390 MAMMALIA. 



in ambush was notified how the chase was succeeding. When 

 a Hare was driyen into the road it was immediately pounced on, 

 and both Foxes devoured it in thorough good fellowship. Never- 

 theless, it sometimes happened that the Fox who kept watch mis- 

 calculated his spring, and the Hare escaped. When, as though 

 puzzled at his want of skill, he resumed his post, jumped on to 

 the road, and several times repeated the movement. His comrade 

 arriving in the middle of this exercise, was not slow to compre- 

 hend its meaning, and irritated at being fatigued to no purpose, 

 chastised his clumsy associate ; but a tussle of a few minutes 

 sufficed to expend the bad humour, and the entente cordiale was 

 quickly re-established. 



The adult Fox is also assisted by its young in procuring food 

 when they become sufficiently aged. Some observers aver that 

 these family excursions are undertaken for the education of the 

 cubs. When on a foray to obtain aquatic birds, among the reeds 

 and rushes that margin the borders of lakes and rivers. Foxes 

 always proceed with extreme caution, and take especial care 

 not to become unnecessarily wet. 



M. La Vallee, in his work on La Chasse a Courre, gives a very 

 remarkable example of the singular address of the Fox in pro- 

 secuting his robberies. The animal he speaks of, was taken 

 when j^oung by a druggist of Chateau- Thierry. It was per- 

 fectly tamed, liked being fondled, came at the call of its master, 

 and followed him to the chase, where it played the part of 

 an excellent Dog. But domesticity had not caused it to lose 

 any of its taste for marauding, though it wanted for nothing at 

 home. 



It was the hero of an adventure which for a long time perplexed 

 the good town of Chateau-Thierry. The house where it was kept 

 was situated at the corner of the market-place, and had two 

 excessively narrow cellar ventilators opening into the street, 

 before which it was customary for the dealers, who bought eggs 

 from the neighbouring peasants for the Paris or Meaux markets, 

 to range themselves. Before being packed off the eggs were 

 inspected, and those which were cracked were laid on one side. 

 One day, a poor woman who had placed two dozen chipped eggs 

 behind her, was astonished when turning round a few minutes 

 afterwards to find them gone. She blamed her neighbour for 



