How Animals Talk 



are certain facts which we must keep in mind if we 

 are to explain the matter. The first, a general fact 

 which is open to observation, is that it is fox nature 

 at certain seasons to come to a captive; for what 

 reason or with what self-forgetful motive it would 

 be hard to say. I have known mother foxes and 

 mother wolves to come where their cubs were 

 imprisoned by men. I have heard a straight rec- 

 ord of one male wolf that appeared at a ranch the 

 second night after his wounded mate was captured 

 by the ranchman. And I have seen a male fox 

 come to the rescue of a female when she was 

 driven by dogs and too heavy with young to make 

 a long run, and wait beside her trail till the dogs 

 appeared, and then lead them off after him while 

 she made her escape. The second fact, which 

 may imply some power of silent communication, is 

 that when snow fell about the pen of this captive 

 fox, a few nights after she was taken, there were 

 the tracks to show that her mate already knew 

 where she was. That he found and came to her 

 in the midst of his enemies may be quite as sig- 

 nificant as how he found her, by way of giving a 

 new direction or interest to our skin-and-bones 

 study of natural history. 



In this first example the fox was perhaps moved 

 by the mating impulse, which sharpened his wit 

 and encouraged his will ; but at times a wild creat- 



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