 (cod's) heads in a row. He waited the event; 

 the fox concealed himself behind them, and 

 made a booty of the first crow that came for a 

 bit of them. 



The fox is one of those animals that afford 

 much diversion in the chace. When he finds 

 himself pursued, he generally flees for refuge to 

 his kennel; and penetrating to the bottom, lies 

 till a terrier is sent in to him. If his den be un- 

 der a rock or the roots of trees, which is often 

 the case, he is safe ; for the terrier is no match 

 for him there, and he cannot be dug out by his 



