38 BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. 



in ambush near the burrows of rabbits ; and at others, he 

 chases them with the cry of a dog in the open plains. 

 When these animals fail, he will subsist on field-mice, 

 frogs, snails, and grasshoppers. In cultivated and well- 

 inhabited countries, he has new resources in the refuse 

 of kitchens, and in devastating poultry-yards. He is 

 also very fond of grapes, and is often exceedingly de- 

 structive to the vineyards of France. In all cases he 

 conceals what he obtains and cannot devour. 



The sagacity of this animal is often apparent. It 

 appears, for instance, in the choice and structure of his 

 abode, which is not unfrequently provided with more 

 than one outlet, by which he may escape. A fox has 

 been known to let himself drop from the edge of a 

 precipice, on a projecting piece of rock just below it, 

 and thus to enter his hole or den. He is also very 

 sagacious in digging young rabbits out of their burrows. 

 He does not try to enter the hole, for in this case he 

 would not only have to enlarge it, but to dig several 

 feet along the ground, under the surface of the earth : he 

 therefore follows the scent above, till he comes to the 

 spot over the place where they lie ; and then scratching 

 up the earth, descends immediately, and devours them. 



His stratagems in the chase have often been noticed. 

 A fox frequently hunted in Leicestershire, was always 



