THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FOX 17 



badger, though what that is it is difficult to see. 

 One solution suggests itself to me, that the 

 badger, which cannot be much of a hunter, obtains 

 animal food by robbing the fox on its return from 

 hunting. May not the badgers at certain seasons 

 require more nourishment than they are able to catch 

 for themselves ? If it be contended that the badger is 

 not a carnivorous animal, we reply with the question 

 of the old keeper, What are his teeth and jaw for then, 

 and why is he so often caught in traps baited with 

 wild rabbits ? Possibly the rabbit is the key to the 

 mystery, and the alliance between the fox and the 

 badger is strictly on the do ut des principle of the late 

 Prince Bismarck. 



Fox cubs are born, as we have seen, towards the 

 end of March, and probably Mr. Tom Smith was right 

 when he wrote that most of them are born within a 

 week or two before or after Lady Day. There are, 

 however, many instances of early and late cubs, for 

 the fox is constant only in one thing — its variability. 

 Foxes are born blind and remain so for eight days. 

 The cubs are pretty little fluffy, snub-nosed things, 

 rather dark in colour like young Irish terriers. They 

 are suckled by the vixen for about a month, and it is 

 at the end of this time that the mother moves them 

 if she means to do so. 



c 



