ANIMALS OF THE DOG KIND. 85 



the sheep-fold, scratches up and undermines the thresholds 

 of doors where the sheep are housed, enters furiously, and 

 destroys all before he begins to fix upon and carry off his 

 prey. The wolf has great strength, particularly in his foreparts, 

 and the muscles of his neck and jaws. He carries off a sheep 

 in his mouth without letting it touch the ground, and runs with 

 it much faster than the shepherds who pursue him ; so that no- 

 thing but the dogs can overtake and oblige him to quit his prey. 

 Notwithstanding his great strength, cunning, and agility, the 

 wolf being the declared enemy of man, is often hard pressed 

 for subsistence; he has always a gaunt and starved appearance, 

 and, indeed, often dies of hunger. He has been hunted 

 down, and is now rarely to be found in civilized countries. 

 The Fox. The Fox is of a much more slender make than 

 the wolf, and not nearly so large, being little more than two 

 feet long. The tail is longer and more bushy, the nose 

 smaller, approaching nearer to that of the greyhound, and its 

 hair softer. Its eyes, however, are obliquely set, like those 

 of the wolf. The fox has long been famous for cunning; 

 he is patient and prudent, and gains by address what is 

 denied to his courage or strength. He is most destructive 

 to poultry. When he gets into a farm-yard, he begins by 

 levelling all the poultry without remorse, and carrying off a 

 part of the spoil, he hides it at some convenient distance. 

 Returning, he carries ofl another fowl, which he hides in like 

 manner, but not in the same place; and this he repeats several 

 times, until the approach of day, or the noise of the domestics, 

 warns him to retire to his hole. He often destroys a large 

 quantity of game, seizing the partridge and quail while sitting 

 on their nests. He even eats rats, mice, serpents, toads, 

 and lizards. In vain does the hedge-hog roll itself up into 

 a ball to oppose him; he teases it until it is obliged to appear 

 uncovered, and then devours it. Besides the common Fox 

 {Tulpes Vulgaris), there are numerous varieties, of which the 

 Tahaleb or Egyptian Fox and the Fennec {Feneca Zaarensis) 



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