The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-28
SLY REYNARD.,
THE FoxIs A MERRY BEAST AM
BOLD FREEBOOTER.
Restless, Alert and Full Of Resource
His Career is Often ShoRt-Lived.
but His Existence ts Hap
py-go-Lucky One

1s, SAID tne aaso1Anss ~
theNewYork Sun. seThey
know him only by reputation and that
as chicken-thief, which he is. But
be has lots of points, I tell you. a
merry, sly dog is reynard. All sum-
ner he lives in luxurious ease, roam
ing the woods and sauntering by the
pearly brooks, OF bssking in the noon
lay sun.
''He loves fish; and going down to
he stream he waits till he spiesa plump
trout. It's all over in twinkle. q
leap, snap, and off he trots with his
Juicy morsel. A stupid crawhsh
snoozes by his hole near the waters
edge. Reynard drops his tail in the
water and tickles him with it. The
fingered crustacean comes out OF hlf
hiding place and is seized and crushed,
.rmor and all. When the zipenine
rorn is ready to drop, and the luscious
fruits have reached their maturity, and
Iii nature is plethoric with ripenine
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
IL the wheat stubble; birds pour forth
their notes of praise-and he catches
them all. He loves fruits, steslthlly
,tealing into orchids, where apples and
plump pears tempt, and in the vine
yard he fairly revels in grapes. Hh
cubs grow fat and sauey. BE shows
them how to pilter honey, and when
the busy bees have laid up q winter
,tore he crawls to the hives near tho
garden fence and jumping up to the
mall opening licks the sweet drops
With pure delight. Out come the
| tinging, humming honey-makers, and
lettle like pail on his thick pelt; but
10 doubles up in twinkling and roll
ng over and over crushes them by th
core and eats them as relish.
Cunning? No animal beats him
Look at his brainy head. His delicate
sars-broad below to catch every
sound from the highest note of the
,hrill warbler to the low grooming o
! The cricket, or the distant murmur oi
storm, or the tevered pants Of the
rrancing hounds, and tapering Sc
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, fat brow. What nose !
| Now full of resolute purpose pointing
straight forward, and anon turning
40 with concentrated malice and scorn-
Ehe eye, deep set, regular robbers
BYE, lacking the soft beauty OF the
| ;imid deer, or the fascinating glare of
The cats, yet it trembles with modest
humility or glares with ;murderoua
| rage, flashing fire and vengeance. En-
srgy 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
20 noiselessly along that scarce a. trace
IS left. His delicate footballs echo no
response even among the dead leaves
If the forest. His walk is treacherous,
ais glance sinister. Seizing bunch
If grain in his mouth, he will swim
nto the midst of flock Of ducks anf
i eize the pIumpest for dinner. ~
stHe will feign death like 'possun.,
! md even the hounds teeth and the
lash of gunpowder have failed te
arouse him. A farmer surprised one
in a hen-roost. Believing that th'
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 bernYard. In
iiffy the fox gathered up his legs am
escaped.
"He is voracious, is reynard. When
,unger-pressed, and gsunt and lean
from starvation, he'll not refuse ser.
pents and toads and 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
shell6sh. A group of rabbits are feed
ing in clover patch. He'll crawl
along, nibbling the juicy flowers until
near enough to make grab. He'll
stalk bird with his hind legs dragging
behind him, until near enough to
make spring. How farmers dread
bis inroads in the poultry yard. Fss-
ten the yard up tight and he will bur.
row 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 an safe. Then the fox will
sneak back and pack away the plump
,st pullet or the fattest goose.
February is the month when rey.
nard goes a-wooing, and wide range
be takes, flirting and toying with any
vixen that chances in his way. It il
fully siysy days before mamms clears
the brush all out of her burrow and
brings forth her young, from three tc
six at litter. It Will be fully montl
before the sharp-nosed cubs begin tc
play and gambol about the doorway o!
their home. Perhaps it will be at thu
root of an old tree, beneath ledge o'
rocks or in the hollow of de-. tres
trunk or burrow with several en-.
frances in the sand or loan. Tell-tak
chicken bones and feathers and fur
strewn about the entrance speak Of
many a hen-roost robbed or of foolish
! rabbits and overconhdent grouse that
have furnished. food for the ever-hun.
gry cubs. Tne mother fox faithfully
leeds her young and boldly steals tc
support them She knows, as all sports.
men know, that the hounds will moi
follow her while she has family de
pending upon her.
ga merry, never-say-die life does
| klo fov lad -;n1aa6 r. NOV ho