16 THE LIFE OF A FOX 



at this season of the year ; and a female has been 

 knoAvn to carry two distmct broods of young at the 

 same time, and to bring them forth three weeks 

 after one another. This astonishing fact I have 

 witnessed myself, and I have heard that the same 

 thing has occurred with the female hare. The 

 usual time of bearing is twenty-eight days. We 

 now began to venture out of the covert at night- 

 fall, or even before, being warned by our mother, 

 whenever there was danger, with a peculiar noise 

 that she made, hke " keck, keck " ; which we 

 no sooner heard than we were out of sight in 

 the covert, where we stayed until all was still 



agam. 



As we grew older we grew more bold and more 

 cunning ; and being four months old, ventured 

 farther abroad, even in the day-time, entering the 

 fields of standing corn, until it was cut down, when 

 the deeds we did there were suddenly brought to 

 light. 



" Why, John," says the farmer, " there must be 

 some young foxes hereabouts ; look at the rabbits' 

 feet lying about ; and what's the meaning of all 

 these white feathers ? This comes of not locking 

 up the fowls o' nights. Never blame the foxes, 

 poor craturs ; but just go to the kennel, and tell 



