io8 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



up a position. The love of foxes for their offspring, 

 however, is so great that they run great risk to reach 

 them, and in avoiding one keeper when approaching 

 the den, they frequently go within range of another, 

 and are shot. I have, when watching a cairn, known 

 the vixen steal in unobserved and removethe cubsunder 

 cloud of night, when she must have passed within a few 

 yards of where I lay. On one occasion she appeared 

 on an eminence above me, and seeing her outline dis- 

 tinctly against the sky, I fired with fatal effect, though 

 she ran a considerable distance before dropping dead. 

 The piteous howling of the dog fox all through that 

 night is still fresh in my mind, and indicates a love of 

 offspring which might be an example to higher animals. 



In such circumstances, and where the nature of the 

 den or cairn admits, the cubs can be caught in traps. 

 It is a common method to do this, and as fox cubs are 

 in many cases a considerable source of income to the 

 keeper, I would recommend that Cruickshank's patent 

 rubber-jawed trap be used, in order to prevent the legs 

 being broken. Any lady can put her hand on the plate 

 and spring the trap without injury. Of course, the 

 keepers have to watch all night in the vicinity to take 

 the cubs out as they are caught. 



Trapping is a common method of destroying foxes 

 in mountainous districts. The usual way is to utilise 

 a pool of water, and, making a road into the centre of it, 

 place a bait with the trap skilfully covered on the road. 

 It is necessary that the pool of water be near a spring, 



