THE FOX. 61 



mouth when about three weeks old, but they do 

 not venture far from the area of trodden sand till 

 about three months old, when, singly or together, 

 they begin to accompany their mother on breath- 

 less mouse-hunting expeditions. 



In fox-hunting country, where the home-den of 

 the vixen and her cubs is never disturbed, foxes 

 often choose the most exposed and open place for 

 their 'earths,' as the home-burrows are called; 

 for instance, I have known one to be located in 

 the centre of an open fallow field, slick on the 

 skyline, the mound of newly turned earth vastly 

 visible against the sky. In mountainous districts, 

 however, where the nature of the country forbids 

 hunting, the utmost caution is exercised by the 

 parent foxes in the location of their den. They 

 choose some little-frequented and almost inaccess- 

 ible spot as far from human habitation as possible, 

 knowing full well that their little ones, if dis- 

 covered, will be dug out and killed by keepers or 

 shepherds. Very often an old and abandoned 

 quarry, which catches the sunshine, but shelters 

 the den-mouth from easterly winds, is chosen, and 

 here the cubs gambol when old enough to leave 

 the den, chasing the moths and the insects about 

 the warmth and shelter of their stronghold, 

 while the parents, in their coming and going, 

 take care to leave no beaten track which might 

 betray their secret. 



The dog-fox, in spite of various doubts raised on 

 the point, is a devoted father, though while the cubs 

 are small he has little to do with their upbringing. 

 His share at this time is to bring food to the 

 vixen, leaving it at the den-mouth for her; and 

 thus, by making sure that she is well fed, he can 

 have no doubt that her precious cubs will not be 



