' Wild Species Wagging the Tail. 135; 
I propose now to give a few miscellaneous notes on some 
wild and domesticated species of dogs, disclaiming, however- 
any pretence of treating them from a fancier’s point of 
view. For that the reader must go to such complete works as 
Mr. Hugh Dalziel’s “ British Dogs.” The British wolf—once 
the pest of this country—has long since (about 1680) been 
“wiped out” in the interests of the farmer, and there are 
not wanting those who would rejoice to see our only re- 
maining indigenous species, the fox, follow his larger con- 
gener to extinction. But, so long as the hunting instinct 
survives in the breast of the true Briton, Reynard will con- 
tinue to be cherished for the purpose of that sport which 
some enthusiastic Nimrods declare he enjoys as much as the 
huntsmen and hounds themselves! It is difficult to take this 
view when one calls to mind Landseer’s picture of the fox 
lying stiffening to death after a long run, when his cunning 
has just saved him from being broken up—only to perish of 
exhaustion. 
Wagging the tail seems to be a mode of expression of 
satisfaction peculiar to the dog, and by no means restricted 
to the domesticated animal. Some few years ago the ques- 
tion was seriously .debated in the Field, whether wild canide 
had this habit, and it was answered conclusively in the 
affirmative. One correspondent mentioned the capture of 
three fox.cubs in an earth, which he carried home, and, 
he continues, “they were then, I should say, about eight or 
nine days old, as their eyes were not open. They were 
fed with milk out of a bottle several times a day, and soon 
got perfectly tame, following us about like puppies as soon 
as they could run. They are now in a wire inclosure, with 
an artificial earth in it, and the difficulty seems to be to 
get them wild enough to turn out. Whenever my wife or 
myself go near them, they show all the pleasure a dog 
would, jumping about and wagging their brushes. They 
know a stranger in a moment, and at once run into the 
earth.” 
