DOG FAMILY 



75 



varied. For flesh, he partakes of woodchucks, 

 hares, rabbits, and mice, with an occasional 

 young lamb for a change. He has a pronounced 

 fondness for the occupants of henroosts, also 

 partridge, and other ground game. Fish and 

 crabs form other items. Such deHcate morsels 

 as frogs and beetles he does not scorn when other 

 food is scarce. He kills large numbers of mice 

 and other destructive rodents, and thus recom- 

 penses the farmer to a great extent for the loss 

 of an occasional chicken. 



The enemies of the Red Fox are many. 

 Wolves and Lynxes being among the fourfooted 

 ones. Eagles keep a sharp lookout for its young. 

 Fleas are among its pests. It is sometimes sub- 

 ject to rabies. Its extreme age has been esti- 

 mated at fifteen years. 



The fur of the Red Fox is an important article 

 of commerce. In London, in 1912, the number 

 of skins sold by one house alone was 40,300 ; 

 the total in the previous year having been 

 58,900. A prime skin is worth ten dollars or 

 more. 



Nova Scotia and Newfoundland both have 

 forms of the Red Fox. That of the former is 

 larger and of a brighter rusty red than the com- 

 mon Fo.x. The Red Fox of Newfoundland is 

 of a paler color and less rusty than the common 

 Fox, with larger hind feet and claws. It is 

 smaller than the common Red Fox. 



For other related forms of this numerous and 

 widely scattered tribe see list above. Three im- 

 portant color phases, however, are given further 

 mention below. 



CROSS FOX, BLACK 



The Cross Fox and the Black, or Silver 

 Gray, Fox are merely color phases of the Red 

 Fox, but the importance of the trade in their 

 skins entitles them to separate treatment here. 

 Mr. A. P. Low, in 1887, on the Moose River, 

 Labrador, found a litter containing seven kits. 

 Of these two were Red, three were Cross, and 

 the remaining two Blacks or Silver. 



The Cross Fox gets its name from the large 

 cross-mark formed by two dark stripes ; one 

 across the shoulders, and the other running down 

 the middle of the back. The color of the tail 

 is darker than that of the Red Fox, and the 

 muzzle, legs, and under parts are black. It has 

 a reddish patch on the side of the neck, and 

 another behind the foreleg. It occurs in British 

 Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, Alaska, and 

 occasionally in the northwestern States. A first- 

 class dark skin is worth twenty dollars or more. 



The Black Fox is a dark edition of the Red 

 Fox. Its general color is jet black. The tail 

 also is black, except the tip, which is white. 

 It is called also the Silver Gray, or Silver Fox, 

 from " the gray rings usually marking the other- 

 wise black hairs of the hinder half of the back, 

 the head, and 'the thighs, which communicate 

 the peculiar silver luster to the fur." 



The fur of the Silver Fox is, next to that of 

 the Sea Otter, the most valuable fur in the 

 world, that is to say, in the present-day fashions, 

 matched skins of good size and texture bringing 

 from $500 to $4,000 each. In the United States, 

 " extra fine " skins have sold for $600 to $1,200 

 each. The extraordinary prices realized for the 



FOX, SILVER FOX 



furs of this animal have resulted in the estab- 

 lishment of various fox-farms, the center of the 

 Silver Fox fur industry being Prince Edward 



RED FOX 

 The fur of this animal is very beautiful, both in color and texture- 



Island, in the southern part of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence. An account of this industry given by 

 Mr. Phil M. Riley in Coitutrv Life in Amer- 

 ica (July, 1915), is a valuable contribution to 



