THE LIFE OF A FOX. 15

she observing ran forwards, and as if in anger
drove him away from it. He became sick and
lost all his hairs, owing to poison, which I after-
wards learnt had been put in the meat. It was
fortunate for us that we had left the breeding
earth, for we must otherwise have all been in-
_ fected with the same noisome disease, the mange.
By first smelling it, and then turning away, she’
taught us in future to avoid any thing of the
kind that had been touched by the human hand.
Thus when we happened to be smelling with
our noses to a bait covered over with leaves,
moss, grass, or fine earth, she would caution us
to let it alone by her manner of looking about,
as if she were alarmed and expected to see our
enemy the keeper. Sometimes the iron trap
would be seen; and then she would lead us to
look at and smell it. Our noses however would
not always be a safeguard, for after the trap
has been laid some days, particularly if washed
by rain, the taint of the evil hand would be
gone, and though we ourselves, thanks to the

watchfulness of. our mother, escaped the danger,