Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-04-19
MISCELLANY.
A cAT-NunsE ron YOUNG FOXES.

The following is vouched for as true, by a
correspondent of Chdn,Jer's Journal, from which
we take il;
While in Canada, some years since, hap
pened to be at the digging opi Of an old fox :
and, as curiosity to show the people at Tue
house, ] brought away with me pair of the
young ones, of which there happened 10 be no
less than seven. As they appeared To be no
more than day OF two old, Tor they could not
see, and as they were in size not much larger
than kittens, some one proposed to put them
beside the cat, aud see if sh. would not rear
them. The suggestion, from lis very novelty,
was at once adopted. Al first, puss seemed TO
be quite reconciled to them; but upon going
afterwards to see how they were getting on,
the foxes were indeed in the box, but the cat
and kittens had disappeared. Having found
out pusss retreat, she and her kittens we're a.
gain carried back, and put along with the foxes;
after feeding her well, and paltng and clap
ping her, she was again left alone and never
afterwards, until the foxes were pretty large,
did she deny them the attentions Of mother.
When put 10 the test, by fox and kitten
being taken ont and laid upon the flour, puss,
whenever she heard the mewing Of her kitten,
was at once on the spot, and catching Up the
nearest-no matter whether fox or kiien-car-
ried it away, and then returned for the second.
Afterwards, although the cry Of tue fox was
different from that of the kitten, being a kind
of petulani whining, yet, whenever she heard
it, she paid as much attention TO the one as to
the other, was as soon upon The spot, and as
ii, :.
At first it was feared that the fuxes, accus-
toned 10 teats Of larger dimensions, might fail
TO find out those Of the cat, which were hardly
observable amongst the fur and so perish after
all. AS it was, they did not appear to discov-
er them until about the second or iIiId day
but after that-and here is point for natural
ists-the teais gradually grew 10 be as lasge as
those Of dog, returning, however, afterwards
TO their natural size.
In course of time, puss began 10 bring in
mice, squirrels, and such like; and here may
mention, that as she soon learned to compre-
bend the distressed cry of the helpless foxes,
so they now as truly comprehended her parlc-
ular cry when shs brought in such game for
NO sooner was she heard, than of scampered
kittens and foxes, as though each fully COM
pretended the fact that the first there was sure
TO get the prize. Here the nature of the two
kind of animals was distinctly exemplifed.-
The kittens delighted in fnu and liked to make
the most of mouse when they got it bat Of
ten, when they came trotlins back with one in
their mouth, they used IN be met by one oflhe
foxes, which, in the twinsing of an eye, would
snap it from them, and devour il on the spot
the foxes, at the same time, taking pretty good
care that the kittens should never have an OPP
portuniiy of treating them in like manner, as
everything they got was invariably despatched
upon the spot. When, however, they did get
enough, the surplus was carefully concealed in
some quiet corner, over which they kept watch
hul eye.
Hitherto, they had been allowed to run about
uncontrolled; but the female having killed a
young gosling, they were forth it'll confined in
pen, the sides Of which we're about two feet
high. Although they had now outgrown the
kittens considerably, puss still acknowledged
them and regularly, day after day, calling her