THE RED FOX 433 



upon. Every precaution must be taken to keep such material 

 away from children or adults ignorant of its qualities, as well as 

 from animals for which it is not intended. Strychnine taken 

 internally by man or animal is almost instantly fatal. 



The Red Fox. This animal and its varieties, the cross fox, 

 silver fox, and black fox, now valuable for their fur, are serious 

 enemies to poultry-raising in the less settled portions of the country. 

 This is largely on account of its cunning. The genus in the wild 

 state is not so abundant as formerly. This is in part due to the 

 growth of the fur-farming industry and in part to the persecution 

 to which these animals have been subjected. 



The red fox has been known to kill from four to a dozen or 

 more chickens in one visit to a hen-house. As in the case of the 

 weasel, however, the animal is not without certain redeeming 

 qualities. It is, for example, an inveterate enemy of field mice, 

 rabbits, and woodchucks. 



Description. It is a little more than three feet long, sometimes 

 reaching a length of forty-four inches. Its general color is rusty 

 red or golden yellow, legs dark, feet black, and some black on the 

 back part of the ears, under parts, breast, and lower jaw white. 

 The end of the bushy tail is black with white tip. 



Habits. They mate in early spring, and a pair with young 

 (four to eight or nine hi the litter) constitute a family, the male 

 evidently not seeking another mate. A period of fifty-one days 

 elapses between mating and the birth of the young. It is believed 

 that the average life of a fox is from eight to ten years. 



The writer once owned a red female fox which was kept near 

 the house, in the orchard, fastened by a long chain and furnished 

 with an overturned box for a retreat in bad weather or at other 

 times. She was playful in the extreme and gentle as a kitten when 

 in the mood, but if not disposed to romp, depressed ears and opened 

 jaws which could close with lightning rapidity constituted suffi- 

 cient warning to leave her alone. If approached when eating 

 she would first snarl at the intruder, and if that were not sufficient 

 and one continued to approach, she would defile her food and walk 

 away. It is known that a fox will, under certain conditions, make 

 friends with dogs, perhaps for reasons of self-preservation. This 

 may have been the case with the above-mentioned animal, for 

 frequently fox hounds from a neighbor's yard would gather in 

 the orchard where this animal was chained and evidently indulge 

 in a fox " chase," much to the disgust of members of the family 



