FOXES AND LAMBS. 81 



lambs being killed by foxes, this is a doubtful question. 

 No doubt they will eat a dead one, but they will not 

 attack a ewe with a lamb by her side. A case is known in 

 this country of a farmer having some strong lambs, and, 

 visiting them in the field the first thing in the morning, 

 found them well and apparently healthy, but in the 

 evening on a second visit two were dead with not a mark 

 on them, so he left them there. On going to remove 

 them in the morning, he found they had been mutilated, 

 and, as he described it, if he had not seen the dead carcases 

 the nio^ht before without a trace of the cause of death he 

 should have said they had been killed by a fox. There is 

 no case on record to our knowledge of any one seeing a 

 lamb killed by a fox. Dogs, we know, will do this, as is 

 seen out hunting. A pack of hounds running through 

 a field with ewes and lambs will sometimes snap up one 

 and kill it, under the eyes of huntsman and whip, before it 

 can be prevented. The fox is naturally a shy animal, and 

 will not attack ewes with a lamb. In many cases ewes 

 are left to themselves, and lambs are born dead. These 

 are the ones foxes eat. Like all the rest of the world, 

 foxes must eat, and what they love best is a rabbit, 

 or rats, if they can get them, and no doubt their nature is 

 to destroy more than they can consume. Blood is what a 

 fox requires to keep him healthy, and if he gets into 

 a hen-roost, he will make sad havoc by killing many and 

 biting their heads ofi", and leaving all but the one he 

 carries ofi" for his dinner. This, no doubt, is to obtain 

 blood, which he gets by this mode of execution. 



The mange we hear so much about in the present day 

 is probably caused to a great extent by the artificial 

 manner in which foxes are preserved. Keepers feed them 

 on ofial which is void of blood, and foxes fed in this way, 

 coming in contact with the wild-bred ones, distribute 

 the disease through the earths all over the country. Here 

 the badger comes in useful, for in using the fox earths, 

 his sharp and rough coat removes the soil on the roof and 

 floor, and so gives a fresh lining. During the time this 



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