4o6 THEPHILOSOPHY 



When purfued he runs to his hole ; and it is not uncommon to fend 

 in terriers to detain him till the hunters remove the earth above, and 

 either kill or feize him alive. The moft certain method, however, 

 of deftroying a fox is to begin with fhutting up the hole, to ftation 

 a man with a gun near the entrance, and then to fearch about with 

 the dogs. When they fall in with him, he immediately makes for 

 his hole. But, when he comes up to it, he is met v/ith a difcharge 

 from the gun. If the fliot mifles him, he flies off with full fpeed, 

 takes a wide circuit, and returns again to the hole, where he is fired 

 upon a fecond time ; but, when he difcovers that the entrance is 

 fhut, he darts away ftraight forward, with the intention of never re- 

 vifiting his former habitation. He is next purfued by the hounds, 

 whom he feldom fails to fatigue; becaufe, with much cunning, he 

 paffes through the thickeft part of the foreft, or places of the moft 

 difficult accefs, where the dogs are hardly able to follow him ; and, 

 when he takes to the plains, he runs ftraight out, without either 

 flopping or doubling. But the moft effedtual way of deftroying 

 foxes is to lay fnares baited with live pigeons, fowls, &c. The fox 

 is an exceedingly voracious animal. Befide all kinds of flefti and 

 fifties, he devours, with equal avidity, eggs, milk, cheefe, fruits, and 

 particularly grapes. He is fo extremely fond of honey, that he at- 

 tacks the nefts of wild bees. They at firft put him to flight by num- 

 berlefs ftings ; but he retires for the fole purpofe of rolling himfelf 

 on the ground, and of crufliing the bees. He returns to the charge 

 fo often, that he obliges them to abandon the hive, which he foon 

 uncovers, and devours both the honey and the wax. Some time 

 before the female brings forth, fhe retires, and feldom leaves her 

 hole, where ftie prepares a bed for her young. When ftie perceives 

 that her retreat is difcovered, and that her young have been difturb- 

 ed, fhe carries them off, one by one, into a new habitation. The 

 fox fleeps in a round form, like the dog ; but, when he only repofes 

 himfelf, he lies on his belly with his hind-legs extended. It is in 



this 



