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'HE AMERICAN FOX. 



Day after day the cats lost their milk until the vulpine stratagem was discovered, and the 

 milk was placed in a spot where it could not be reached by the Fox. There were three 

 cats attached to the stables, and they all partook of the same detestation ; so that their 

 abhorrence of the vulpine odor seems to belong to the general character of cats, and 

 not to be the fastidious individuality of a single animal. He was also very successful in 

 cheating the dogs of their food ; achieving his thefts by the force of superior intellect. 



The same animal was cunning enough to procure a supply of milk, even after he had 

 been prevented from robbing the cats. On one occasion, as the dairymaid was passing 

 along with her pails, the Fox went up to her, and brushed himself against one of the 

 milk-pails. In consequence of this contact, the milk became so tainted with the smell 

 of the Fox that the dairymaid did not venture to bring it to the house, and rather 

 thoughtlessly poured it out into a vessel, and gave it to the Fox. The crafty animal took 

 advantage of the circumstance, and watched for the coming of the maid with her pails, 

 in order to repeat the process. Several times he succeeded in his project, but when he 

 found that the spoiled milk was given to the pigs, instead of being appropriated to his 

 own use, he ceased his nefarious attempts. 



He detested all ragged beggars, and was so energetic in his hostile demonstrations, 

 that he realized the truth of the proverb, " Set a thief to catch a thief." The horses 

 hated him with as thorough a detestation as that in which the cats held him. His 

 presence in the stable would set the horses in confusion, and make them plunge about 

 in a restless and uneasy manner. 



The Fox resides in burrows, which it scoops out of the earth by the aid of its strong 

 digging paws, taking advantage of every peculiarity ofvthe ground, and contriving, when- 

 ever it is possible, to wind its subterranean way among the roots of large trees, or be- 

 tween heavy stones. In these " earths," as the burrows are called in the sportsman's 

 phraseology, the female Fox produces and nurtures her young, which are odd little snub- 

 nosed creatures, resembling almost any animal rather than a Fox. She watches over 

 her offspring with great care, and teaches them by degrees to subsist on animal food, 

 which she and her mate capture for that purpose. 



The color of the common Fox is a reddish-fawn, intermixed with black and white 

 hairs. The hair is long and thick, being doubly thick during the colder months of the 

 year, so that the fur of a Fox which is killed in the winter is more valuable than if the 

 animal had been slain in the hot months. The tail, which is technically termed the 

 " brush," is remarkably bushy, and partakes of the tints which predominate over the 

 body, except at the tip, which is white. The height of this animal is about a foot, and 

 its length about two feet and a half, exclusive of the tail. 



There are several species of Foxes, which are found in various parts of the globe, some 

 of which, such as the AMERICAN Fox, or MAKKEESHAW, sometimes called the Cross Fox, 

 the Kit Fox, and the Arctic Fox, are tolerably familiar animals. The American Fox is 

 very variable in the color and markings of its fur, some specimens being of a pale yel- 

 low, some being blackish in their general tinting, and some of a reddish-fawn, while some 

 specimens are remarkable for the manner in which the black, the white, the yellow, and 

 the fawn are dispersed over the body and limbs. In almost every specimen there is a 

 darkish transverse stripe over the shoulders, giving to the animal the title of Cross Fox. 



This animal has its full share of the crafty spirit which is so notable in the nature of 

 all Foxes. One of them, on whose track the hounds had been often laid, used always 

 to baffle them at one particular point, the crest of a rather steep hill. Up to this spot 

 the scent was perfectly good ; but at that particular spot the scent vanished, and so the 

 Fox was lost. One of the disappointed hunters was so indignant at his repeated failures 

 that he determined to lay aside the chase for a day, and to devote himself to the 

 discovery of the means by which the creature could so invariably escape from the 

 hounds and men. He therefore concealed himself near the charmed spot, and watched 

 with much interest the proceedings of the hunted animal. 



The Fox, after being driven from his cover, led the hounds a long chase through 

 woods, ponds, and thickets, and at last came at full speed towards the crest of the hill. 

 As soon as he had reached the spot, he laid himself down and pressed himself as closely 



