Class I. FOX. 85 



it. The fox sleeps much in the day, but is in 

 motion the whole night in search of prey. It 

 will feed on flesh of any kind, but its favourite 

 food is lambs, rabbets, hares, poultry, and fea- 

 thered game. It will, when urged by hunger, 

 eat carrots and insects ; and those that live near 

 the sea-coasts, will, for want of other food, eat 

 crabs, shrimps, or shell fish. In France and 

 Italy, it does incredible damage in the vine- 

 yards, by feeding on the grapes, of which it is 

 very fond. The fox is a great destroyer of rats, 

 and field mice, and like the cat, will play with 

 them a considerable time, before it puts them to 

 death. When the fox has acquired a larger prey 

 than it can devour at once, it never begins to feed 

 till it has secured the rest, which it does with 

 great address. It digs holes in different places, 

 returns to the spot where it had left the booty, 

 and (supposing a whole flock of poultry to have 

 been its prey) will bring them one by one, 

 thrust them in with its nose, and then conceal 

 them by ramming the loose earth on them, till 

 the calls of hunger incite him to pay them ano- 

 ther visit 



Of all animals the fox has the most sig- 

 nificant eye, by which it expresses every passion 

 of love, fear, hatred, &c. It is remarkably 



