[Illustration: From col. Mr. F. Kaempfer. AMERICAN RED FOX. 1/5 Life-size. Copyright by Nature Study Pub. Co., 1898, Chicago.] Like the Squirrels, Foxes vary in size and color according to the countries in which they live. Their habits are mostly nocturnal, that is to say, they prowl around after dark. By day the Fox lies concealed in his burrow--if he owns a house of that sort--or else in the depths of some thicket. Toward evening he goes out in search of something to eat--Hare, Rabbit, Pheasant, Mouse, or Bird. Reynard, as the Fox is often called, does not attempt to chase the Hare, for it would be too swift for him, nor the Rabbit, for it would quickly dive into its hole, nor the Pheasant, for it would fly away. No, indeed! Mr. Fox is too cunning for that. He just quietly creeps to some place where Hares or Rabbits or Pheasants are likely to pass, and then as they run by him, out he pounces and secures his evening meal. When the Rabbit has a nest full of little "Bunnies," she takes good care to keep them at the end of the burrow. It is too small for the Fox to creep into, so she thinks they are safe. But Mr. Fox finds a way, a much better way, he thinks, to get at the little, soft, furry things, which will hardly make him a meal anyway. He sniffs around, locates the spot right above the burrow, digs downward, and soon--well, when he gets through there are no "Bunnies" in the nest. Mr. Fox smiles, winks one eye, and trots off. Sometimes he steals into a hen-roost, and woe to nearly every chicken in the roost. He eats all he can, carries some of them home, and the remainder he buries for future use. "Cunning as a Fox." That is an old saying, you know, and we apply it to persons who take advantage of their fellow beings. However, no matter how great a rascal the Fox is, we must pity him when pursued for "sport" by a pack of hounds, as well as men and women. When irritated or alarmed, the Fox gives off a strong, disagreeable scent, which lies so long on the ground that it may be perceived for nearly an hour after he has passed. He has been known to dive into a heap of manure to throw the dogs off the scent; jumping over a wall, run a little way, come back again, lie under the wall until all the dogs had passed, then leap a second time over the same place where he had passed before, and make off on his old track. THE LEAST SANDPIPER.