The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-12-14
THE FOX rs A MERRY BEAST AND
A BOLD FREEBOOTER.
Restless. Alert. and Full OF Resources
His Career a rtcn short-Lived,
but His Existence Is n Hap
py-go-Lucky One.
<(T TOW few people know what
/" NJ an interesting chap the fox
is," said the naturalist in

merry, sly dog is reynard. All sum
mer he lives in luxurious case, roam
ing the woods and sauntering by the |
pearly brooks, or basking in the noon
day sun.
ssHe loves fish and going down to
the stream he yaits till he spies plump
trout. It's all over in twinkle. A
leap, a snap, and off he trots with his
Juicy morsel. A stupid crawfisn
snoozes by his hole near the waters |
edge. Reynard drops his tail in the
water and tickles him with it. The
angered crustacesn comes out ot his
hiding place and is seized and crushed,
armor and all. When the ripening
corn is ready to drop, and the luscious
fruits have reached their maturity, and
all nature is plethoric with ripening
fullness. then Master Fox is in clover.
Timid rabbits prick up their ears and
run, unconscious of danger, along the
hillside: the quails skulk noiselessly
in the wheat stubble birds pour forth
their notes of praise-and he catches
them all. He loves fruits, stealthily
stealing into orchids, where apples and
plump pears tempt, and in the vine
yard he fairly revels in grapes. His
cubs grow fat and ssucy. He shows
them how TO pilier honey, and when
the busy bees have laid up a winter
store he crawls to the hives near the
garden fence and jumping up to the
small opening licks the sweet drops
with pure delight. Out come the
stinging, humming honey-makers, and
h,u th,,t ,,aIt htt
he doubles up in twinkling and roll
ing over and over crushes them by the
score and eats them as relish.
Cunning? No animal beats him.
Look at his brainy head. His delicate
ears-broad below to catch every
sound from the highest note of the
shrill warbler to the low grooming of
the cricket, or the distant murmur of
storm, or the fevered pants of the
prancing hounds, and tapering SO
sharply to point that they can shape
themselves to every wave Of air that
makes the tiniest rustic of noise. Note
the crafty calculation and foresight OF
the low, flat brow. What n nose
Now full of resolute purpose pointing
straight forward, and anon turning
up with concentrated malice and scorn.
The eye, deep set, a regular robbers
, eve, lackine No. pft ha"-.Y of the
timid deer estimating glare of
niu .ie w. uo,i ,et er ,rsmbles witk ..'aSscl @
humility or glares with murderou,
rage, flashing fire and vengeance. En-
ergy and self-control speak in the thin,
cynical lips, and the mouth opens
from ear to ear. He can leap, crawl,
run and swim with the velocity ol
lightning, and his wiry body is carried
30 noiselessly along that scarce trace
is left. His delicate footballs echo nc
response even among the dead leaves
of the forest. His walk is treacherous,
his glance sinister. Selling bunch
of grain in his mouth, he will swim
into the midst of flock OF ducks and
seize the plumpest for dinner.
'He will feign death like 'possum,
and even the hounds teeth and tn.
flash of gunpowder have failed t.
arouse him. A farmer surprised one
in n hen-roost Believing that tn,
fox was dead from over-eating the
farmer kicked the stiffened body on
the floor, picked it up by the tail and
flung it out in the barnyard. In 4
jiffy the fox gathered up his legs and
escaped.
''He is voracious, is reynard. When
hunger-pressed, and gaunt and lean
from starvation, he'll not refuse ser.
pents and toads aud moles and rats
He has been known to attack and kill
young calves and lambs, and if the sea
shore is near will revel in oysters and
shelltish. A group of rabbits are feed.
ing i'll clover patch. He'll crawl
along, nibbling the juicy flowers until
near enough To make a grab. He'll
stalk bird with his hind legs dragging
behind him, until near enough to
make spring. How farmers dread
his inroads in the poultry yard. Fas-
ten the yard up tight and he will bur-
row winding passage into the ground
beneath and suddenly y appear among
the drowsy chickens and stupid geese,
whose shrill and alarmed cries arouse
the farmer from his bed to sally forth
finding all safe. Then the fox will
sneak back and pack away the plump
est pullet or the fattest goose.
February is the month when rey-
nard goes a-wooing, and wide range
he takes, flirting and toying with any
vixen that chances in his wpy. 1t is
fully sixty days before mamma clears
the brush all out of her burrow and
brings forth her young, from three to
six at a litter. 1t will be fully month
before the sharp-nosed cubs begin to
play and gambol about the doorway of
their home. Perhaps it will be at the
root of an old tree, beneath a ledge OF
rocks or in the hollow of dead tree
trunk or burrow with several en-
frances in the sand or loan. Tell.tale
chicken bones and feathers and fur
strown about the entrance speak of
many hen-roost robbed OF of foolish
rabbits and overconhdent grouse that
have furnished food for the ever. hun.