390 
MAMMALIA. 
in ambush was notified bow the chase was succeeding. When 
a Hare was driven into the road it was immediately pounced on, 
and both Foxes devoured it in thorough good fellowship. Never- 
theless, it sometimes happened that the Fox who kept watch mis- 
calculated his spring, and the Hare escaped. When, as though 
puzzled at his want of skill, he resumed his post, jumped on to 
the road, and several times repeated the movement. His comrade 
arriving in the middle of this exercise, was not slow to compre- 
hend its meaning, and irritated at being fatigued to no purpose, 
chastised his clumsy associate ; but a tussle of a few minutes 
sufficed to expend the bad humour, and the entente cor diale was 
quickly re-established. 
The adult Fox is also assisted by its young in procuring food 
when they become sufficiently aged. Some observers aver that 
these family excursions are undertaken for the education of the 
cubs. When on a foray to obtain aquatic birds, among the reeds 
and rushes that margin the borders of lakes and rivers, Foxes 
always proceed with extreme caution, and take especial care 
not to become unnecessarily wet. 
M. La Vallee, in his work on La Chasm d Courre, gives a very 
remarkable example of the singular address of the Fox in pro- 
secuting his robberies. The animal he speaks of, was taken 
when young by a druggist of Chateau-Thierry. It was per- 
fectly tamed, liked being fondled, came at the call of its master, 
and followed him to the chase, where it played the part of 
an excellent Hog. But domesticity had not caused it to lose 
any of its taste for marauding, though it wanted for nothing at 
home. 
It was the hero of an adventure which for a long time perplexed 
the good town of Chateau-Thierry. The house where it was kept 
was situated at the corner of the market-place, and had two 
excessively narrow cellar ventilators opening into the street, 
before which it was customary for the dealers, who bought eggs 
from the neighbouring peasants for the Paris or Meaux markets, 
to range themselves. Before being packed off the eggs were 
inspected, and those which were cracked were laid on one side. 
One day, a poor woman who had placed two dozen chipped eggs 
behind her, was astonished when turning round a few minutes 
afterwards to find them gone. She blamed her neighbour for 
