VERMIN 107 



instances have come under my observation of his kill- 

 ing rabbits and grouse, especially the former, which 

 fact can be corroborated by an examination of the 

 excrements. 



But a much more dreaded enemy of the game- 

 preserver than either the badger or the otter is the fox, 

 though here one must speak with bated breath, fox- 

 hunting being regarded as the national sport. In hunt- 

 ing districts the fox lives the life of a licensed freebooter, 

 feasted on the best, from the farmer's geese and turkeys 

 and all kinds of winged and ground game down to the 

 smallest of birds, and protected even by the " ruthless " 

 gamekeeper. It is vastly otherwise where no fox- 

 hounds are kept ; yet even there, despite the co-opera- 

 tion of farmers, gamekeepers, and shepherds, he holds 

 his own against his numerous enemies, among the 

 barren waste lands of our Scottish mountains. Not- 

 withstanding every device employed, the fox is still to 

 be found in great numbers in the Highlands of Scotland, 

 many cubs being dug out and sent to hunting districts 

 every year. When a den is found containing cubs the 

 usual method employed is to bolt them with terriers and 

 then shoot them down like rabbits. Frequently, how- 

 ever, cubs find their way into crevices in the rocks where 

 they cannot be followed by terriers. Keepers conceal 

 themselves in different places and wait till the old ones 

 approach with food for their progeny. As it is the in- 

 variable habit of the fox to approach from leeward, and 

 as his scenting powers are so keen, it is difficult to take 



