Lesson 16 Wolves and Foxes

I think we will go now and see some of the savage cousins of our dear old Ponto, said father.

He took them first to the wolf's cage. The children could see at once that the wolf is really a wild, fierce sort of dog. "Look at him," said father. "He has the same pointed head, the same wide mouth, the same long sharp pointed teeth as the dog. He is in every way like the dog, but the dog is tame and gentle, while he is savage and wild."

There is a cruel snarling look about his mouth that I don't like, said Fred. "How he shows his teeth too. Yes, he looks very savage."

Wolves live together, said father, "in large numbers. They hunt their prey in a pack—a great many all together. They are cowards, although they are so fierce and strong."

They hunt their victim by chasing it and running it down. They have a very sharp sense of smell. They can scent their prey a long way off.

I am glad there are no wolves in our country, said Fred.

Come along now, children, said father, "I've another fierce wild dog to show you. Here he is; we call him a Fox.

You see he is very like a dog. What a fine bushy tail he has!

I have heard of foxes in the country, said Fred.

Oh yes, said his father, "we have plenty of foxes. They live in holes in the ground—not a great many together, but only Mr. and Mrs. Fox and their little ones."

Mr. Fox goes out when night comes, and prowls around the farmyard, and the hen roost, to see what he can get.

Oh yes, said Willie, "I saw a picture the other day of a fox running away, with a fine big goose in his mouth; I suppose he was taking it home for supper."

SUMMARY

The wolf is one of the dog's savage cousins. He is in every way like the dog, except that he is fierce and cruel. Wolves chase their prey in packs—a great many all together.

The fox is also a wild cousin of the dog. He lives in a hole in the ground. He catches and kills rabbits, fowls, ducks, and geese, and takes them home to his den to devour them.