Is That So?
Mention fox and what do you
think of? Thanks to fable, leg
end and myth unless you've
had personal experiences of
your own immediately, there
comes to mind a handsome sly
cunning creature. Thanks to our
literature, Reynard has been
outwitting his dull enemies for
centuries by invariably coming
up with superior resourceful
ness. This master strategist sup
posedly had no end of tricks
up his sleeve. He can double
back on his tracks, run upstream
in a brook, dash over the backs
of flabbergasted cattle or sheep
with glorious abandon to elude
his grounded pursuers. Odds thf t
might well dismay the most re
sourceful human are as nothing
for him to solve.
Actually, this animal . is not
nearly as smart as tradition and
folklore would have us believe.
In fact, let's take some of the
commonly-believed tricks apart.
Ernest Seton Thompson in
Wild Animals I Have Known,
states that a fox will run along
the rails just before a train is
due, knowing that his scent
always poor on iron will be
destroyed by the train and
knowing also that there is al
ways 'a good chance of the
hounds being killed by the en
gine. Now It was never made clear
to those who carefully and ob
jectively analyzed this fox story
just where the fox procured a
copy of the railroad timetable
or how he so conveniently man
aged to get his enemies started
In pursuit of him precisely at
train time.
The same author states that
Reynard took poisoned bait in
tended for his personal consump
tion and slyly dropped it into
the burrows of certain animals
that had offended him.
Cottontail Makes Headway
This is not to say that during
hunts, the fox has not demon
strated unusual wiles to throw
off his pursuers backtrack
ing and then leaping to one side
and making off in a new direc
tion, or running through a shal
low brook but look, doesn't a
no-count dumb jackrabbit do
just about as well? And have
you ever heard of a jack being
eulogized? No, indeed the
jack is not a matter of tradi
tion. But then there is the little
cottontail, thanks to a series of
stories, who is making good
headway in building up a lor
of uncommonly good sense.
Quite recently an expert wrote
an account in one of the leading
weekly magazines telling of an
artful fox in southern Illinois
who got rid of his fleas by clev
erly backing slowly Into a pond
while holdirf a tuft of wool in
his mouth (in other versions it
is a piece of wood), slowly sub
merging tail first. The fleas (also
clever beasties) to save them
selves came forward onto the
piece of wool (or wood), which
was then set adrift by the fox.
Story Goes Way Back
This story, with embellish
ments, appears also in the schol
arly book, Living Mammals of
the World. But it fails to make
all the acknowledgements. These
go back to 1643 when John
Swan mentions the story in his
Speculum Mundi; and before
that, when an earlier writer
Olaus Magnus (1490-1558), a
Swedish ecclesiastic and histor
ian, wrote about it.
But now, anyone who has
been around a dog with fleas
knows that regardless of how
Guides to all states and many
of the larger cities in the U. S.
are available at Medford Public
Library. There are also guides to
many foreign countries.
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By EUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
often Fido chases off into the
water after a stick he will still
come back with his fleas. Fleas
remain close to the skin where
there would be enough air im
prisoned by the fur to prevent
wetting for some time. And it
takes time, even for a fox, to
wet clear to the skin.
Furthermore, most aquatic
mammals with fur have fleas
such as beaver, muskrat and ot
ter and they spend a good
share of their life submerged.
(Copyrighted 1957,
by Eugene Burns)
(Released by McClure
Newspaper Syndicate)
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with the editors of the Encyclo
pedia Americana, my panel of
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the reader who sends me the
best true-life nature adventure,
or the best nature observation,
or the best question on nature
and wildlife, a complete 30-vol-ume
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ters. Please address your letter
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Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausa
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HILTS
Fire Destroys
By MRS. M. F. CAVIN
Hilts A fire, believed to have
started from faulty wiring, de
stroyed the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Carl Woodruff and children
about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The
f a m i 1 y's personal belongings
were destroyed.
The Hilts volunteer fire de
partment, using both trucks, was
unable to save the structure.
Firemen concentrated on saving
neighboring houses and build
ings. Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff are
former residents of Round Moun
tain, Shasta county, and have
lived here a short time. He is
employed in the sawmill.
