CUBS
CHAPTER III
THE supply of foxes in a hunting country depends upon the number of litters of cubs which reach maturity. It was I think the late George Lane Fox, Master of the Bramham Moor, who said “You preserve jam, not foxes.” All the latter require in the way of preservation, is to be left severely alone, and the coverts kept quiet. If we want good sport, we must have an adequate supply of wild, healthy foxes, and a killing pack of hounds. Directly artificial means of increasing the supply are resorted to, a marked deterioration in sport and the quality of the foxes becomes apparent. To insure healthy cubs, and a consequent stock of well-doing, adult foxes, the vixens must be left to attend to their family affairs in their own way. Nothing is easier than this in a country where there is mutual good-will between the shooting and hunting fraternity. Unfortunately however there are some countries in which the two interests clash, and in consequence the foxes suffer. The keeper knows of a litter or litters in his coverts, and, instead of leaving the vixens alone, he waits until the cubs are of an age to feed themselves, then quietly puts the vixens away. The cubs are then partially or wholly hand-reared, in consequence of which they know no country, and when turned down just prior to a visit by the hounds, on the arrival of the latter they are chopped. Thus the cubs, certain of which under natural conditions would have escaped, to afford sport later on, are sacrificed to the interests of shooting. Again, the keeper really wishing to do his duty, and in perfectly good faith, refrains from shooting or otherwise destroying the vixen, and instead keeps her so well supplied with food that she has practically no need to hunt for herself at all. The result is, with food always at hand, she ceases to travel any distance in search of it, and her cubs, which in the ordinary course of events would have followed her far and wide on her hunting expeditions, know nothing of the country beyond the restricted area in which their mother spends her time. In this way the stock of foxes rapidly degenerates, and in many instances disease makes its appearance, owing to the cubs being kept in uncleanly surroundings. It is the old vixens which are so vital to the proper education of cubs, for they possess the knowledge of country and general experience of life, that is lacking in the younger members of their sex. With their gradual disappearance, maternal duties fall entirely on the younger vixens, which are not half so capable of bringing up cubs in the way they should go.
The vixen generally, but not invariably, lays up her cubs underground. She often enlarges a rabbit burrow for the purpose, or takes possession of a chamber in a badger earth. In some districts, stub-bred foxes are not at all uncommon. Hill-foxes usually resort to rocky cairns for cubing purposes. In the fell country of Cumberland and Westmorland, these rock earths locally known as “borrans,” are regularly used. Very often the fell fox cubs in a comparatively simple earth, though nearly always in rocky ground, and removes her offspring to more impregnable surroundings as they grow older. The fact that the eyesight of fox cubs matures slowly, may be a provision of Nature to prevent the youngsters from crawling out of the earth, and so exposing themselves to danger, as they would be apt to do were they born with their eyes open.
If the vixen has reason to think that the breeding earth has been discovered, she will at once move the cubs to another hiding place. Foxes are not over cleanly in their habits, and what with the excrement of the cubs, plus feathers, wool, and portions of buried and rotting food about a breeding earth, disease would be apt to attack the young foxes, did not their mother occasionally move them.
The presence of a vixen and her family in a badger earth must prove distinctly disconcerting to Mr. Brock, who is scrupulously clean in his habits. That the two do occupy the same earth at times we have ample evidence. Nor is all invariably at peace when this happens. The badger, with his tough hide, weight, and armament of teeth, is powerful enough to kill the biggest fox, all of which seems to point to the fact that as a rule he makes no open opposition to the advent of the vixen. Now and then however, friction is aroused, the result being a slain fox or a murdered litter. The late Tom Firr, huntsman to the Quorn, recorded several instances of vixens and cubs falling victims to the badger. As to why the latter show lenience in the matter of allowing the vixen to make use of the earth, we have no direct evidence. The mere presence of vixen and cubs can hardly be of benefit to the badger, seeing that their uncleanly habits by no means coincide with his own good behaviour. When food is plentiful, the vixen is well nourished, and being active by nature she may at times bring more food to the earth than she needs, or at any rate more than Mr. Brock thinks she requires. Is it therefore unreasonable to suppose that the badger purloins portions of this food, and that it is for this reason that he admits the vixen and her offspring to his capacious underground abode.
The education of the cubs begins as soon as they are old enough to play about outside the earth. Their natural instinct, coupled with their mother’s teaching, gradually fits them for the struggle for existence ; and later these lessons are augmented by contact with their human and canine enemies. The cubs quickly realise that the earth is a safe refuge in time of danger. Their initial attempts at killing take place when their mother brings home alive some creature in fur or feather. As the youngsters gain strength and confidence, they begin to follow the vixen on her hunting expeditions, and by so doing gradually perfect themselves in the art of stalking food. Not only this, but they learn the lay of the land as well, one of the most necessary items of a cub’s tuition if he is to prove himself a “straight necked ’un” in the hunting season. It stands to reason that a mother of cubs whose experience of life’s battles covers a period of years, is a most valuable asset in the proper upbringing of young foxes. A good proportion of old vixens is therefore most beneficial to sport in a hunting country.
