The hoohe of Hunting 207 



meete againe, or at the leaft once in two dayes if it be pofTible : 

 and they beare meate vnto their whelpes togethers : but the dog 

 will firft eate his fill, and then carie the reil vnto his whelpes : 

 But the bytche beareth the pray vnto hir whelpes before flie eate 

 any thereof hir felf, and if the dogge like it, and haue not fatiffied 

 his hunger before, he will take it both from hir and the whelpes, 

 and feede his fill thereon firft. After he will leaue the reft for them 

 to hede on, if there be any, and if there be not, let them fterue for 

 him if they will, fo that he maketh not account of any thing, vn- 

 till his belly be full, but the bytch doth oftentimes beguile him. 

 She leaueth the pray farre from their denne, and if flie perceyue 

 that the dogge be gone, then bringeth flie it to hir whelpes : but 

 if the dogge be there and perceyue that flie hath brought nothing, 

 he fmelleth tohirmouthand hir lippes: if flie haue nothing indeede 

 then he beateth hyr: but if he fmell by hir that flie had prayed, he 

 conftreyneth hyr to fliew it vnto him, or els hunteth backe him- 

 felfe by the counter of hir footing, and fo findeth it out. Some 

 hold opinion that the bytche waflieth hir felfe all ouer, bycaufe 

 the dogge flioulde not fmell whether flie haue prayed or not : 

 but y* 1 dare not fweare on a booke. Some heauy Wolues wil 

 neuer helpe their bitches to htde^ theyr whelpes, but if it be in a 

 place where there are no ftjire of Wolues, as no more but he and 

 his make, then he knoweth by the fmell that the whelpes are 

 his, and helpeth the Bitch to pray for them, and to feede them, 

 but vncurtuoufly as I fayde before. Y^ males are fatteft when 

 they haue fmall whelpes : for they feede not only vpon their owne 

 prouifion, but alfo vpon that whiche their makes and their whelpes 

 fliould eate alfo : they go nine weekes with whelpe, and fome- 

 times three or foure dayes longer, and go fault but once in a yere. 

 Some hold opinion that a Bitche will not haue yong whelpes 

 nor engender as long as hir owne Dame is aliue. They haue 

 whelpes in all refpedts like vnto our dogges, fometimes more and 

 fometime lefTe : for doubtleflfe both the Foxe and the Wolfe are but 

 a kind of wild Maftyfes and wild curres : they be of great force 

 efpecially in their foreparts : they bite fore and dangeroufly, for 

 fometimes they will kill a Cowe or a Bullocke : and they will 



roundly 



