Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-11-02


man in fringed buckskin whose pit
fall, trap and gun, respected neither
time nor season, but killed when op- /
portunity offered, we now have mating /
on scientific lines, trained veterinar-
ians and attendants, feeding schedules,
stud books, and careful registration.
Instead Of pelts taken during mating
season or when a denned litter OF
sucklings were sacrificed with the
death Of the parent animals, We now
have furs taken at the very prime con-
dition from animals killed quickly and
painlessly.
The ranch fox is likeahle little
chap. His conduct of family affairs
and social relationships might well
serve AN example 20 the human fam
ily. All.d to the ordinary fox psy-
cholo develop IN wild environ
ment the ranch red animal has a new
set Of impulses resulting from a5spcia-
ton with man. He still distrusts and
! fears mankind in general but is quick
to respond to care and attention from
the individual.
Foxes are mated in pairs. Mating
usually endurcs for the lifetime of
the animals Each pair occupies
space about 80 feet square inclosed
by a special woven wire fence. The
| :.ai.-,.. bo- , ,,,Cvp., v.ira DartitiOD
shutting OF about oHe-third of the
pen when occasion demands. A con-
crete foundation for the pen walls is
sunk to about 30 inches below the
ground to circumvent the foX's desire
to dig himself out Where the soil de-
mands, piece of woven wire about Is
inches wide is laid fiat below the sur
face of the pen floor just inside the
walls as an added precauton. The fox
starts operations close to obstruction.
His engineering does not quite run to
starting a few feet back.
The mating season is in January, and
81 days later the young are born.
During this time the fox and his mate,
particularly the latter, exhibit those
traits of character which in human be-
ings are placed under the head of
Temperament. Tempers are short,
and trifing annoyances become causes
of prolonged irritableness, while fear
may easily become panic. Visitors are
excluded from January until early
summer.
AS their main residence, the pair
select the largest den. This is a two
roomed affair, the inner sleeping
chamber being double-walled with a
packing of sawdust or ground cork Re
tween the walls to insure the litter
against cold The outer or living room
has a single wall only but is weather
tight, as are all dens. Some ingenuity
is required to devise ingress and exit
The fox idea requires that the real en-
trance to his living quarters be plac-
ed as far as possible from the dwelling
itself and with no apparent relation
ship between the front door and the
dwelling. To humor this idosyncrasy
ranchers have produced as nearly as
possible the hollow log which the wild
fox finds so convenient for Disgusting
the entrance to his den.
Once settled, the fox and vixen find
it ample for home. The other two
dens are used only for Longing. Near
the time of maternity, the nervousness
and anxiety of the parents is evidenced
by quarrels Of high frequency and
tension. 1t is frequently necessary tc
isolate the fox. He is driven into the
partitioned-of space. All openings
are closed and father fox spends sew
eral weeks of enforced bachelorhood
The vixen left alone finds solitude
more or less sedative. She is con.
st1ntly under observation by the care
'aker guardian in the watch tower, an.
when she energies from the den cx
l.bitinP nervous excitement he know
that a new family has arrived. II,
Nnows too, Just what VIII serve .
r-.w her excitement md ae ou'e'r
rs POSSIBLE he gets 4 live chicken OF
O.Ce0-, wrirrs its neck and ...- +
the vixen The ra-d-rr ,I w. rr
Hesh affords m outlet for The y;N.0G
.rritGr.,ucEe and cr.c's ,nc nervous
condition. $50 ,hat she can give arrn