Prairie Red-fox 717 



George L. Fordyce'^ writes me that in northern New York 

 State he once found a fox-den in a hollow log, another in the 

 base of a hollow standing tree, and yet another in the ground, 

 apparently dug by the old Fox. This was as here shown 

 (Fig. 192). It consisted of two separate parts, the den and a 

 store-room, with a quantity of food. 



"I think [he says] this was originally a Woodchuck den, 

 which the old Fox enlarged. I have double-lined the Wood- 

 chuck part. Both the store-room and the sleeping room seem 

 to have been made by the Fox. 



" The air-shaft was one of the Woodchuck entrances. The venti- 

 Foxes had only one, but this was the only fox-house I ever knew 

 that did not have two or three different doors. 



"There was no bed or lining anywhere, just the clean clean- 

 sandy clay in which the tunnel was made. I noticed in partic- 

 ular also that there was no excrement or offal of any kind any- 

 where in the den. In fact, everything was decidedly clean and 

 tidy, though, of course, there was the Fox odour. Some bones, 

 feathers, and one or two lamb's legs were found on the pile of 

 dirt that had been thrown out in making the tunnel. There 

 were, however, but few there, and I am inclined to believe that 

 they were perhaps brought out and left there by the young, 

 and would have soon been carried away by the old Foxes. 

 This is a mere guess on my part, but it is very certain 

 that the leavings at the den did not represent more than 

 two or three days' meals. The scarcity of garbage about 

 the den and the remarkable neatness of all indoors, make 

 me believe that the old ones habitually carry away the dung 

 and rubbish." 



The period of gestation is now known to be 51 days. young 



The young are born about the first of April and number 

 from 4 to 9. N. E. Skinner, of Winnipeg, tells me, that at 

 Winnipegosis he found a Black-fox that had young so early 



° Of Youngstown, Ohio. Letter, April 14, 1905. 



