CHAPTEE XIIT. 



THE FARMER'S SLY NEIGHBOR, 

 The Red Fox. 



He is a much-abused creature, this red fox ( Vul- 

 pes pennsylvanicus), and the reputation he has un- 

 fortunately acquired a through his incur- 

 sions on the hen- JW^^^^ ^oo®* is ^^t an en- 

 viable one in the ^^^^i$Wk animal world. 

 But as a robber ^^-t^^^^M. and a thief his 

 deeds are not a cir- K^fe'v-'-'.^^^v. cumstance 

 compared with those of \ y\!^K^ t'^' 

 the weasel ; the latter 



seems to delight in pure 



murder, without rhyme or 



reason, but the fox takes 



what he needs and leaves 



all else — to be sure, not with 



out an eye for the immediate ^ youthful 



•' Red Fox. 



future, as one may frequently 



find him returning for a second or third tempting 



hen, and the relics surrounding his hole show that his 



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