476 
Vermin of the Farm. 
wlaicli, in spite of its carnivorous propensities, lias at least one 
good quality to justify its protection. 
Of tlie remaining animals on our list, the fox and the badger, 
neither can be properly included amongst “Vermin of the Farm,” 
although both, from their carnivorous nature, undoubtedly prey 
upon poultry, game, and rabbits. 
But so long as the old English sport of fox-hunting is main- 
tained — and long may it flourish — who will be bold enough to 
advocate the destruction of foxes in any other way than by hunt- 
ing with hounds, merely because they carry off every year an 
uncertain number of ducks and fowls ? 
It will be some consolation to those who sufier occasionally 
from the depredations of foxes to know that tliis animal does not 
prey exclusively on game and poultry. On the contrary, its 
“ bill of fare ” is extremely varied. It would be absurd to assert 
that foxes do no harm in game preserves ; but it is doubtful if 
they do half the damage laid at their door, that is if the keeper 
does his duty properly. The breeding season of the birds is the 
time when vixen foxes have to get food for their young, and 
during that period the gamekeeper, having orders to preserve 
foxes and pheasants (the two things by no means incompatible), 
should supply the foxes with rabbits and rooks. If this be done 
birds will seldom be touched. For their own eating an old fox 
of either sex will rarely, if ever, take a sitting hen, though, if 
other food be not provided, the vixen will sometimes catch up a 
hen pheasant for the sake of her young. By the time the cubs 
are big enough to earn their own living the pheasants will have 
taken to roost in trees, and be out of the way of foxes. Still, we 
do not say that where pheasants abound a few will not fall a prey 
to foxes, especially when there is a dearth of rabbits. 
Foxes are very fond of field-mice, and will dig out and eat 
scores of them, in this respect rendering good service to farmers. 
The hedgehog likewise falls a prey to the fox, as it does also to 
the badger. In default of fresh food a fox will feed on carrion, 
and will even devour dead fish cast up or left upon the shore. 
A good trait in the fox which is deserving of notice is that 
he generally abstains from poaching in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood where he is protected. Many instances of this have 
been ascertained, not only in relation to poultry and rabbits, of 
which foxes are particularly fond, but also in the case of lambs. 
The hill shepherds assert that they have often known a fox to 
have his earth on their ground, but never to kill any lambs save 
at a distance from home. This may savour of gratitude for the 
protection afferded him, but it is probably merely an illustration 
