Quadrupeds. 7097 



foxes come to an untimely end. Many are the litters of foxes which 

 are starved to death by the old foxes being destroyed before the 

 young ones can do for themselves ; this is often occasioned quite un- 

 intentionally and for want of a little forethought, and at other times 

 done from spiteful and vindictive motives, and from a short-sighted 

 view of what is mistakenly supposed to be of advantage to the de- 

 stroyer. The great mischief arises from the rabbit-trappers' method 

 of setting their traps in a dangerous manner, which might easily be 

 avoided ; but these men think that by setting them so as to catch the 

 foxes it will be the means of preserving the rabbits, and secure to 

 themselves a greater profit. In most places where there are many 

 rabbits a set of men are employed to catch them, and, having been 

 been brought up exclusively to this occupation, thoroughly under- 

 stand how to do so effectually ; but instead of confining themselves to 

 their legitimate occupation, they often foolishly try to kill the foxes, 

 because they take from the traps and snares some few of the rabbits for 

 which these men would otherwise obtain sixpence a couple ; and, if the 

 farmers are allowed to have the rabbits for themselves, as is frequently 

 the arrangement now made, they will obtain one shilling or one shilling 

 and sixpence per couple more for their own advantage, and thus make 

 on a farm, of say three hundred acres, from eight pounds to ten 

 pounds a year, where rabbits are plentiful, besides well supplying 

 their own household. It will be found an excellent plan to give the 

 rabbits to the tenant, he paying the man for catching them, but the 

 landlord reserving to himself and his agent the exclusive right to ap- 

 point a proper and trustworthy person to catch the rabbits. The 

 object of the landlord reserving to himself this right is that it prevents 

 his game being destroyed, by not allowing the men to set their traps 

 in a wrong manner, in open places or in menses, which they ought 

 never to do, but only down the rabbit-holes, leaving a few links of the 

 chain attached to the trap above ground; this will effectually prevent 

 any old fox being taken. Should the rabbit-catcher wilfully neglect 

 these simple precautions, he will then lose his employment altogether, 

 and become a marked man in the neighbourhood, as a fox and game 

 destroyer whom no one will employ. As a further inducement to be 

 honest it is well worth while to pay these men a few pounds, at Christ- 

 mas or some other time, as a recompence for the injury the foxes 

 occasionally do them ; by this means they will soon find it is better 

 for them to avoid foul play than secretly to adopt it. 



I am doubtful whether the following anecdote of a male fox 

 supplying the place of a female or vixen, which had been un- 

 xviir. 2 R 



