File:Familiar life in field and forest; the animals, birds, frogs, and salamanders (1898) (14568752249).jpg

Identifier: familiarlifeinfi00math (find matches)
Title: Familiar life in field and forest; the animals, birds, frogs, and salamanders
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Mathews, F. Schuyler (Ferdinand Schuyler), 1854-1938 Underwood, William Lyman, phot
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Text Appearing Before Image:
, and to feel the satisfac-tion of an appeased hunger. A glimpse of a familyof foxes reveals anything but the serious side oflife. Nothing in the wide world is more attractive-ly bright than the face of a young fox, and three orfour of the little creatures at play are even jollier andprettier than as many kittens. But when he is hunted by dogs the foxs strugglehas begun in earnest, for it is a desperate and hopelessone. He leads the dog a chase over hill and dale toutter exhaustion, and at the end uses his needleliketeeth to no purpose; after facing each other for abrief space with panting jaws, the dog makes a lungeat the fox, seizes him by the throat, perhaps giveshim one shake, and all is over. When Reynard is trapped, a very moderate butsharp blow on the muzzle with a heavy stick finisheshim with equal dispatch; at best one can not helpfeeling a bit remorseful after the deed is done, be-cause it was so easily accomplished. But what abeauty he is! The ears and the long hairs of the
Text Appearing After Image:
THE RED FOX.YULPES PENNSYLVANICUS. A glimpse of a family of foxes. THE FARMERS SLY NEIGHBOR. 219 tail are tipped with black; the fur is thick andwarm ; the tone along the line of the back is a paleburnt sienna ; the tail is bushy and long, and thegradation of color from the back to the stomachthrough ruddy ocher to buff and cream is beautifulbeyond expression. Reynard is not easily trapped, however ; his keenscent discovers the touch of a hand and the tracks ofa foot at once, and he will not approach a trap. Itis often the case that the foxs aversion to water is themeans of his being entrapped by shrewd hunters.The method of setting the trap is this : The bait isplaced conspicuously on a stone out in the shallowwater just beyond reach of the fox; halfway be-tween this and the shore the set trap is sunken, andover it is placed, slightly above water, a lump of turf ;the fox then, to avoid wetting his feet, steps on theinsecure turf, the trap snaps, and he is caught. I do not know how co

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