In 1876, near the 83d degree of north latitude, Colonel Feilden shot a
fox who, with his mate, occupied a lair in a hillock of broken rocks.
"While resting," says Feilden, "we noticed that numerous dead lemmings
were scattered around. In every case they had been killed in the same
manner--the sharp canine teeth of the foxes had penetrated the brain.
Presently we came upon two ermines killed in the same manner. Then, to
our surprise, we discovered numerous deposits of dead lemmings; in one
hidden nook under a rock we pulled out a heap of over fifty. We
disturbed numerous _caches_ of twenty and thirty, and the ground was
honeycombed with holes, each of which contained several bodies of these
little animals, a small quantity of earth being placed over them. In one
hole we found the greater part of a hare hidden away. The wings of young
brent-geese were also lying about, and as these birds were at that date
only just hatching, it showed that they must have been the results of
successful forays of prior seasons, and that consequently the foxes
occupy the same abode from year to year."
It appears evident that the hoarding of supplies is peculiar to the fox
of North Grinnell Land, for two we held in captivity regularly hid such
portion of their food as was not needed for immediate consumption, and
it was also noted that the fox was an unusually frugal eater. Curiously
enough, our captive foxes would not hide anything while being watched,
and a piece of meat has been allowed to lie on the snow undisturbed for
half an hour or more while persons were around; but leaving the fox for
only four or five minutes, it would be found, upon returning, that the
piece of meat had been carried to a corner, a hole dug in the snow, and
the surface so carefully restored that it was difficult to notice any
change.
One of the foxes, under gentle treatment, became quite tame, and
permitted us to handle him, although he always caught the advancing hand
and gently applied his teeth, as if to give warning that he was not to
be trifled with. When stroked he seemed pleased, and gave forth a
purring noise very like that uttered by a contented cat. He would not
tolerate the bringing of the face near to, nor blowing at him,
invariably jumping at the person so offending.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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