Lobo, Rag and Vixen, and pictures; being the personal histories of Lobo, Redruff, Raggylug & Vixen . road, sharp-nosed, sharp-eyedvisages showed that each of these innocentswas the makings of a crafty old fox. They played about, basking in the sun, orwrestling with each other till a slight soundmade them skurry under ground. But theiralarm was needless, for the cause of it was theirmother; she stepped from the bushes bringinganother hen—number seventeen as I remember.\ low call from her and the little fellows cametumbling out. Then began a scene that Ithought charming, but which my uncle would
Lobo, Rag and Vixen, and pictures; being the personal histories of Lobo, Redruff, Raggylug & Vixen . road, sharp-nosed, sharp-eyedvisages showed that each of these innocentswas the makings of a crafty old fox. They played about, basking in the sun, orwrestling with each other till a slight soundmade them skurry under ground. But theiralarm was needless, for the cause of it was theirmother; she stepped from the bushes bringinganother hen—number seventeen as I remember.\ low call from her and the little fellows cametumbling out. Then began a scene that Ithought charming, but which my uncle wouldnot have enjoyed at all. They rushed on the hen, and tussled andfought with it, and each other, while themother, keeping a sharp eye for enemies,looked on with fond delight. The expressionon her face was remarkable. It was first agrinning of delight, but her usual look of wild-ness and cunning was there, nor were crueltyand nervousness lacking, but over all was theunmistakable look of the mothers pride andlove. The base of my tree was hidden in bushesand much lower than the knoll where the den. Vixen 127 was. So I could come and go at will withoutscaring the foxes. For many days I went there and saw muchof the training of the young ones. They earlylearned to turn to statuettes at any strangesound, and then on hearing it again or findingother causs for fear, to run for shelter. Some animals have so much mother-love thatit overflows and benefits outsiders. Not so oldVixen it would seem. Her pleasure in the cubsled to most refined cruelty. For she oftenbrought home to them mice and birds alive,and with diabolical gentleness would avoid do-ing them serious hurt so that the cubs mighthave larger scope to torment them. There was a woodchuck that lived over inthe hill orchard. He was neither handsomenor interesting, but he knew how to take careof himself. He had digged a den between theroots of an old pine-stump, so that the foxescould not follow him by digging. But hardwork was not
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublishernewyorkscribner
