Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-01-11
THE CUNNING FOX
An Animal That Is Full OF Life
and Resources.
He IL Ever on the Alert and Notvith.
standing His offering renden-
cles Is In Truth
Merry IteAst.

He IL Ever on the Alert and Notvith.
standing His offering renden-
cies Is IN Truth
Merry Beast.
How few people know what an in
teresting chap the fox is" said nat
uraiist. recently. They know him
only by reputation. and that as a
chicken thief, which he is. But he has
lots Of points. tell you. Amerry, sly
dog is reynard All summer he lives
n luxurious ease. roaming the woods
and sauntering by the pearly brooks,
or basking in the MONDAY sun.
'lie loves fish: and going down to
the stream he waits till he spies q
plump trout. It's over in twinkling
y leap snap. and off he trots with
his juicv morsrl. A stupid crawfish
snoo1rs by hi, hole near the waters
edge. Er:na"l drops his tail in the
watrr AMI tic,,lts him with it. The
angcrrd crustacean comes out Of his
! hiding place and is seized and crushed,
! arlnur and all. When the ripening
corn is ready To drop, and the luscious
fruits have reached their maturity,
ard all nature is plethoric'with ripen-
! ing fullncss. 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 praiss-and
he catches them all. He loves fruits.
Stealthily he steals into orchards,
where apples and plump pears tempt.
and in the vineyard he fairly revels in
grapes. His cubs grow fat and saucy.
He shows them how to pilfer honey,
AID when the busy bees have laid up
winter store he crawls to the hives
near the garden fence and, jumping up
to the small opening. ticks the sweet
drops with pure delight. Out come
the singing, humming honeymakers
and settle like ball on his thick
pelt; but he doubles up in twinkling,
and, rolling over and over, brushes
them by the score and eats them Is .
| relish.
Cunning? No animal beats him.
Look ut 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,
fiat brow. What nose! Now full of
resolute purpose pointing straight for
ward, and anon turning up with con.
centrated malice and scorn. The eve.
deep-set, a regular robbers eye, lack.
ing the soft beauty Of the timid deer,
or the fascinating glare Of the cats, yet
it trembles with modest humility, or
glares with murderous rage, flashing
fire and vengeance. Energy 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 Of lightning. and his wiry
body is carried SO noiselessly along
that scarce q trace is left. His DELI
cate FOOTBALLS echo no response even
among the dead leaves of the forest.
His walk is treacherous, his glance sin.
lister. Selling q bunch of grain in his
mouth, he will swim into the midst Of
q flock Of ducks and seize the plumpest
for dinner.
"He is voracious, is reynard. When
hunger pressed, and gaunt and lean
from starvation, he'll not refuse ser.
penis and toads and moles and rats.
lie has been known to attack and kill
young calves and lambs, and il the ses-
shore is near will revel in oysters and
shellfish. A group of rabbits are feed
ing in a clover patch. He'll crawl
along, nibbling the juicy flowers until
near enough to make q grab. He'll
stalk bird, with his hind legs drag
ging behind him, until near enough to
spring. How farmers dread his inroads
IN the poultry yard. Fasten the yard
up tight and he will burrow a winding
passage into the ground beneath and
suddenly 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 with the plumpest pull.
let or the latest goose.
February is the month when rev.
nard goes awooing, and q wide range
he takes, flirting and toying with
every vixen that chances in his way.
1t is fully sixty days before madame
clears the rubbish all out of her bur.
row and brings forth her young, from
three to six at 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, be-
meath ledge Of rocks, or in the hollow
of dead tree trunk, or a burrow with
several entrances in the sand or loan.
Tell-tale chicken bones, and feathers
and furs strewn about the entrance,
speak of many a hen roost robbed, or
OF foolish rabbits and over-confident
grouse that have furnished food for
the ever-hungry cubs. The mother fox
faithfully feeds her young and boldly
steals to support them. She knows, IS
all sportsmen know, that the hounds
will not follow her while she has q
family depending upon her.
"a merry, devil-may-care life does
the fox lead, indeed! 1t may be short
one, for traps and snares are MANY,
hunters are alert and the scent Of
hound is keen. But reynard rollicks
and ROSTERS. and plays the bold free