OF NATURAL HISTORY. 407 



this fituation that he eyes the birds on the hedges and trees. The 

 birds have fuch an antipathy againft him, that they no fooner perceive 

 him than they fend forth fhrill cries to advertife their neighbours of 

 the enemy's approach. The jays and blackbirds, in particular, fol- 

 low the fox from tree to tree, fometimes two or three hundred paces, 

 often repeating the watch-cries. The Count de Buffon kept two 

 young foxes, which, when at liberty, attacked the poultry ; but, af- 

 ter they were chained, they never attempted to touch a fingle fowl. 

 A living hen was fixed near them for whole nights ; and, though 

 deftitute of victuals for many hours, in fpite of hunger and of op- 

 portunity, they never forgot that they were chained, and gave the 

 hen no difturbance. 



In Kamtfchatka, the animals called gluttons employ a Angular 

 ilratagem for killing the fallow-deer. They climb up a tree, and 

 carry with them a quantity of that fpecies of mofs of which the deer 

 • are very fond. When a deer approaches near the tree, the glutton 

 throws down the mofs. If the deer ftops to eat the mofs, the glut- 

 ton inftantly darts down upon its back, and, after fixing himfeif 

 firmly between the horns, tears out its eyes, which torments the ani- 

 mal to fuch a degree, that, whether to put an end to its torments, 

 or to get rid of its cruel enemy, it ftrikes its head againft the trees 

 till it falls down dead. The glutton divides the flefh of the deer in- 

 to convenient portions, and conceals them in the earth to ferve for 

 future provifions. The gluttons on the river Lena kill horfes in the 

 fame manner *. 



There are feveral fpecies of rats in Kamtfchatka. The mod re- 

 markable kind is called tegulcbitcb by the natives. Thefe rats make 

 neat and fpacious nefts underground. They are lined with turf, and 



divide<^ 



♦ Gazette Literaire, vol. i.pag. 481s. 



