Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-06-25
FOX STORIES.
How tho Mother Looks After Her
Cubs.

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Cubs.
Let us take a glance at the private
life Of our foxes, says the Country
House, The vixen lays up her cubs il
early spring in mild winters very Otter
in January and February, but should
say that most cubs are born in March
and April. She chooses y nice, qulet
place to draw her EARTH often some
cornfield is chosen that has been al
ready sown, for foxes are very clever
and soon discover that field that has
been worked is not likely to be dis
turbed for some time. She selects a
suitable bank and in that produces her
cubs, which average, as a rule, from
five to seven in number. At first, of
course, they eat nothing but live en-
tirely upon their mothers milk, like
puppies, but soon they require more
nourishment and nature prompts their
fond parent to provide them with some
thing more substantial. This she does
by eating small rabbits, birds, rats and
beetles, which on arriving home she
casts up for her family in exactly the
same way as dog does for her young.
AS soon as the cubs grow big enough
to come out Of the earth and play about
the vixen removes them to another
earth where there is plentiful supply
of Water-as little foxes are thirsty
little souls and require plenty of drink.
One Of the most charming sights is to
see a family Of baby foxes at play. The
vixen is now assisted by her spouse in
providing for hoT family, and they
both bring in young birds, rabbits, etc.
A fox larder is one of the most wonder
full sights l know of, and certainly our
friend reynard Is very catholic in his
tastes, for nothing comes amiss to him,
from a beetle or cockshafer to a young
lamb. Rabbits also form a large item
In his bill of fare, but moles and rats are
the staple food so that it is not all dam
age that our little Red Rover accom-
plishes. No doubt a hungry vixen is
not particular, but one cannot blame
her If she helps herself a bit too freely,
for 1t is hard for her to travel far for
her young ones support.
Fox stories that have happened with
in my knowledge have been many and
various. On one occasion a very nice
litter of cubs was brought TO the house.
They We're too young to do we'll without
their mother and with one exception
they all died; but this little survivor
was adopted by a Pomeranian dog,
who at the time had a litter of puppies,
and took to her founding quite hap
PLY. This cub grew up and used to
come In to dessert with the rest of the
dogs and would sit up and smoke a
pipe. They all lived in the pantry and
were quite a happy family, living to-
gether until the cub was a year old.
when it broke its chain and escaped.
After three or four days it returned
and from time to time used to go and
come at its will; but, alas, one day
never returned! / never heard of her
death, so we may hope she lived to a
good old age. In the Fitzwlliam coun-
try l once saw a very pretty fox that
had three white pads, but I never saw
1T but once again. In Devonshire a
fox used always to live on the ton of a
pheasant stack in one Of the coyerts.
he was always to be found there and
in the summer did not mind people
past the stack; but directly
the hunting season began the shutting
of the gate was quite enough for our
friend, who left at once. He was
hunted for several seasons, but never
caught. He was a Very beautiful fox,
with a great deal of white about his
throat and neck.