Tlie Silver- Grey Fox, 221 



YuLPEs FuLvus, [Var Argentatus,) The Silvery Grey or Black Fox. 



Characters. — Size of the Red Fox ; body, silvery black; tip of tail, 

 white; [Argentatus,) Latin, silvery. 



The Silver Grey or Black Fox is considered a variety of the Red Fox, 

 and is chiefly distinguished by his colour and the remarkable richness and 

 beauty of his fur. The following is a full description of a specimen from the 

 Hudson's Bay Territories : — 



" Body clothed with two kinds of hair ; the longest or outer hair extends 

 in some parts two inches beyond the under or shorter fur, especially on the 

 neck, beneath the throat, behind the shoulders, along the flanks, and on the 

 tail ; this hair is soft, glossy, and finer than even that of the pine marten. 



" The under fur is unusually long and dense, measuring in some places 

 two inches, and is exceedingly fine, feeling to the hand as soft as the finest 

 Beorisland cotton ; this under fur surrounds the whole body, even to the tail, 

 on which it is a little coarser, and has more the appearance of wool ; it is 

 shortest on the legs and forehead, and least dense on the belly ; the hairs 

 composing this fur, when viewed separately, exhibit a crimped or wavy 

 appearance ; on the ears and nose scarcely any long hairs are to be seen, 

 these parts being thickly clothed with fur. 



" The soles of the feet are so thickly clothed with fur, that no callous 

 spots are visible. 



" The under colour is uniformly, blackish, brown, or chocolate ; the long 

 hairs are brown at their roots, then silver grey, and are broadly tipped with 

 black ; the hairs on the neck, and on the dorsal line extending to the root of 

 the tail, are black, forming a broad black line at the neck, which narrows 

 towards the tail. 



" Chin, throat, and whole under surface, brownish black ; a tuft of 

 white hairs on the neck, near the chest ; another white tuft near the umbilicus ; 

 upper parts, glossy, silvery, black ; sides sprinkled with many shining white 

 hairs, w'liioh produce a somewhat hoary appearance ; tail brownish black, to 

 rear the extremity, where it is broadly tipped with white. 



Dimensions. 



Feet. Inches. 



Nose to root of tail 2 5 



Length of tail 1 7 



Height of ear 2}^ 



From nose to end of ear stretched back 8}^ 



From nose to eyes 8^/3 



The rich and beautiful fur of the Silver Grey Fox is not used in this 

 tiountry. Only the luxurious nobles of Russia and other parts of Europe 

 indulging in material so costly. A single skin of the first quality is here 

 £25, and when it reaches its final destination in the markets of the Eastern 

 world is perhaps sold for from 50 to 100 guineas. It is by no means 

 iibundant. Sir John Richardson states that upon an average, only four or 



