52 THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



.observe, that of all the tame foxes that have fallen 

 under my observation, some of which have beea 

 extremely familiar with the dogs kept at the same 

 place, I never knew any of these animals engender 

 x)r breed ; and I am persuaded they will not. Not- 

 withstanding the supposition generally obtains belief; 

 and I have heard it remarked, that the best way of 

 inducing them to copulate is to take a small bitch 

 (a terrier, for instance) when in heat, and tie her 

 near the holes of foxes, where she is to remain all 

 night, and the dog-fox, it is asserted, will line her 

 This I have known to be tried several times, but 

 never with success. I will not deny that a bitch 

 may have been left this way, and afterwards have 

 .proved with pup ; but it has been owing to a male 

 of her own kind getting to her, since I am decidedly 

 of opinion a fox would never come near her. 



However, that there are dogs which very much 

 resemble the fox in appearance cannot be denied ; 

 yet, let it be recollected, that dogs may be bred to 

 almost any shape or colour without assistance from 

 other animals ; and which in fact is the case with 

 most other creatures that have been long under the 

 protection of man pigeons, for instance, as the 

 fanciers term it, can be bred to a feather. 



The generic characters of the dog are these : he 

 has six cutting teeth in the upper jaw; those at the 

 sides longer than the intermediate ones, which are 

 lobated : in the under jaw there are also six cutting 

 .teeth, the lateral being lobated; there are four canine 