Mr. and Mrs. D. Baratto of Mt.
Shasta were recent visitors at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Foggiato.
Mr. and Mrs. F. Gargini and
Carlo Favero of Mt. Shasta were
recent visitors at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Pete Favero.
Mrs. Elizabeth Maquire spent
Wednesday night in Yreka, after
attending a family dinner for
her daughter, Mrs. William
Kleaver. The dinner was given
by Mrs. Rod Baumbach.
Ninth
and
Bartlett
Streets
Hilts Home
Mr. and Mrs. M. Zannotta of
Denver, Colo., visited Sunday at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Foggiata. Mrs. Zannotta and
Mrs. Foggiato are cousins.
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Lindner of
Mt. Shasta were'dinner guests at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. M.
Sief Sunday.
Nick Fremeyer made a busi
ness trip tp Chester recently.
During the Labor day holiday
Mr. and Mrs. Fremeyer and
family visited in Alturas.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ayres
camped out at Medicine lake
during the Labor day holiday.
Guests at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Itala Marin and family last
week were Mrs. Marin's cousin,
James Hilburn, and daughter of
Portland.
Mrs. William Wiley attended
a Girl Scout meeting in Yreka
Wednesday. Several directors
from Medford - were discussing
the budget for the Girl Scout
troops.
Guests Friday at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Wasson
and family were Mrs. E. Foster
of Hawkinsville and Mrs. M.
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Dunlap and children, Roddy, El
len and Leslie Ann, of Stockton.
Guests at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Pat Lynch this week are
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Lynch of Sac
ramento. Dinner guests Friday evening
at the R. M. Cavin home wera
Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Black of
Yreka.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Trinca
and daughters, La Wana and
Nancy, recently went on vaca
tion trip along the Oregon
coast.
The Contract Bridge club met
Thursday afternoon at the home
of Mrs. Al Simmen. Those pres
ent were Mrs. Evan Maupin.
Mrs. Frank Graves, Mrs. M. G.
King, Mrs. Ernest Spannaus,
Mrs. Fred Hayne"s, Mrs. William
Wiley and Mrs. Malcolm Robin
son. High score was won by Mrs.
Simmen, second high by Mrs.
Maupin, and low by Mrs. Mal
colm Robinson.
The Hilts Elementary school
picnic was held Monday, Sept. 9,
at Jackson hot springs. Each
family brought a potluck lunch.
Ice cream and soda were fur
nished by the PTA. Transporta
tion was furnished by the vari
ous parents.
Mrs. Robert De Avilla and
children of Yreka spent Tuesday
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Friday, September 13, 1957
Presley Girl Friend
Denies Engagement
Memphis, Tenn. (IP) That 18
carat sapphire ring pretty Anita
Wood is wearing, a gift from
Elvis Presley, is not an engage
ment ring, she says.
It was rumored around Mem
phis, where the 19-year-old
blonde met Presley less than a
year ago, that matrimony was
pending. But M:ss Wood said
Wednesday it just isn't so.
"Just a gift," Miss Wood said
when the Memphis Press-Scimitar
called her in Hollywood to
check out the rumor.
The rock 'n' roll .entertainer
bought the ring in Hollywood
while dating Miss Wood, it was
reported.
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Groves.
Mrs. Roy Rushton and son,
Ronnie, of Medford visited at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dick
Williams Tuesday. Mr. and Mrs.
Williams returned to Medford
with Mrs. Rushton where they
will spend several days.
Mrs. Agnes Cunial, who has
spent the past three months in
Yreka with relatives, returned
home Sunday.
Tl
V
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE THREE
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Baton Rogue, La. (IP) Road
officials say Louisiana motorists
may take white highway center
lines for granted . . . but it
costs more than $300,000 a year
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Medford
BOARD CHAIRMAN DIES
New Haven, Conn. Charles
R. Robbins, 70, chairman of the
board of directors and former
president of A. G. Spalding &
Bros., Inc., sports equipment
manufacturers, died Sunday.
Phone SP 3-1576