. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. Fig. 17. — Fence extending into the ground. herself to the young, the male carries food to her and warns her by- sharp barks whenever he suspects danger. While sequestered, the males are usually kept in small pens which may adjoin the breeding yards, as shown in figures 13 and 14, or removed to a separate inclosure, where they may be allowed to run together in a large yard or con- fined in individual pens. Because of their incli- nation to fight, individual pens are preferable. The reproductive period in foxes is about
. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. Fig. 17. — Fence extending into the ground. herself to the young, the male carries food to her and warns her by- sharp barks whenever he suspects danger. While sequestered, the males are usually kept in small pens which may adjoin the breeding yards, as shown in figures 13 and 14, or removed to a separate inclosure, where they may be allowed to run together in a large yard or con- fined in individual pens. Because of their incli- nation to fight, individual pens are preferable. The reproductive period in foxes is about 10 years. Approximately 50 per cent of the females in domestication breed each year, and the aggre- gate increase is not far from 100 per cent for the total stock on ranches. Failure to breed is attributable to a variety of causes, among which are sterility, injuries, worry, and mismating. Females barren for two years in succession fre- quently become productive on being mated to a different male. Prolific vixens, run down by several litters in succession, sometimes skip a year in which to recuperate. Foxes breed more freely on the ranch where they were reared than amid strange surroundings. Their wild nature dominates most of their actions. They are constantly in a state of apprehension, and it is only by the greatest care that confidential relations can be established between them and their keepers. This fear may cause the female to refuse the atten- tions of the male; or she may become excited so as to injure herself and give birth prema- turely. But worst of all, even after producing a litter of healthy young, she may be so solici- tous for their safety as to maltreat or kill them in her efforts to get them out of imaginary harm's way. Often when her young are just born, or only a few days old, she will carry them about the inclosure all day, apparently seeking a place to hide them. Perhaps she digs a hole in the ground and removes them one by one from the warm den to th
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