We cannot that ever obtain, That we the mighty God's mind weaken; have it; Let us so do that they forfeit his favor, And we are hither cast Now with the Lord are they And may for themselves that weal That they pervert that which he with his Should have possess That to me is in my mind so painful, That they heaven's kingdom If any of you may Soon shall they be the more hateful to him; If they break his commandment, Then will he be incensed against them; Afterward will the weal be turned from them, And for them punishment will be preparedSome hard lot of evil." CEDMON, BY BENJAMIN THORP. THE DEATH-BELL. NOME, list and hark! The bell doth toll For some but now departing soul; And was not that some ominous fowlThe bat, the night-crow or screech-owl? To these I hear the wild wolf howl In this black night that seems to scowl. All these my black-book death enroll, For, hark! still, still the bell doth toll For some but now departing soul. THOMAS HEYWOOD. REYNARD. FROM THE FRENCH. has enjoyed a reputation for ROM time immemorial the fox | those which he cannot kill in a day. With this intention he installs himself on the margin of a wood, in proximity to the farm, and anxiously watches every movement of the poultry. If his prey wander into the fields, his attentions are doubled; seizing the moment when the watch-dog is out of sight, he creeps toward them on his belly, draws near his victim without being seen, seizes, strangles and carries it off. When these manœuvres have once succeeded, they are repeated till the poultry-yard is depopulated. The fox never attacks animals capable of resistance. In the twilight it ventures out in quest of its prey, when it wanders silently around the country, prowling about the covers and hedges, hoping to surprise birds, rabbits or hares, its usual prey. In default of such delicate food, however, it will eat field-mice, lizards, frogs, etc. It does not dislike certain fruits. For grapes it exhibits a great predilection. To domestic fowls it is terribly destructive. When during its nocturnal prowling the crow of a cock strikes its ear, it turns at once in the direction of the welcome sound. It wanders incessantly around the poultry-yard, examining, scrutinizing and observing all the weak points by which an entrance might be gained. When at last successful in reaching the hen-roost, a reckless carnage among its occupants is made, and this not so much to satisfy a craving for blood as to provide store for the future. With this object, one With this object, one by one the victims are carried off and concealed in the woods or its den. If all efforts to enter the hen-roost are unsuccessful, then Reynard undertakes to ruin it in detail, and to slay in one or more months The following story, narrated to me by an old woodman, also illustrates their cunning. Two foxes located in a neighborhood where hares abounded adopted an ingenious stratagem for capturing them. One of them lay in ambush on the side of a road; the other started the quarry and pursued it with ardor, with the object of driving the game into the road guarded by his associate. From time to time, by an occasional bark, the associate in ambush was notified how the chase was succeeding. When a hare was driven into the road it was immediately pounced on, and both foxes devoured it in thorough good-fellowship. Nevertheless, it sometimes happened that the fox who kept watch miscalculated his spring, and the hare escaped, when, as though puzzled at his want of skill, he resumed his post, jumped on to the road, and several times repeated the movement. His comrade, arriving in the middle of this exercise, was not slow to comprehend its meaning, and, irritated at being fatigued to no purpose, chastised his clumsy associate; but a tussle of a few minutes suf- | ward, to find them gone. She blamed her neighbor for having robbed her, and probably the discussion was only terminated by a quarrel. ficed to expend the bad humor, and the entente cordiale was quickly re-established. The adult fox is also assisted by its young in procuring food when they become sufficiently aged. Some observers aver that these family excursions are undertaken for the education of the cubs. When on a foray to obtain aquatic birds among the reeds and rushes that margin the borders of lakes and rivers, foxes always proceed with extreme caution and take especial care not to become unnecessarily wet. M. La Vallée, in his work on La Chasse à Courre, gives a very remarkable example of the singular address of the fox in prosecuting his robberies. The animal he speaks of was taken when young by a druggist of Château-Thierry. It was perfectly tamed, liked being fondled, came at the call of its master and followed him to the chase, where it played the part of an excellent dog. But domesticity had not caused it to lose any of its taste for marauding, though it wanted for nothing at home. It was the hero of an adventure which for a long time perplexed the good town of Château-Thierry. The house where it was kept was situated at the corner of the marketplace and had two excessively narrow cellar-ventilators opening into the street, before which it was customary for the dealers who bought eggs from the neighboring peasants for the Paris or Meaux markets to range themselves. Before being packed off the eggs were inspected, and those which were cracked were laid on one side. One day a poor woman who had placed two dozen chipped eggs behind her was astonished, when turning round a few minutes after On the next market-day the same larceny was committed. It was believed to be the waggish trick of some urchin in the neighborhood, and some suspicion was even attached to the young clerks of the sheriff, who occupied the ground-floor of the house. At the succeeding market a watcher was placed before the dealer to observe what went on around her; but this person saw nothing, although one-half the number of broken eggs disappeared. The case became serious. The dealer then bethought herself of depositing her property beneath her petticoat, between her feet, certain that there they would be in safety. But the eggs again vanished. As a matter of course, all was attributed to witchcraft. It was not long after this when the truth. was discovered. The druggist's fox was found squatted in the ventilators, and where no one could ever have believed it possible the beast could introduce itself, so narrow were the openings. As soon as an egg was laid on the ground it pushed up its head, seized it and withdrew. This operation it could perform with perfect security, concealed as it was not only by the feet and the petticoats of the dealer, but also by the panniers that lay around. One of the most frequent stratagems of the fox, and which denotes an extraordinary amount of intelligence, consists in simulating death when surprised by the hunters and there is no hope of safety by flight. It may then be handled, kicked about in every direction, even lifted by the tail, hung up in the air or carried thrown over one's shoulder, without showing the slightest sign of vitality. But as soon as released and opportunity for escape offers it will decamp with all haste, to the great amazement of those so cleverly duped. The fox most frequently inhabits a burrow, or "earth," which it excavates among stones, rocks or under the trunk of a tree at the edge of a wood; at other times it digs its subterraneous retreat on cultivated land. Always it is careful to have it on an elevated slope, so as to be protected against rain and inundations. At times it appropriates the burrow of a rabbit or badger, and rearranges it to suit itself. Its dwelling it divides into three parts. The first is the place from whence it examines the neighborhood before coming out, and from where it watches for a favorable moment to escape its persecutors when a fatiguing pursuit has driven it to seek an asylum in its retreat. Then comes the storeroom, a place with several outlets, where the provisions are stored away. Lastly, behind the store-room, quite at the bottom of the burrow, is the den, the sleeping-chamber and real habitation of the animal. There it brings forth and suckles its young, and there the female takes refuge in great emergencies. The fox seldom regularly inhabits its burrow except when rearing young. After that period it generally sleeps in a cover near a spot where it thinks plunder is to be had, sometimes at a distance of two or three leagues from its earth. In the fox maternal instinct is highly developed. It watches its cubs with solicitude, provides for their wants and courageously defends them against their enemies. A litter A litter is composed of from three to five young, which are born about the month of April. The male and female live together until their progeny is reared, after which they separate. The duration of a fox's existence is from thirteen to fourteen years. The serious depredations committed by this animal have caused it to be classed among the most obnoxious, and for this reason, in nearly all countries, man adopts every means to accomplish its destruction. The wealthier classes of the English people are devoted to fox-hunting, and expend large sums to support kennels of fox-hounds. This example has not gained much popularity in France. To enjoy successfully this sport, care must be taken the evening preceding the chase to close up all the burrows in the neighborhood, and thus cut the animal off from taking refuge in them, which it is sure to attempt when it finds itself hard pressed. This precaution taken, Master Reynard is almost certainly doomed; for he leaves after him so powerful a scent that the hounds with facility follow his track. So full of devices to destroy the life of others, he scarcely manifests any to save his own, but confines himself to retracing the course he has pursued time after time, till the voracious pack overtake him and tear him in pieces. Old stagers, however, are sometimes found who disconcert all pursuit by fleeing to places inaccessible to hounds and huntsmen. It is the business of the huntsman to know these localities, and to prevent the game from entering them. This is done in France by placing a piece of cord across the approach to the sanctum, garnished with feathers or scraps of bright-colored cloth. The fox, seeing this object, suspects a snare, and 1820 doubles back, and probably perishes through is a necessity of its nature. We might, perthis excess of prudence. haps, succeed in entirely banishing these instincts by submitting the animal to prolonged domestication during successive generations, but it cannot be brought about by a few years' training. This is the reason why it is so difficult to keep an adult fox: the depredations that it never ceases to commit are a continual source of embarrassment to its owner, who at last, to end the annoyance, ultimately gets rid of it. Destroying foxes with firearms is much more easy. A certain number of sportsmen occupy the paths of a wood which is known to contain foxes. The vermin, started by some cur dogs, take to their runs, thus offering an easy shot; if they escape, the sportsmen have usually only their own unskilfulness to blame. When the fox runs to earth, and obstinately refuses to be unkennelled, terriers are often successfully employed, which, crawling into the lair, drive the possessor out. Sometimes Reynard resists all attempts to expel him. There is nothing then to be done but to smoke him out or to lay open his retreat with the pickaxe. The first operation, being the simplest, is generally preferred. All the openings of the burrow are closed, except that to windward; into this is introduced, as deeply as possible, a sulphur match; bushes and leaves are collected in front of the hole and set on fire. The smoke, blown by the wind, penetrates to the bottom of the burrow, carrying with it the sulphurous vapors. The subterranean cavity being completely pregnated, the smoke returns against the wind; the last opening is then hermetically Cclosed, and things are left in this state until the next day, when the fox is sure to be found dead near one of the orifices. When foxes overrun a country more energetic measures are had recourse to in order to destroy them-viz., by traps and poison. We have seen, by the history of the Château-Thierry fox, that this carnivore is susceptible of being tamed. It is nevertheless necessary to make a reserve. Its sanguinary instincts are invincible; the desire for blood The flesh of the fox exhales so repulsive an odor that it is even repugnant to many animals. Some people, however, use it, principally those in vine-growing districts, where it feeds on grapes. It is stated that this offensive smell can be readily got rid of by exposing the flesh to a freezing temperature. Hitherto we have been treating of the red fox. In America it is also known, being found from the 35th to the 55th parallel of latitude, and from the Atlantic seaboard to the Mississippi River; also in Oregon and British Columbia. There is a slight difference in coloring between the European and American, which some naturalists have taken advantage of to consider as just cause for classing them as representatives of different species. In our opinion, no pretext is obtainable to deem them otherwise than varieties. The black fox, so valuable for its fur, belongs to the red fox family and is only a chance production, in the same litters, occasionally, cubs both black and red having been found. The nobles of Russia, the mandarins of China and the khans of Tartary value a black foxskin above all furs, and the price a perfect pelt in prime condition fetches is fabulous. Russia, Siberia and the colder regions of North America alone produce 595598 -47823 |