The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-08-07
THE WAYS OF FOXES.
Thel: HABITS anl Llie---AnnoyinS n
Herd OF Cows.

things of which you write. This Is
especially true of the fox. | have
fought them with gun, trap and
poison, and have had some interest
ing and amusing experiences Every
summer, usually IN early morning
they Turk In n piece of woodland
near the barn, and whenever hen or
chicken ventures too far from the
buildings, 1t Is pounced upon and
carried away Such long process
sion OF Plymouth Rocks has gone
In that direction, year after year,
that | make no truce with reynard,
Dnt take his life in season or out,
whenever opportunity offers
Have you ever heard a fox bark
In the daytime? One win,ry morn
ing | saw one, a quarter of a mile
away, sounding his 'wood-notes wild.
Again, while plowing last Novem-
Der, | heard one barking about 4
O'Clock in the afternoon. One night
| heard one barking In the pasture
lot. took my gun and hurried out
to interview him. They had been
In the habit of crossing the creek
about a hundred yards from the barn,
and | selected this place for our
meeting. While getting in position |
could hear him barking at intervals,
each time n little nearer. There
were a few inches OF light snow, but
no moon, so that Il was rather hard
to pick out his foyship from the few
small evergreens that grew near the
ford. / stood behind a large elm,
steadying my gun against the trunk
and covering the road | felt sure he
would take, perhaps seventy-Gve
yards away. ] did not have to wait
He came out Of the protecting ever
greens almost as soon as | was ready
1t was too dark to take aim, but
when | felt sure | had him covered
| let go. 1t was such an unusual
time for an ambush that he was un-
doubtedly the most surprised fox
recorded in the annals He paused
just long enough to locate his enemy
and disappeared in the neighborlng
woods. | took n lantern and fol-
! lowed. ] had wounded him, for
found an occasional bloodstain on the
snow. He led nearly straight away
for half mile, then clrcle1 back
within n hundred yards of his ad-
venture before making a final plunge
Into the wilderness. ! think he must
have gone daft with his wound and
fright and did not know exactly
where he was going. If he still sur
wives, he must be regarded among
his wild associates as a most worthy
veteran, after having run the gauntlet
of such midnight ambuscade.
Hardly season passes here with
out someone locating a den. and maxi
Ing captive the whole litter. Two
years ago ! accidentally discovered
one, and with a neighbor's help dug
them out and made them secure in
the corn crib. At times they were as
playful as kittens, but they often
fought like dogs over their food.
The first morning after their cap
ture | saw the old fox nosing around
their prison. One of the young died
In day or two, and my boy carried
1t to the woods. The next afternoon
when he returned from the pasture
with the cows, he informed me that
he had found young fox dead near
the scene of the capture. l thought
at first that it might be one that
had died in the nest, and we had
overlooked it when we DESTROYED
their roof tree; but after investigat-
Ing we found it to be the one that
had died in captivity, as the one
could not be found that my young
ster had disposed of. We concluded
that the mother had carried it back
to the old home, a quarter of a mile
or more. How unconquerable this
mother love! | must confess that |
felt something like remorse at finding
such human trait in my enemy.
Il have a neighbor who has
trapped skunks for twenty years. I
think he knows every woodchuck
hole within three or four miles. [
conferred with him, and when April
came again we kept sharp lookout
| for another den. We spent the
greater part of one forenoon in WIS.,
iting the most likely holes in the
neighborhood. On our way back,
and when only a quarter of mile
from home, we crossed a farm that
had been abandoned by its owner.
Every summer some one cuts the
hay on shares and picks the apples.
Except for the commotion on these
occasions 1t is desolate and alone.
AS we entered the dooryard I found
muskrat hide, freshly skinned. on
the grass; a little further on some
lunches of rabbits fur. Have we
a fox den here?' I thought. Here
are the usual ear-marks, but it
seemed a most unlikely spit At the
corner of the house we found a hole,
probably opened by a woodchuck,
leading directly into the foundation.
Scattered about were hens feathers.
and small pig had been poked into
a crevice in the crumbling founda-
ton. The pig was one that a neigh
Dor had lost few days before, and