228 COMMON FOX. 



without exciting the least suspicion, several half-grown 

 Foxes, although they were continually within a few feet 

 of us." 



Its usual prey consists of hares, rabbits, various kinds 

 of ground birds, particularly partridges, of which it 

 destroys great numbers ; and it often makes its way into 

 the farmyard, committing sad havoc amongst the poul- 

 try. It has been known not unfrequently to carry off 

 a young lamb. In default of this its favourite food, it 

 has recourse to " rats and mice, and such small deer " — 

 or even to frogs or worms. We have heard from a man 

 much engaged in woods, that the Fox gives the prefer- 

 ence to putrid meat. The remark was elicited by 

 observing the skin of a Hedgehog turned inside out, 

 which was at once claimed by the woodman as the work 

 of a Fox. We are much disposed to accord with this 

 opinion, having often observed that Hedgehogs which 

 have been taken in traps are, after a time, devoured by 

 some animal of sufficient size to turn the skin inside out- 

 wards. As Badgers do not occur where this has been 

 observed, and Dogs and Cats will not feed on the Hedge- 

 hog, it must be attributed either to the Fox or to magpies 

 and crows. As a further evidence of the proneness of 

 the Fox for high meat, we may mention having seen the 

 remains of several rooks and a magpie taken from the 

 nest of a Fox, all of which had been trussed and hung 

 up in a cornfield as scarecrows, and had become quite 

 putrid. The Fox also resorts to the sea-shore, in search 

 of such fish, moUusca, Crustacea, and other marine animals 

 as the tide has left upon the beach. Besides the kinds 

 of food above mentioned, there is no doubt but that 

 coleoptera are consumed in great numbers. We have 

 often seen a Fox searching for and picking up something 

 of small size, which we could not doubt consisted of 



