76 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



in proportion to its body, its tail longer and bushier, and its ears 

 more erect. But the principal difference lies in the nature of its 

 eyes, the pupils of which contract like those of the Cats in daylight, 

 and expand at night. 



Unlike the wolf and the jackal, the fox is a solitary animal. 

 The members of a single family may hunt together, assisting one 

 another in the most remarkable manner, but we do not find foxes 

 associated in packs for mutual help. 



The fox makes its lair, or "earth" as it is called, underground, 

 in holes dug out by itself or stolen from some other burrowing 

 animal. These holes are skilfully arranged to afford the fox as 

 many means of escape as possible. As the character of its eyes 

 might lead us to suppose, most of its hunting is done by night. 

 A remarkable power of scent, together with acute hearing and 

 eyesight, enable it to discover signs of danger with maryellous 

 quickness. Its stealthiness of movement, quickness of eye, and 

 great cunning, render it the most formidable of all the poaching 

 tribe that prey on poultry and game; while its speed, and ex- 

 traordinary skill in baffling pursuit, make its capture or destruction 

 exceedingly difficult. It seldom ventures out of its lair by da)', 

 unless pressed by hunger. 



Some remarkable stories are told of the cunning displayed by 

 foxes when pursued by hounds and huntsmen. On one occasion 

 we read, a fox, run hard by the hounds and "finding himself in 

 great danger of being taken, made for a high wall at a short 

 distance, and, springing over it, crept close under the other side. 

 The hounds followed, but no sooner had they leaped the wall, than 

 he sprang back again over it, and by this cunning device gave them 

 the slip, and got safe away from his pursuers.'' 



A curious instance of mutual help on the part of two foxes is 

 given by a well-known naturalist. A sportsman was stationed one 

 evening near a gully on a hillside when he observed two foxes 

 playing together a short distance away. After a time, one of the 

 foxes concealed itself under a large stone or rock at the bottom of 

 the channel, while the other disappeared up the hill. The latter, 

 however, soon returned, chasing a hare before it. As the hare was 

 passing the stone where the first fox lay in wait, Reynard tried to 



