23-1 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



animal, for the southern Fox differs considerably 

 from the northern one, the Fox of the mountains 

 from that of the plains. Those species living on 

 plains and deserts show the similarity of their color 

 with that of the ground still more distinctly. When 

 we come to examine the fur closely we find the dis- 

 tribution of the colors to be somewhat like this: the 

 whole upper surface is of a russet or yellowish red 

 hue; the forehead, the shoulders and the buttocks, to 

 the root of the tail, have a surface tinge of white, as 

 the hairs in these parts are tipped with white; the 

 lips, cheeks and throat are white. A white stripe 

 runs along the legs; the breast and the under por- 

 tion are ashy gray; the flanks are whitish gray, the 

 fore-legs red, the ears and the paws black; the brush 

 is either russet or yellowish red, blackened at the 

 surface, and its tip is either of the same color or 

 white. All these shades imperceptibly merge into 

 each other, none of them being placed in sharp con- 

 trast, and that is the reason why the coat is so well 

 adapted for any surroundings. 

 Where the Foxes Reynard inhabits the greater part 

 Make Their of the Northern Hemisphere of our 

 Homes. globe. He ranges throughout Eu- 



rope, northern Africa, western and northern Asia; 

 we may include Afghanistan, the western Himalayas 

 and Tibet in his range, for the species prevailing 

 there can hardly be differentiated as distinct. He is 

 nowhere within this wide expanse entirely absent, 

 and in some localities is rather common. His 

 adaptability aids him in finding habitations where 

 other Beasts of Prey cannot find any, and therefore 

 cannot exist, and his agility and cunning enable 

 him to maintain these habitations with an obstinacy 

 and pertinacity which is without parallel. As the 

 Wolf opposes him as an enemy he is relatively 

 scarce in the genuine Wolf regions; but his numbers 

 increase in proportion as the Wolf is being extermi- 

 nated. 



He always selects his places of abode with the 

 greatest caution. Usually they are deep hollows 

 between rocks, covered with branches, or situated 

 between roots of trees or other similar favorable 

 places, and the end is a spacious chamber. When- 

 ever he can avoid doing so, he does not dig out 

 these burrows himself, but establishes himself in 

 some old, deserted Badger's hole or shares it with 

 the Badger in spite of the latter's disinclination to 

 enter into social relations with other animals. All 

 the larger Fox burrows or "earths," as they are 

 called, have been originally constructed by Badgers. 

 If it is possible, the Fox excavates his burrows in 

 mountain walls, so that the conduits lead upward, 

 without running close to the surface. In perfectly 

 level ground, the chamber is often situated quite 

 near the surface. During the autumn he likes to 

 make his home in heaps of dead wood or stones, 

 especially on plains; and it sometimes happens that 

 an old tree or even a mere hollow in the ground 

 has to serve as his apartment and as nursery. He 

 is always found at home, when the weather is rainy, 

 stormy or cold, during the breeding season, in sum- 

 mer when the heat is intense or as long as the 

 female nurses little ones; but when the weather is 

 favorable, he roams about his domain and rests 

 wherever he can find a comfortable place. In plains 

 devoid of woods, as for instance in the fertile coun- 

 try of Lower Egypt, the Foxes excavate real bur- 

 rows only for their little ones, while the parents live 

 outdoors beneath the mild Egyptian sky all the year 

 round. 



The Fox a Per- The Fox prefers to prey at night, 

 sistent but in quiet regions he hunts as will- 



Beast of Prey, ingly when the sun shines. During 

 the long summer days, in covered places of his do- 

 main, he sometimes sallies forth with his family sev- 

 eral hours before sunset; during severe, cold weather 

 or when the snow is deep, he seems to rest only in 

 the morning, for one may then see him roaming in 

 the fields as early as ten o'clock in the forenoon. 

 Like a Dog, he values warmth very much. In fine 

 weather he basks on some old tree or stone and 

 spends many an hour in the most comfortable men- 

 tal quietude. When he deems himself secure, he 

 will sometimes go recklessly to sleep in places that 

 are little sheltered or entirely uncovered, snoring like 

 a Dog, and slumbers so soundly that an intelligent 

 Dog may succeed in warning the sportsman, who can 

 then surprise and observe him. At dusk, or earlier 

 in the afternoon, he sets out on his predaceous roam- 

 ings. Very cautiously and leisurely he saunters 

 along, looking and sniffing from time to time, always 

 trying to keep under cover and therefore selecting 

 his ways and passages among the most favorable 

 situations, between shrubs, stones, high grass or 

 similar places. He keeps in the thicket as long as 

 he can, and whenever he has to leave it, he takes 

 care to select a place where isolated shrubs or simi- 

 lar coverings form, so to speak, a bridge to another 

 favorable part of the wood. Experienced hunters 

 therefore know these passages very well and judge 

 of the route Reynard will take under given circum- 

 stances with a considerable degree of certainty. 



The Fox preys on all animals from a young Roe 

 to a Beetle, but principally on Mice, which prob- 

 ably form the staple ingredient of his repasts. He 

 spares neither young nor old, and zealously pursues 

 Hares and Rabbits and even attacks young Roes or 

 Deer. He not only plunders the nests of all birds 

 brooding on the ground, devouring both eggs and 

 young, but also tries to overcome the old birds, and 

 not infrequently succeeds in doing so. He swims 

 and wades through swamps and moors, in order to 

 reach the birds which brood on the water, and there 

 are cases on record where he has killed brooding 

 Swans. He also attacks tame poultry and effects 

 an entrance into isolated farm-yards at night; and if 

 he is afforded a good cover, he pursues the poultry 

 even in broad daylight. In large orchards and vine- 

 yards he is a more frequent visitor than one im- 

 agines. There he catches Grasshoppers, May-bugs 

 and their grubs, Rain-worms, etc., or gathers sweet 

 pears, plums, grapes or berries. At the river-bank 

 he tries to surprise a fine Trout or a stupid Crab; at 

 the sea-shore he empties the nets of the fishers; in 

 the forest he robs the nooses spread by the hunter. 

 In this way his larder is always well stocked and he 

 becomes straitened in circumstances only when the 

 snow is very deep and impairs his opportunities. 

 Then he is satisfied with anything edible, not only 

 with carcasses, which he will feed upon at any sea- 

 son of the year and seems to like, as all Canidae do, 

 but even with an old, dried-out bone or a piece of 

 half-rotten leather. Quite frequently, also, he visits 

 the encampments of wood-choppers to pick up the 

 remains of their repasts. When his hunger is half 

 satisfied, he plays long and cruelly with his prey 

 before dispatching it. 

 The Fox is Wary, In his prowlings he regards his se- 

 but Some- curity as paramount to every other 

 times Bold. consideration. Things he does not 

 understand arouse his suspicion, and when once he 



