The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-05-08

EAEEl AAs
r OR the first few days after the
T young foxes were born. the vixen
never left them save for few mo-
ments now and then, when she wanted
food or water. She had q ravepoUs ap-
petite, and ate a good deal OF meat.
THE SpriJe," on the other hand, seemed
to live chiefly on air for ] could not
observe that he ate a mouthful. He
was just as eager TO get the food, but,
instead of deVOurlng it, ne set IL down
on the ground in front Of him and, wag-
giug his tail raised his hand for more.
When he found that he had received
all that was coming to him, he would
pick iU up. q piece at a time. until his
mouth would hold no more and then he
would run over to the deH- put his head
inside and make the cluCkl1g sound
which I have mentioned before, as
though calling his puppies TO the feast.
Then. finding no response, he would
take away the meat dig hole ana
bury it. And he never tried TO take
away a piece of meat which the vixen
had secured, as he often had done be
fore the puppies had arrived, but when
the vixen tried 10 take away any OF his
food he tried 10 prevent her, seemingly
that be might offer it to the youngsters
I'm the den. After he had buried II, ]
often saw the vixen dig u up and eat
it.
The only food which "The sprite" re-
served for himself was the candy which
we gave him now and then The temp
tatiou TO eat a caramel il seemed be-
yond his poger TO resist, and me would
sit with closed eyes and calmly chew
away until the last atom was gone
and then lick his lips and Wag his tai
for another.
Every now and then, If she saw any
one watching her, the vixen would take
one OF the babies In her mouth, bring
40 out of the den and hunt for some
safe place to put it. Rot finding one,
she would often deposit the infant on
the ground and then bring the others
ont. one bv one. Here they would in
stinctivelv form as close bunch as
nossibIe, living one across the back OF
another. like little heap of grain
sacks one daE ( saw THE Sprite, for
the first time take up piece of meat
to eat it. He chewed &c, and was about
To swallow Do. when NE caught sight Of
"a puD lying on the ground near him.
Tn came the meat in an instant and,
clucking significantly. ne put down the
food beside the yOungster, but the viz
EN-. who seemed to have more sense If
less generosity, quickly gobbled it up
one afternoon, when we were all
away. some strangers came into the
garden. and stood by the side OF the
fox cage until the vixen was in fTen-
" of anxiety The next Qay she mad a
dt and ON the following day she had
nearly thirty fits and I was afraid she
would die before NE could get veter-
mary surgeon. whom / teiegTaphed for
at once. She seemed TO waste away 90
a skeleton in the course of few hours,
her eyes were glazed and, as she no
/ longer recognized her pups. i took them
away. The doctor save little hope for
/ her recovery, but we carried out mis-
orders TO the letter and, save that she
is stHI quite nervous, she has fully re-
covered from the attack. But we dared
not give her the pups again. and they
are now being brought up by hand.
During the ViNeu's illness, and be
T fore we took the pups away, lt was
most interesting TO watch the actions
I OF 'sThe SDrite' He seemed to realize
[ that something was wrong, and never
mistoOk the strange actions of his mate
+ for playfulness, though both foxes were
( I'm the habit of rolling on the ground
when they played together. He was
/ very restless. and walked about the
cage examining the pups and licking
them from time 30 time. lie did not at
] tempt to carry them, but when one Of
them would crawl into some hole or
/ corner beneath or behind the den, he
would rake iJ out with his paws He
( also offered them food and afterward
buried il as usual
/ when the young foxes were thirteen
DAYS old. their teeth began to come
/ through the gums. and three days later
they could bite a finger hard enough 20
/ make III uncomfortable. Even earlier
/ than this. if they were caught mp sud
l denly. they would give a little ''yap
and snap at The offending hand. When
/ they were fifteen days old. the eve of
7 one young fox began 10 show signs OF
/ opening. but it was not until they were
nineteen days old that all of them had
/ their sight
/ Before they were taken from their
mother they hardly ever Whined, but
/ afterward they cried nearly al the time
I they were awake They were fed with
( a medicine drOpper ar FIRST and they
took 10 n readily enough, They drank
/ COWS mtik or matted mix HNh equal
relish bur the former seemed % sus-
: tain them the better. Every day ne