Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlviii. ( 1 904), No. ^3. 47 



living when the farmers arrived with their sheep. Mr. 

 Bertrand informed me that when he first settled at Roy 

 Cove, there were many foxes about this north-western 

 extremity of the island. Frequently during the night 

 these animals would prowl round the house ; they never 

 barked, but gave utterance to a short " yap, yap " cry 

 when hunting. Like the South American Puma {Felts 

 concolor) this species seemed to kill sheep for sport, and 

 considering in those days it cost £2 to land a single 

 sheep in that remote spot, it is hardly to be wondered 

 that the farmers waged a war of extermination. 



Their method of hunting was interesting. Two or 

 three foxes would combine forces, and rounding up a 

 flock of sheep, dash into them and kill numbers. These 

 sheep were invariably seized by the back of the neck, 

 the most vulnerable spot, and one sharp bite with the 

 formidable canine teeth would be sufficient to cause 

 death. 



Strychnine was found to be the most successful 

 poison. A freshly killed Upland Goose {Chloephaga 

 magellanicd) was thrust into a burrow after a small quantity 

 of this deadly poison had been introduced into the 

 system by means of a few gashes made on either side of 

 the sternum of the bird, the strychnine being sprinkled 

 over the cuts. This poison quickly . . . "dispersed itself 



through the veins " and if the fox were at home he 



could seldom resist such a delicious meal, and death 

 inevitably followed. 



The last known specimen of this species was killed 

 at Shallow Bay, West Falklands, in 1876. 



