CUBS, FOXES, AND VIXENS. 275 



skin it, and leave about in the same way, and 

 the vixen will be sure to find and take it. 

 Nothing is easier to skin than a hedgehog, and 

 the cubs like them quite as well as they like 

 hen pheasants. A dead pig, sheep, or lamb, 

 you may take in the same way, and leave about 

 in the neighbourhood of the earths, for the 

 vixen to carry to her cubs ; anything to take up 

 her time, and keep her fully occupied in carrying 

 the food you provide, thus, in a great measure, 

 saving your pheasants. 



Keepers should adhere strictly to these rules, 

 never feed in a lump at the earths, or else the 

 vixen, seeing the food ready and provided for 

 her, will grow suspicious and prefer hunting, to 

 taking anything at the earths. We must have 

 a little hunting as well as a little shooting, so 

 keepers should do what they can to keep foxes 

 as well as pheasants, and a great deal depends 

 on their feeding the cubs in the proper way. 



Some keepers shoot the vixen and feed the 

 cubs themselves, but you lose a great deal by 

 doing this, and it is a practice I always condemn 

 I know it is a hard thing for keepers to stand 



