388 MAMMALIA 



feed on small mammals and upon ground birds as well as on frogs, 

 lizards, insects and fruits. Foxes are extremely cunning and are 

 valued by hunters on that account. A rare phase of the red fox, 

 the black fox, sometimes called the " silver gray " fox, is extremely 

 valuable for its fur. A single black fox skin is said to have brought 

 $2,900.00. Fox farms are found in Canada and in the northern 

 part of the United States. At the winter fur auction in New York 

 City beginning January 23, 1928, it was reported that the silver fox 

 pelts (over 800 in number) were worth more than $1,300,000. 

 The majority of these skins came from a single fox farm ^ in Wis- 

 consin. 



The Arctic fox has two color phases, one, brown in summer and 

 white in winter; the other, gray or black in summer and blue or 

 black in winter. In the far north it is snow white the year round. 

 In Iceland and the Aleutian Archipelago it is dark the year round 

 and is known as the " blue " fox. In Labrador the blue phase is 

 rare, while in Greenland, Alaska and Spitzbergen both are common. 



The darker color makes the fox extremely conspicuous instead 

 of protecting it. Roosevelt and Dugmore have both concluded 

 that practically speaking there is no such thing as protective or 

 concealing coloration. (See Thayer's theory, page 488.) 



The coyote or prairie wolf is a cowardly animal, stealing poultry, 

 pigs, lambs and sheep, but never attacking mammals larger than 

 deer. Their cry is a dog-like barking howl. They are smaller 

 than the gray wolf, but somewhat resemble it. 



The red wolves have been so active of late in Texas, killing sheep, 

 goats and poultry, that in the rural districts government hunters 

 have been employed to kill them off. In the eight months preceding 

 January, 1928, 100 of the animals were killed. Bounties as high as 

 I300.00 were offered in some Texas counties. The red wolf, like 

 the coyote (prairie wolf), is a solitary nocturnal despoiler. A giant 

 red wolf caught recently weighed Gi^ pounds. 



The gray wolf, " lobo " or timber wolf, is a large strong animal 

 ranging from Florida to Arctic America. They hunt in packs or in 

 relays and destroy deer, antelope, cattle and young horses. In 

 Alaska they grow to a length of over 4 feet and a height of 2^ feet, 

 weighing over 100 pounds. 



^ Fromm Bros., of Hamburg, Wis., received a single check for ^1,021,071.24 in 

 payment for the silver foxes sold in New York at the auction of 1928. At other auctions 

 that winter, they received $267,203.00 additional. 



