15 



lore during the greater part of the year may be allowed to run together 

 in the larger inclosures. The separation of the sexes is not, as many 

 suppose, to prevent the male from viciously killing the young: for, 

 unless suffering from hunger, he usually is a model parent, and has 

 even been known to climb a high fence in the effort to carry food to 

 his offspring. But the presence of the male often results in injury to 

 the female during pregnancy, resulting in abortion; or it excites her 

 unduly after the young are born, leading to rougher treatment than 

 they are able to stand. 



When born the young hre small and Aveak, but if all is well they 

 grow rapidly, and when about six weeks old begin to come out to 

 play and to lap a little milk or to take an occasional bit of solid food. 

 If allowed to do so, they will continue to nurse for nearly six months. 

 They breed the first season, when a little less than a year old, but 

 usually produce only two or three young. 



Foxes in confinement, as in their natural state, show considerable 

 individuality. Some are much better breeders than others; some 

 can never be induced even to mate, and others mate but do not pro- 

 duce young. Their wild nature dominates most of their actions, 

 and it is rare that one becomes really tame. They are constantly 

 in a state of fear, and it is only by the greatest care that confidential 

 relations can be established between them and their keepers. This 

 fear is probably the chief cause of the failure to breed regularly. 

 It may cause the female to refuse the attentions of the male, or hav- 

 ing received them, she may prove infertile, or she may become ex- 

 cited so as to injure herself and give birth prematurely. But worst 

 of all, even after producing a litter of healthy young, she may be 

 so solicitous for their safety that in her effort to get them out of 

 imaginary harm's way she maltreats or kills them. Often when her 

 young are just born or only a few dnjs old she will carr}^ them about 

 the inclosure all day, apparently seeking a place to hide them. Per- 

 haps she digs a den in the ground and removes the young one by one 

 from the warm box to the cold ground. Thus they may be moved 

 successively to a number of freshh^ dug dens and to and from these 

 and the box until the little things are so mauled and exposed that 

 the}" die. 



Keeping the foxes in a secluded place free from visitors is not 

 sufficient alone to overcome these difficulties. Although strangers 

 should be kept away, a regular attendant should visit the animals 

 daily and use every effort to gain their confidence. This is not easy, 

 and a great deal depends upon the personality of the man in charge. 

 One not thoroughly interested or not naturally fond of animals, and 

 therefore slow to understand their ways, is not likely to succeed. 

 Careful observation and a faculty of intuition enables a good keeper 

 to anticipate the moods of the animals and to interpret their actions 



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