VULPES 327 



thick and bushy, with abundant underfur ; longer hairs of back 

 normally concealing the underfur ; feet as in Cauls, but with 

 the soles hairy between the pads, the pads themselves sometimes 

 furred. 



Colour. — General colour a yellowish brown brighter and more 

 inclined toward reddish along median dorsal region and on face, 

 duller and more yellowish or greyish on sides of body to shoulder 

 and on sides of neck to base of ear, the flanks and usually the 

 sides sprinkled with white hairs which may produce a decided 

 effect of frosting ; underparts very variable, ranging from 

 whitish to slaty black, rarely almost concolor with sides ; feet 

 dusky or blackish ; ear tawny or buff at base and on inner 

 surface, the terminal half of outer side black or very dark brown 

 in strong contrast with surrounding parts ; upper lip dull white. 

 Blackish and greyish variations not uncommon, especially at the 

 north. 



Skull. — General form of skull slender and somewhat flattened, 

 with widely spreading, nearly parallel zygomata. Dorsal profile 

 almost flat from nai-es to slightly beyond middle of nasal bones, 

 then rising at a slight angle (10° or less) to or a little beyond 

 bregma, behind which it slopes away by an evenly convex curve 

 (distorted in old individuals by the development of the sagittal 

 crest) to lambda, which lies a little above level of middle of orbit ; 

 ventral profile essentially straight. Brain-case distinctly broader 

 than high, its outline ovate when viewed from above, the 

 lambdoid and sagittal crests well developed, the latter extending 

 forward about to bregma, where it divides, sending a branch to 

 form posterior border of each postorbital process. Occiput 

 obliquely truncate, so that condyles are not visible from above, 

 but region between lambda and foramen magnum slightly if at 

 all concave. Floor of brain-case with no special peculiarities ; 

 auditory bvdlai moderately and evenly inflated, slightly flattened 

 antero-externally, meatal tube short but distinctly indicated, 

 especially its hinder wall. Interorbital region flattened, with 

 median longitudinal groove, the postorbital processes prominent, 

 flattened, triangular, much shorter along posterior edge than 

 along antero-external edge, the margin slightly raised so that 

 the upper surface is somewhat concave, the under surface so 

 abruptly concave that the process is much less thick than in 

 Alopex and Canis. Rostrum moderately long (the distance from 

 orbit to gnathion about equal to that from postorbital jarocess to 

 lambda), rather abruptly narrowed proximally, so that the sides 

 are nearly parallel through a noticeable portion of their extent 

 (occasionally the sides diverge from region of greatest narrowing 

 to bases of canines) ; nasal slender, narrowing gradually back- 

 ward and extending nearly to level of middle of orbit ; nasal 

 branch of premaxillary extending to about middle of nasal and 

 usually not in contact with frontal ; posterior extremity of 

 maxillary extending slightly behind that of nasal ; anteorbital 



