516 Habits and Economy of the Fox. 



inhabit a spacious burrow in common with the badger, does 

 likewise not scruple to enter an artificial burrow constructed 

 by the hand of man with rubble stones and earth, tor the 

 purpose of more conveniently digging after the cubs. Such 

 burrows are more particularly formed in little bushy woods 

 surrounded by fields well stocked with hares, partridges, &c, 

 and presenting a convenient hunting-ground to the fox for 

 supplying its young. The fox cannot resist such a tempta- 

 tion, and falls, with his family, a victim to the dolce far niente. 



Moderate winters, particularly if there is pretty hard frost 

 without snow, are those in which the fox is most distressed 

 for food. It is then not very successful in catching the hare, 

 which is sufficiently supplied with food to remain in full 

 vigour; and it cannot dig after field mice, the ground being 

 frozen comparatively deep, as it is not protected by the snow. 

 In soft snow, it hunts the hare down with comparative ease; 

 and, when deep snow has been lying for a long time with hard 

 frost, the hares are so weak from want of food, that they be- 

 come that of the fox without any great trouble on the part of 

 the latter. But in the forests its table is most copiously pro- 

 vided when the snow is from 1 ^ ft. to 2 ft. deep; and, a hard 

 frost having succeeded to a short thaw, by which the surface 

 has become wetted, the snow gets a crust sufficiently firm to 

 carry the fox, but not the roe. Not only is the swiftness of 

 the former then comparatively much greater, but the roe, or 

 young red deer, to which it gives chase, soon bleeds at the 

 shins, and falls an easy prey to its pursuer. This copiousness 

 of food appears to be the reason why, in severe winters, the 

 rutting time of the fox begins about a fortnight earlier than in 

 mild ones. 



It is a curious circumstance, that even the severest hunger 

 cannot compel the fox to eat the flesh of birds of prey, though 

 most other birds are its greatest dainties. It has not the same 

 objection to that of the weasel-tribe, cats, or other beasts of 

 prey. 



I shall reserve a few other remarks on the fox for an 

 article on the statistics of some of the more important wild 

 animals of Germany, which I shall take an early opportunity 

 of forwarding, if the above observations are found sufficiently 

 interesting to appear before the English public. 



Weimar j July, 1837. 