The vixen brings her cubs into the world at a season when other furred and feathered creatures are busy with their family affairs. She is therefore assured of a sufficiency of food for herself and her offspring. A healthy litter of cubs have appetites in proportion, and their parents have to work hard to feed them.
It is for various reasons sometimes necessary to take up a litter of cubs, and keep them for a while in captivity. As a rule such litters, when of a suitable age, are turned down where they will “do the most good.” Now and then one comes across a fox kept solely as a pet ; but, being a wild animal by nature, the fox does not take kindly to life in captivity. A pet fox may be well doing, and in perfect health, but though he is tame enough with the master or mistress who feeds and handles him, he invariably stands in awe of strangers. He is never to be trusted, even in his master’s home, and woe betide the feathered inhabitants of the place, should they come within his reach. Charles St. John gives an instance of a captive fox which deliberately set himself to beguile the fowls within springing distance by leaving certain portions of his food as a bait.
Although captive cubs and adult foxes adapt themselves to circumstances in confinement, a good deal can be learnt about the general habits of the animals by watching them in a roomy enclosure. For instance, a litter which I had under observation for some time never held their heads skywards when barking, although foxes, like dogs, are popularly supposed to do so. They invariably held their masks low, with the nose pointing slightly towards the ground, and so marked was this habit, that there is sound reason to suppose that wild foxes adopt the same attitude. Although I have heard foxes barking on scores of occasions, I have never been fortunate enough to see a wild fox in the act.
Although a captive fox trusts no one but the master or mistress who feeds and looks after him, he generally appears to make friends with the cats and dogs about the place. A three-year-old fox, which I secured as a tiny cub, was on quite friendly terms with a terrier. The latter was regularly used for bolting wild foxes, but never appeared to show the least animosity towards the tame fox. This fox died suddenly, after—as far as could be ascertained—scratching himself with a rusty nail when galloping round the stable in which he was kept. I think wild animals in captivity are apt to suffer severely from comparatively trifling accidents, whereas in a wild state they easily recover from much more serious mishaps.
A pet fox is seldom of any actual use to his master, except in the way of killing rats and mice in granaries or wherever else he happens to be confined. Some years ago I remember seeing a photograph in one of the daily papers, showing a rat-catcher accompanied by his terriers and a tame fox. The latter was said to exhibit great aptitude for killing rats when bolted by the ferrets.
In the days when duck-decoys were in regular use, a tame fox was sometimes used to draw the fowl, by showing the animal at the openings in the screens. A reddish coloured dog was however in chief demand for this purpose. No doubt the idea of using such a dog originated from some fowler watching a fox playing about on the bank of a river or pond, his antics attracting the ducks to within springing distance.
Once a tame fox escapes, he is likely to celebrate the event by a wholesale slaughter of poultry in the vicinity of his erstwhile home. Nor is such an escaped captive always easy to kill, as many a huntsman has discovered ere now.
Cubs taken young before their eyes are open should be fed on milk. This is best administered by means of a small rubber teat attached to a bottle. As they grow older, scraps of meat may be offered them, a bit of rabbit flesh with the skin adhering to it being as good as anything. At a very tender age fox cubs fight and growl over their food, each one running off to some corner to devour the portion it has secured. In addition to keeping the enclosure in which the cubs are confined spotlessly clean, in order to prevent disease, the food should be varied as much as possible. Cubs can be reared on nothing but dead rabbit and clean cold water, but they do much better if some fruit, such as blackberries, etc., frogs, and beetles are offered them. A species of black beetle is very plentiful in spring, and a large number of them can easily be gathered in a short time. Cleanliness and proper attention to diet is the secret of rearing cubs by hand, although many people entrusted with a litter fail to practise it.
Drastic measures should be employed directly an outbreak of mange makes its appearance. All mangy foxes should be shot or otherwise got rid of, and the earths, both natural and artificial be broken up. I have no doubt that disinfection of the earths might be possible, but I have yet to hear of any method that is known to be reliable in the case of mange.
The more artificial the existence of the fox is made, the greater likelihood of disease breaking out. The fox is by nature a wild animal, and fox-hunting, properly conducted, is one of our few remaining wild sports. Why therefore, attempt to spoil it by providing artificial earths and importing foxes, when the natural stock, if left alone, will amply serve its purpose?
The whole question of healthy foxes in a hunting country depends on the mutual good will of the shooting and hunting people in that country. Unless some arrangement agreeable to both parties is arrived at, the stock of foxes will not thrive as it should, for it will not be left alone. I know no prettier or more amusing sight in Nature, than wild fox cubs at play. Even in captivity their antics are most interesting. I have watched cubs at hide and seek in a large enclosure, darting in and out of a packing case, over the open end of which a sack was hung. Their movements were quick as lightning, and remarkably smooth and graceful. Play often ended in a fight however, and then there was an uproar of hissing and growling, while sharp white teeth seized the throat of an opponent, or gripped him across the loins.
Cubs which have been taken up, if intended for hunting, should not be kept a moment longer in captivity than is absolutely necessary. They should be provided with as large an enclosure as possible; and beyond feeding them, and keeping the place clean, they should be left entirely to their own devices. When the time comes to turn them down, they should be liberated at night, and the less said concerning their whereabouts the better.
