"  Nearly  every  day  this  month  I  have  seen  foxes  in  the
garden  when  I  have  ridden  out  before  sunrise.  There  are
three  which  I  know  by  sight,  an  old  dog-fox,  a  vixen,  and
a  year  old  cub.  They  are  very  tame,  and  I  have  watched
them  sometimes  within  a  few  yards  of  me  for  ten  minutes
at  a  time.  It  is  pretty  to  see  them  play  and  roll  each  other
over.  This  month  is  the  breeding  season  and  they  are
barking  very  constantly  in  the  garden  (it  is  a  peculiarity  of
the  fox's  bark  that  whereas  nearly  all  other  wild  cries
seem  to  be  nearer  than  they  really  are,  that  of  the  fox
sounds  at  a  distance  even  when  close  by).  I  have  also  seen
one  of  the  large  cats  called  by  Hassan  Hashem,  kutt  berri
(desert  cat).  It  is  exactly  like  a  small  lioness,  but  higher
on  the  leg,  the  ears  tipped  with  black  and  the  tail  with
three  black  rings,  the  quarters  rather  drooping.  It  is  very
powerfully  built.  The  Arabs  here  eat  these  cats  when  they
can  catch  them  and  say  they  are  very  fat  and  good  meat


150  A  talk  with  Riaz  Pasha  [1893

"  2jth  Dec. — To  Cairo  to  see  Riaz,  who  had  asked  me  to
come  to  him.  I  found  the  old  man  very  affectionate  and
pleased  to  see  me.  He  talked  just  in  the  same  strain  as
last  year  about  Cromer  and  the  ill  faith  of  the  English
Government  and  Mr.  Gladstone.
