St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-04-06
READ IN THE SNOW.


Tho Story Of . Fight Betweea . MAX and
Fox Over . Rabbit.
Down on the fats by the long cove
tragedies happen each night in real
life-nature's life-says Seaberry
Settlement correspondent. That is
where the mink and the fox meet as
they chase mice hither and yon till
the mouse's life is sucked out by . mink
or crushed out by the more powerful
fox Sometimes . mink seeks to in
fringe ON . fox's chase, or a fox ON .
mink's, and then there is q fight
Some time the other night, possibly
after dawn, fox came wandering on
the snow down through the pastures
and meadow land, nosing under stumps
and smelling around mouse or mole
holes. He caught one or two of each
and greedily ate them. bones, hair and
all. He leaped at . sleeping partridge
on low limb of . balsam, but, as
neither feathers nor blood lay scattered
around, the bird no doubt escaped. Al
ter time he came to another little
wood and successfully jumped for an
unsuspicious mouse on the other side Of
. log. One drop of blood was all there
was left Of it A little round cove
furnished the fox with another mouse.
which had crossed the ice. He trailed
. skunk little way, but left the track
20 pursue q mouse. which just managed
to get into a nearby hole before the
fox's teeth closed on the snow.
For many rods the trail led here and
there, but no mouse was caught Then
the fox evidently saw or heard some
thing over by the long cove. for his
tracks no longer went aimlessly along,
but led directly to the cove. Here 4
mink had come from the creek in short
jumps, running his nose into
cracks and crawling under logs
and stumps- He met and killed
= mouse, but, having feasted on .
trout not long before, he only ate its
brains, leaving the body for hungry
weasel to devour later. The mink
crept into = hollow log and drove there
from little brown rabbit. Here was
game worthy of the chase, and away
went the mink. with his evil little eyes
glistening with bloodthirst. But just
then the fox arrived. and with . single
bite killed the rabbit.
The mink stopped and crouched in
the snow, indignant and surprised.
The fox turned away, with the rabbit
held high by the neck. though its legs
dragged in the snow. When the fox
turned the mink sprung, and in an in
slant had bitten the fox through the
tendon of Achilles. The fox dropped
the rabbit in the snow and turned,
this time to avenge the wound and the
insult. He was lame and sore;
the mink, fresh. strong and active.
Time and again the fox leaped at
the mink. but each time missed.
only to be bitten in the back, the neck
or in leg. The mink grew confident
and careless. He passed two or three
times SO close to the fox that only its
litheness saved its hide. He even held
fast an instant when he bit the fox.
They rolled down the bank on to the
ice of the cove and there fought again;
the fox was desperate. Once again he
tried to flee, but each time the mink
brought him down. Then the mink
lay down on the ice, switching its tail
in the light snow, while the fox faced
it trembling with fear and anger.
1t was only short jump to the mink
and the fox tried again. The mink
tried to Jump sideways, but the ice was
slippery and . hind foot brushed the
ice for an inch as it failed to gain pur-
chase. and then the fox ground its
teeth on the mink's helpless back. In
vain did the mink gnash its jaws; in
vain did it twist and turn And SO it
died.
The fox was sick. He crawled up
the bank and staggered along, look
ing here and there for brush heap, .
hole. q place to hide, dripping blood
all the time on the snow. A mouse sat
on its launches, wondering, but fear
less. 1t knew its enemy was harmless
Soon the fox grew weak and sat down.
with his head dropping and his jaws
pink foam, but he knew that
that would never do. He must not die
there in the open. Perhaps that log
just beyond would conceal him. He
crawled to it, crept close beside it, and
there, with hls nose ON his paws, he
died. When Luke Wilmurt found him
the next day the fox was cold and stin.
IN. Y. Sun.