12 



2/2 Ft- 



/o 



^OFA- 



-^OFt- 



ments should be at least 30 feet square. Those shown in the diagram 

 are 30 b}^ 40 feet and the larger runs 75 by 40 feet. Passageways 

 giving free access to all the compartments should be 4 to 6 feet wide. 



Each compart- 

 ment should 

 contain a small 

 house or shelter 

 box, for, al- 

 though the 

 foxes often dig 

 natural dens in 

 the ground, they 

 usually accus- 

 tom themselves 

 readily to artifi- 

 cial shelters. A 

 common form 

 of these is much 

 like a dog ken- 

 nel and about 

 the same size 

 (see fig. 8). 

 They are ordi- 

 narily made 4 

 or 5 feet square 

 and 2 or 3 feet 

 high, with an 



entrance about 6 inches square. A small, hinged trapdoor 8 inches 

 square, giving the keeper access to the inside, may be provided on 

 the back of the house, but this is seldom needed, and its absence 

 removes the temp- 

 tation to disturb a 

 parent fox at a 

 critical time. Sev- 

 eral other forms 

 also are used, espe- 

 cially some con- 

 trived with refer- 

 ence to the exclu- 

 sion of light. 

 These may be made 



of boxes or barrels to which are attached closed passages about 2 

 feet long, Avith a single or a double elbow at the end (see figs. 6 

 and 7). These furnish retreats more nearly like a natural fox 



328 



OUT£P COUffT 

 FO/f PROTECT/ON FROri /A/T/f(/D£ffS 



Fig. 



-Plan for arrangement of fox j-ards. 



Fig. 6. — Barrel shelter for female and younj 



