ANIMALS OF THE DOG KIND. 85

the sheep-fold, scratches up and undermines the thresholds
of doors where the sheep are housed, enters furiously, and
destroys all before he begins to fix upon and carry off his
prey. The wolf has great strength, particularly in his foreparts,
and the muscles of his neck and jaws. He carries off a sheep
in his mouth without letting it touch the ground, and mns with
it much faster than the shepherds who pursue him; so that no-
thing but the dogs can overtake and oblige him to quit his prey.
Notwithstanding his great strength, cunning, and agility, the
wolf being the declared enemy of man, is often hard pressed
for subsistence; he has always a gaunt and starved appearance,
and, indeed, often dies of hunger. He has been hunted
down, and is now rarely to be found in civilized countries.

The Fox. The Fox is of a much more slender make than
the wolf, and not nearly so large, being little more than two
feet long. The tail is longer and more bushy, the nose
smaller, approaching nearer to that of the greyhound, and its
hair softer. Its eyes, however, are obliquely set, like those
of the wolf. The fox has long been famous for cunning;
he is patient and prudent, and gains by address what is
denied to his courage or strength. He is most destructive
to poultry. When he gets into a farm-yard, he begins by
levelling all the poultry without remorse, and carrying off a
part of the spoil, he hides it at some convenient distance.
Returning, he carries off another fowl, which he hides in like
manner, but not in the same place; and this he repeats several
times, until the approach of day, or the noise of the domestics,
warms him to retire to his hole. He often destroys a large
quantity of game, seizing the partridge and quail while sitting
on their nests. He even eats rats, mice, serpents, toads,
and lizards. In vain does the hedge-hog roll itself up into
a ball to oppose him; he teases it until it is obliged to appear
uncovered, and then devours it. Besides the common Fox
(Vulpes Vulgaris), there are numerous varieties, of which the
Tahaleb or Egyptian Fox and the Fennec (Feneca Zaarensis)