FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES 205 



SO that all that his adversary gets is a mouthful of 

 fur." 



" Isn't that clever ! Have you ever seen them do it, 

 daddy?" said Nat. 



"No, but a friend of mine — the man who made all 

 the pictures in your uncle's portfolio and knows so 

 much of the ways of this family of Wolves and Foxes 

 that he is called ' Wolf ' by his friends — says it is so." 



" You know," said the Doctor, " I told you long ago 

 that every animal has something that serves either as a 

 tool or a weapon, and if you listen to all there is to 

 hear about the tails of our fourt'oots, you will iind that 

 they are even more useful than ornamental. The big 

 tail, or brush, of the P^ox, as hunters call the prize they 

 seek, may be a trap to catch burrs and a dead weight 

 to carry when it is water soaked; but you see it is a 

 shield both in battle and to keep paws and nose warm 

 during .winter naps." 



" Can Foxes swim ? " asked Nat. 



" As easily as dogs," said Mr. Blake. " I know a 

 story about a very clever Fox, whose fur, one summer, 

 was full of fleas who bit liim so cruelly that he went in 

 swimming to cool himself. The fleas, not wishing to 

 be drowned, climbed up on his head, which was the 

 only dry part of him. 



"The Fox felt very comfortable for a while, but 

 when he went ashore and shook himself dry, the fleas 

 quickly went back to their old hiding-places. This 

 bothered the Fox a good deal, and he thought about 

 the matter for a great many days, when he lay in liis 

 den hiding from the bright light, in which you know 

 very few of our fourfoots care to be seen. 



