86 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



from Amurland south throughout much of eastern China, and 

 occurs in Japan. 



The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) has much the same range as 

 the wolf. It is better able to withstand civilization, so that it oc- 

 curs in many places where the wolf has been exterminated. The 

 red fox needs no description, for wherever found it is much the 

 same. Its coat may vary from reddish yellow to a darker red- 

 dish and some forms are more grayish. Its black ears and white- 

 tipped tail invariably distinguish it throughout its northern 

 range. In various localities color phases occur, such as the 

 black, silver, and cross varieties. All of these show the white tail 

 tip. Forms of the Old World red fox are found in Japan, 

 Sakhalin, and the Kurile Islands. 



The Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) is circumpolar in distribu- 

 tion. No other land mammals range farther north. Its summer 

 coat is dark brownish slate with whitish underparts, in winter 

 pure white. In certain sections the color of some individuals is 

 bluish drab instead of white. This bluish drab color phase pro- 

 duces the blue fox of the fur industry. The Arctic fox is small ; 

 its total length is about thirty inches, and the tail ten inches. 

 It is found on the Aleutian and Kurile Islands. 



Civets and Mongooses. Family Vivereid^ 



The small carnivores composing this family vary in size from 

 foxes to rats. They have long slender bodies, short legs, long 

 pointed heads, and sharp, more or less retractile claws. Most 

 of the civets have musk glands situated under the tail. 



The Malay Civet {Viverra tangalunga) is about the size of 

 a domestic cat. Its head is long and fox-like. The general 

 color of the fur is dark gray, frequently tinged with yellowish or 

 brownish. The sides and lower surfaces of the neck are banded 

 with distinct black stripes with white or pale interspaces. The 

 bands on the remaining parts of the body are broken up, pro- 

 ducing a spotted effect. A mane of long black hairs extends 

 along the top of the back from the shoulders to the basal part 



