THE MIND OF THE FOX 45 



lives we know little beyond the main facts, and in the 

 case of the badger, even some of these are not quite 

 clear. But the fox, as we have seen elsewhere, has 

 always been accepted as a type of wisdom, cunning, and 

 knavishness. He has always been observed, and has 

 attracted the attention of many notable men. The fox 

 owes something of his reputation, no doubt, to his 

 position as a wild animal, at once familiar and not 

 dangerous, and to his nocturnal habits, which cause 

 a certain sense of suddenness and mystery to attend 

 his thefts and depredations. 



Then the fox has the advantage of his beauty 

 and grace, which, as we know, are a set-off even to 

 ordinary intelligence. It is not certain, however, 

 that he is in reality more intelligent than other wild 

 animals. What is clear is that we know more about 

 him. The study of the mind of the fox helps to 

 give us the key to the workings of the minds of 

 other animals, less well known to us than he is. 



It seems probable, however, that many things in the 

 history of the race combine to stimulate the fox's mind. 

 Animals who seek their prey by night are apparently 

 among the most intelligent. The fact of working in 

 the darkness stimulates to the utmost the acuteness 

 of their senses, and their mental power is to some 

 extent correlated with the senses of smell, hearing, and 



