446 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



per surface being all on a level from the tip of the nose to the top of 

 the head ; while the frontal region of the young is quite prominent. 

 The change in the form of the head is better shown by a comparison of 

 measurements : 



Young. Old. 



Distance from tip of muzzle to a point between the ears 050, ^ .150, 



Distance from tip of muzzle to a point between the eyes 022, .0*75, 



Width of the head opposite the eyes 042, .0^5, 



From the above we see that in the adult fox the muzzle proper is 

 half the length of the head from the ears forward, and that the width 

 of the muzzle from its base (opposite the eyes) is equal to its length ; 

 while in the young the length of the muzzle is less than half the length 

 of the head from the ears, and little more than half the width of its 

 base ; so that even without the figure we should see the justice of 

 Wood's description of the little fox as " snub-nosed." 



But the figure or the specimen itself would be required to corrobo- 

 rate his other remark, that it " resembles almost any other animal rather 

 than a fox." 



Now, it certainly does not resemble a fox ; and among dogs it 

 could be compared only to the young, or to some of the smaller breeds. 

 But it does remind one irresistibly of certain dog-faced monkeys or 

 baboons ; and to some degree, as Dr. Barnard suggests, of the lemurs. 

 In either case it is worth while to bear in mind that the gap, hitherto 

 supposed to exist between the Camwora and the Quadrumana^ has 

 been partly bridged over by the researches of Milne-Edwards upon 

 the " Embryology of the Lemuridoe ; " ^ these curious little creatures, 

 inhabiting the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar, and the adjacent 

 coast of Africa, have been ranked as a subdivision of the Quadru- 

 mana on account of their arboreal habits, their prehensile limbs, and 

 some anatomical resemblances to the monkeys ; but an examination of 

 their x>lacenta has convinced Milne-Edwards that they are quite as 

 nearly allied to the Camwora as to the Quadrumana^ and that they 

 should form a distinct order between and connecting the other two; 

 and this conclusion, he says, is supported by a comparison of the 

 brain, the limbs, the skull, and the teeth. 



Xow, if this be correct, and if we admit that in some way our ex- 

 isting species have been derived from other and preexisting forms, 



1 This is fifty millimetres (a trifle over two inches) ; the full stop is placed after the 

 place for the number of metres, the unit of the measure of length ; a comma is placed 

 after the millimetres, thousandths of a metre. The old fox weighed 2,918. (two thousand 

 nine hundred and eighteen grams, the fuU stop coming after the number of grams, the 

 unit of weight), or about ^\ pounds ; she was rather thin ; foxes are sometimes taken 

 weighing 10 and 11 pounds, but usually about 9; the young weighed about 15 ounces 

 each (avoirdupois) ; ,375. ,3'7'7. and ,417. grams respectively ; their eyes were not fully 

 opened ; all their ears were injured either by frost or the bites of dogs, and their form is 

 uncertain. 



2 " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," Fifth Series, vol. xv. 



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