THE FOX. 



93 



within a rod of it. Occasionally, however, he finds in 

 a trapper more than his match, and is* fairly caught. 

 When this happens, the trap, which must be of the 

 finest make, is never touched with the bare hand, but, 

 after being thoroughly smoked and greased, is set in a 

 bed of dry ashes, or chaff, in a remote field where the 

 fox has been emboldened to dig for several successive 

 nights for morsels of toasted cheese. 



A light fall of snow aids the trapper's art and con- 

 spires to Reynard's ruin. But how lightly he is caught, 

 when caught at all ! barely the end of his toes, or at 

 most a spike through the middle of his foot. I once 

 saw a large painting of a fox struggling with a trap 

 which held him by the hind leg, above the gambrel- 

 joint ! A painting alongside of it represented a peas- 

 ant driving an ox team from the off-side ! A fox would 

 be as likely to be caught above the gambrel-joint as a 

 farmer would to drive his team from the off-side. I 

 knew one that was caught by the tip of the lower jaw. 

 He came nightly, and took the morsel of cheese from 

 the pan of the trap without springing it. A piece was 

 then secured to the pan by a thread, with the result as 

 above stated. 



I have never been able to see clearly why the mother- 

 fox generally selects a burrow or hole in the open field 

 in which to have her young, except it be, as some hunt- 

 ers maintain, for better security. The young foxes are 

 wont to come out on a warm day, and play like puppies 

 in front of the den. The view being unobstructed on 



* 



