240 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



winter and endures the burning rays of the sun with 

 the same equanimity with which he lies down on the 

 stone floor of his cage when there is a hard frost. 



The Graceful Some exceedingly pretty, small spe- 

 Fennecs or Large- cies of Foxes inhabit Africa and the 



Eared Foxes, contiguous portions of Asia. They 

 are the dwarfs of the Dog tribe in general and the 

 Fox genus in particular; are of graceful build and 

 a pale yellow color. They are principally distin- 

 guished by the large ears, which in two species ex- 

 ceed all usual proportions, but in other allied spe- 

 cies also are notably larger than those of other 

 Foxes. They have been called Large-eared Foxes 

 or Fennecs, though their teeth are similar to those 

 of the other Foxes. 



When the hot day is drawing to its close and all 

 animals of diurnal habits seem revived by the cool- 

 ness of the evening, another somewhat gloomy but 

 yet dainty tribe thinks 

 only of beginning their 

 day's or rather night's 

 work. I do not mean 

 the abominable Hyaenas 

 nor the howling Jackals, 

 which hungrily prowl 

 around for food at thslt 

 time; neither do. I mean, 

 the Lynx of the desert, 

 the Caracal; but it is an- 

 other robber, the dain- 

 tiest and most graceful 

 of them all that I wish 

 to introduce. This is the 

 Fennec, or Fox of the 

 .Desert ( Vulpes zerdo) , an 

 animial more character- 

 istic of the desert than 

 the Gazelle itself. Imag- 

 ine a Fox's face, delicate 

 and fine of feature, cun- 

 ning; and sly of expres- 

 sion like that of Reynard 

 himself. This face shows 

 a pair of unusually. large 

 eyes and both sides of it 

 are surmounted by ears 

 more huge than are 

 found in any other mem- 

 ber of the Fox family or 

 even among the rest of 

 the Canidae. The slen- 

 der body rests on small, 

 extremely delicate ' and 

 dainty feet, and ends in 

 a thick, long, bushy tail. One glance at the animal 

 suffices to show that it must be extremely quick and 

 agile, besides being most efficient in its organs of 

 sense. 



Acute Sometimes, at dusk, there may be heard 

 Senses of the a low, shrieking sound, difficult to de- 

 Fennec. scribe. Then if one be fortunate, he 

 may see, between heaps of sand or stones, or in the 

 valley grass, the Fennec, gliding along with extreme 

 caution, listening, sniffing and looking to all sides. 

 Nothing could possibly escape the notice of this 

 accomplished robber. Yonder Locust, in perform- 

 ing its final leap for the evening, has made so great 

 a noise that the large ears of the Fennec have easily 

 heard it; and the graceful creature, impelled more 

 by curiosity than hunger, sneaks up stealthily and 

 despatches it; or an agile Lizard has moved, and in 



THE FENNEC. Here is a peculiar species of Fox with ears that might 



Incite the envy of a lively Hare or a Long Eared Bat. The Fennec, which is 

 found in African and Asiatic deserts, is a graceful, alert animal, a small but per- 

 sistent Beast of Prey. The body and tail are similar to those of ordinary Foxes, 

 but the ears give the Fennec an interesting individuality. {Vutpes zerdo.) 



an instant the Fennec approaches to see what is 

 going on. His principal food, however, consists of 

 other animals, especially birds,. Woe be unto the 

 Lark which chances to sit near the Fennec's path! 

 It is doomed if it but moves a wing, or, dreamily 

 thinking of its simple song, gives forth but a single 

 note ! Woe also to the Prairie Chicken, for it is the 

 prey the Fennec hunts most eagerly ! He has no 

 need to catch many; a single one is sufficient to 

 provide him, and perhaps his hungry family also, 

 with a dainty repast. His' abilities are shown to the 

 best advantage when his fine nose has scented a sign 

 of these Chickens ! Perhaps only one or two have 

 crossed the path the thief is pursuing, but that suf- 

 fices. The track is carefully investigated and he 

 follows it with his nose to the ground, noiselessly, 

 unheard and unseen. The Fennec knows his birds 

 well and his sight is keener than that of most trav- 

 .^ , elers. He is not deceived 



*iyL\sii^.,^'^^^:^> by stones or mounds of 

 /\''iC " earth of a similar color, 

 ~" " for his nose and his acute 

 hearing do their part in 

 the tracking. However 

 slight the noise which a 

 bird produces in dress- 

 ing its feathers, however 

 seemingly invisible the 

 movement of a cautious 

 male bird, which looks 

 for enemies even when 

 half asleep, and however 

 imperceptible the odor 

 of a bird's spoor, indis- 

 cernible to us, none of 

 them escapes the Fen- 

 nec. See! he has made 

 sure of the track now 

 and glides along, nearly 

 creeping on his stomach, 

 indistinguishable by 

 sight or hearing. There, 

 behind the last bush, he 

 stops. The eyes glow, 

 the ears are expanded, 

 he greedily sniffs at the 

 dreaming, slumbering 

 birds. His whole body 

 is full of life, yet one sees 

 no movement; the entire 

 soul of the Fox lies in 

 his face, and yet it seems 

 as rigid as his body, 

 which appears to be 

 made of the sand of the desert. Then — a single 

 bound, a flutter of wings — the bird is killed. The 

 others rush up, noisily flapping their wings. Un- 

 steadily they roam in the darkness, and soon fall 

 asleep again, perhaps without knowing who their 

 nocturnal foe has been. 

 Description The Fennec is the smallest of all Foxes. 

 of the Including his tail, which measures about 

 Fennec. eight inches, his length is barely twenty- 

 six and his height at the shoulder eight inches. His 

 frame is exceedingly delicate, the head is very 

 pointed; the pupils of the large eyes are nearly 

 circular and surrounded by a brown iris. The most 

 remarkable features of the animal are undoubtedly 

 the ears. They attain nearly the length of the head, 

 and are about half as wide as they are long. They 

 give the animal a truly adventurous appearance 



