THE POX. 253^ 



Of man or beast unwarily shall press 

 The yielding surface. By th' indented sieel 

 With gripe tenacious held, the felon grins. 

 And struggles, but in vain : yet oft 't is known 

 When ev'ry art has fail'd, the captive Fox 

 Has shar'd the wounded joint, and with a limb 

 Compounded for his life.- — But if perchance 

 In the deep pitfall plung'd, there 's no escape : 

 But unrepriev'd he dies ; and bleach 'd ia air. 

 The jest of clowns, his reeking carcase hangs. 



Of all animals the Fox has the most significant 

 eye ; by which is expressed every passion of love, 

 fear, hatred, &c. He is remarkably playful ; but 

 like all savage creatures half reclaimed, will on the 

 least offence bite even those with whom he is most 

 familiar. He is never to be fully tamed. He lan-^ 

 guishes when deprived of liberty ; a:^d if kept too 

 long in a domestic state, he dies of melancholy. 

 When abroad, he is often seen to amuse himself 

 with his fine bushy tail, running sometimes for a 

 considerable time in circles to catch it. In cold 

 weather he wraps it about his nose *. 



The Fox is very common in Japan. The natives 

 believe him to be anim.ated by tlie Devil ; and their 

 historical and sacred writino-s are all full of stranee 

 accounts respecting him-t^. New England is said 

 to have been early stocked with Foxes by a gen- 

 tleman who imported some from Europe for tlie 

 pleasure of the chace. T]ie present breed in that 

 country are supposed to have sprung from these. 



f Pena. Brit. Zool i. 73. t Kacuipfoi-, i. 12C\ 



