410 THE PHILOSOPHY 



detain him till the hunters remove the earth above, and 

 either kill or feize him alive. The moft certain method, 

 however, of deftroying a fox is to begin with fhutting up 

 the hole, to ftation a man with a gun near the entrance, and 

 then to fearch about with the dogs. When they fall in with 

 liim, he immediately makes for his hole. But, when he 

 comes up to it, he is met with a difcharge from the gun. If 

 the fhot mifles him, he flies off with full fpeed, takes a wide 

 prcuit, and returns again to the hole, where he is fired up- 

 on a fecond time j but, when he difcovers that the entrance 

 is fliut, he darts away ftraight forward, with the intention of 

 never revifiting his former habitation. He is next purfued 

 by the hounds, whom he feldom fails to fatigue ; becaufe, 

 with much cunning, he palTes through the thickeft part of 

 the foreft, or places of the moft difficult accefs, where the 

 dogs are hardly able to follow him ; and, when he takes to 

 the plains, he runs ftraight out, without either flopping or 

 doubling. But the moft eff^ectual way of deftroying foxes is 

 to lay fnares baited with live pigeons, fowls, &c. The fox 

 is an exceedingly voracious animal. Beflde all kinds of flefli 

 and fiflies, he devours, with equal avidity, eggs, milk, cheefe, 

 fruits, and particularly grapes. He is fo extremely fond of 

 honey, that he attacks the nefts of wild bees. They at firft 

 put him to flight by numberlefs flings ; but he retires for 

 the fole purpofe of rolling himfelf on the ground and of 

 crufliing the bees. He returns to the charge fo often, that 

 he obliges them to abandon the hive, which he foon uncov- 

 ers, and devours both the honey and the wax. Some time 

 before the female brings forth, (he retires, and feldom leaves 

 her hole, where flie prepares a bed for her young. When 

 flie perceives that her retreat is difcovered, and that her 

 young have been difturbed, flie carries them off", one by one, 

 into a new habitation. The fox fleeps in a round form, like 

 ^he dog 5 but, when ho only repofes himfelf, he lies on hi.3 



