8o 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



quarter pounds. There are five to twelve cubs in 

 a litter, and they are born in May or early in 

 June. Occasionally there is a white cub in a 

 litter. The cubs weigh about two and one-half 

 ounces each, and their eyes open on the fifteenth 

 day from birth. Only about two cubs per female 

 reach maturity. Since i8g6, all seal meat not 

 used by the natives of the island has been salted 

 and fed to the Foxes the following winter. 



On various other islands along the Alaskan 



coasts some forty or fifty firms are engaged in 

 Blue Fox breeding, and White Fox farming has 

 become an important industry in Nova Scotia, 

 New Brunswick and Quebec. 



The Arctic Fox does well in captivity, and, 

 according to Dr. Hornaday, is " ever ready to 

 adopt the prepared food of civilization.'' It is 

 a graceful and attractive little animal that repays 

 closer acquaintance for its own sake as well as 

 the value of its coat. 



GRAY FOX 

 Urocyon cinereoargenteus iSchyc-bcr) 



General Description. — The eastern Gray Fox is of 



medium size with moderately long hair and long bushy 

 tail. Pupils of eyes elliptical ; tail with concealed mane 

 of stiff black hairs on its upper surface; skull with 

 widely separate temporal crests ; muzzle short. Color 

 above silver gray, beneath white. Hair coarser than 

 that of Red Fox. 



Dental Formula. — Incisors, ^— ^ ; Canines, in." ; 



3—3 I— I 



Premolars, ~^ ; Molars, -~==^2. 



Pelage. — Adults : Sexes similar. General color of 

 back and sides grayish-white ; sides of neck and a band 

 across the chest red-brown : ears, inner surface of legs, 

 sides of belly and under surface of tail also more or 

 less red-brown, the extent and intensity of the color 

 variable. Throat and greater portion of belly whitish ; 

 sides of nose and under jaw blackish ; a ridge of black 

 hairs extend down middle of tail above. Youxu: Pups 

 have muzzle blackish, head grayish ; back of ears ful- 

 vous basally. tipped with dusky ; tail black tipped. 



Measurements. — Sexes nearly equal. Length, 35 

 inches; tail, iij/i inches; hind foot, 5'4 inches. Weight, 

 8 pounds. 



Range. — New York and New Jersey to Georgia, west 

 to the Mississippi Valley, and north to north central 

 IlHnois. 



Food. — Mice, rabbits, squirrels, birds, eggs, reptiles, 

 insects and various berries. 



Remarks. — This animal is not to be confused 

 through similarity of names with the Silver Gray Fox 

 (I'utpcs fulva) from which it differs considerably. 

 Authorities have separated the Gray Foxes into no 



less than 14 species and subspecies to be found north 

 of the Rio Grande. As the basis of many of these 

 separations are with difficulty discernible to the lay- 

 mati no attempt is made to list all the related forms, 

 only the principal ones being mentioned. 



Rel.med Species 



Eastern Gray Fox. — Urocyon cinereoargenteus cin- 

 crcoargcntcus (Schreber). The animal described above. 

 Eastern North America from Georgia north to New 

 England, west to Mississippi Valley. 



Florida Gray Fox. — Urocyon cinereoargenteus flor- 

 idanus Rhoads. Size small ; pelage harsher ; tail and 

 ears shorter. Florida to Georgia. 



Scott's Gray Fox. — Urocyon cinereoargenteus scotti 

 ( Mcarns). Longer ears and tail than the typical form; 

 colors paler. Southern California, .'\rizona and western 

 New Mexico. 



Wisconsin Gray Fox. — Urocyon cinereoargenteus 

 ocythous Bangs. Larger in size; tail longer; less 

 gray, more yellowish. Upper Mississippi Valley. 



Desert Gray Fox. — Urocyon cinereoargenteus tex- 

 ensis Mearns. Paler than the Eastern Gray Fox; 

 ears longer ; tail longer. Texas. 



California Gray Fox. — Urocyon calif ornicus cali- 

 fornicus (Mearns). Paler, lacking black on fore legs. 

 Ears much longer. California to Washington. 



Santa Barbara Gray Fox. — Urocyon littoralis lit- 

 toralis (Baird). Smallest of the Gray Foxes; weight 

 about 41/2 pounds. Color similar to California Gray 

 Fox. San Miguel Island. Santa Barbara Islands, Cali- 

 fornia. 



The Gray Fox difl^ers from its red cousin in 

 color and size. It is not to be confused with 

 the Silver Gray Fox, which is an animal of 

 widely differing traits. Of the common Gray 

 Fox there are at least fourteen species, the most 

 important being listed above. 



The male and female are nearly of the same 

 size, being about three feet long, and with tails 

 nearly a foot long. 



The Gray Fox is common to almost every 

 State of the Union, although in some sections 

 persistent hunting or the growth of towns has 



