38 Bangs — The Newfoundland Otter and Red Fox,. 



Remarks. — The Newfoundland fox is easily distinguished from either 

 typical V. pennsylvanica or V. pennsylvanica rubricosa by its very large hind 

 foot, with long strong toes and tremendous claws. No. 1178, a very 

 old 9- taken June 9, 1894, at Codroy, is in worn summer pelage, and the 

 long hairs on the under sides of the feet have worn down so that one pad 

 on each foot can be seen. The long toes and heavy long claws are brought 

 into great prominence, and make indeed a singular foot for a fox. As 

 regards size and proportions, it needs no comparison with either V. penn- 

 sylvanica or the large, long-tailed, dark red form of Nova Scotia, V.penn- 

 sylvanicus rubricosa. 



In color, the type and only specimen I have in the red phase (which 

 I suppose to be normal) nearly matches many skins of the light yellow 

 fox* of the northern prairies, from which form V. deletrix can be distin- 

 guished by much shorter tail, smaller size, proportionately larger foot, 

 and heavy claws. 



Vulpes deletrix is probably an island form, although there are occasion- 

 ally times when it might cross from the mainland of Labrador to New- 

 foundland, or vice versa, on the ice ; and as foxes do not hesitate to travel 

 such distances on the open ice, it would not be surprising to find this form 

 existing also in Labrador. 



* Whether the yellow fox of the northern and central prairies is iden- 

 tical with Vulpes macroura, which Baird originally described from a 

 specimen from Great Salt Lake, Utah, is doubtful, although Baird him- 

 self, in 1857, included many specimens of the yellow form from Nebraska, 

 Oregon, and Wyoming under that specific name. Vulpes macroura has 

 also been applied to the yellow prairie fox by both Dr. Allen and Dr. 

 Merriam, when either has had occasion recently to mention this animal. 



