^50 tllE FOX, 



force him to retire, that he may roll on the groUrlcl 

 and crush those that are stinging him ; but having 

 thus rid himself of his troublesome companions, he 

 instantly returns to the charge, and obliges them at 

 length to forsake their combs, and leave them to him 

 as the reward of his victory. When pressed by neces- 

 sity, he will devour carrion. The Gomte de BufFon 

 one evening suspended on a tree, at the height or 

 nine feet, some meat, bread, and bones. The Foxes 

 had been at severe exercise during the night ; for 

 next morning the earth all around was beaten, by 

 their jumping, as smooth as a barn-floor. 



The Fox exhibits a great degree of cunning in 

 digging young Rabbets out of their burrows. He 

 idoes not enter the hole ; for in this case he would 

 have to dig sev^eral feet along the ground, under the 

 surface of the earth : but he follows their scent above, 

 till he comes to the end, where they lie ; and then 

 scratching up the earth, descends immediately upon 

 and devours them *. 



Pontoppidan Informs us, that when the Fox ob- 

 serves an Otter go into the water to fish, he will fre- 

 quently hide himself behind a stone ; and when the 

 Otter conies to sliore with his prey, will make such 

 a spring upon him that the affrighted animal runs off 

 lind leaves his booty behind. " A certain person 

 (continues this writer) was surprised on seeing a Fox 

 near a fisherman's house, laying a parcel of Torsks' -|- 

 heads in a row. He v/aited the event ; the Fox hid 



bmith's Directory for destroying Vermin, p. 2. t A species of Co^» 



