MAMMALS—CANIDAE—VULPES LITTORALIS. 143, 
List of specimens. 
Catal’ gue| Corresp’ng Sex & Locality. | When Whence obtained. | Original |Nature of Collected by 
number. | number of | age. | | collected. number. |specim’n, 
skull. | 
alll FS 
| | 
64. 968 © | Washington, D. C.-| Mar. 3, 1852 | R. J. Pollard.....-|.------- Skankee sl a ae a 
65 974 3 \ekoacke cl ea eee re SatdOkes £22 Seo. co loa sr S| enya seOcees\n aa cee cee see 
1556 2885. sees ! Rowleysburg, Va.-.|----.-.----- AU Brakeleyoi oe abet Sloe ls oome ane ete Cele 
TGs en) es = ee a ee Spotisylv’ nia co., Va.|.----------+ PADSIVVAE ASR ey sae ran ee ee es 29 Me te A en SS Sl 
TTD al arcieacties| aes 2 Tremont), Wllaos = 4) saeein soe es = Wey Jn awry hee acto el ene 2 Fey = Meet YA Re Ti 
130 TUT6e |e. se Eagle Pass, Tes 4 s| NEB Sie) We Joe mony. | eee sles oe ae Aci sehottee === 
201 a TY pee eee (eee Gl\ncne-oceet Je-a---------|------ (M0) Acco Nae||Po see e| one Seel ese Choe aaa ee 
$386 | |2eesse 2405 a ee Presidio, Cal). -..-- | bizins Saa/achee TtW. EeLrowbride ea ee lous ay upon Gat ee 
1940 2616 |------ ‘Petaluma, Cal s2e|-sesessaas—5 Hea Mitte ls yams ot BOOP erkstc at aloes eee a 
[cit De ahs Gel Oar | Nappa valley, Cal..|-.---.------ | Lt.R. 8. Williamson.|....-.-.|.-..---- | Dr. J.S.Newberry. 
TOLG HN ESoe ee coe eee | Fort Vancouver, 0.T.| 1855 | Dr. Geo. Suckley -- 64). (|S. So20| oe eee ae 
Mitipe |\e soe = | ren feet dOia2s-ss5c% ees dottes-ease—- dOn3 so2545=5 56) en aesculs ee ee 
i is | 9 | Zano Bstacado,Tex. Jan. 7, 1856 | Capt. J. Pope -...- sig ee | Serge i os eee 
| | 
VULPES (UROCYON) LITTORALIS, Baird. 
Coast Fox, Short-tailed Fox. 
Sp. Cu.—Scarcely more than half the size of the common gray fox (Vulpes virginianus). Tail one-third the length of body. 
Above, hoary and black; sides of neck, fore legs, and lower part of sides, dull cinnamon; chin and sides of muzzle, black. 
Tail with a concealed mane of stiff hairs, and with a black stripe above. 
This very curious fox, the smallest of all the North American species, was brought by Lieut. 
Trowbridge from the island of San Miguel, on the coast of California, where quite a number of 
specimens were seen. It is stated by Lieut. Trowbridge to be very tame, scarcely taking the 
trouble to get out of the way, and when escaped from a trap, returning directly to the same 
place. His men found no difficulty in outrunning these foxes in a fair race, although it is 
possible, that owing to their unusual tameness, their full powers were not exerted. 
The species is a miniature of the common gray fox of the United States, and so closely like it 
in external appearance as to induce the belief of its being possibly a local race. Gray foxes 
from the main land of California are, however, of full size, and there are some differences of 
importance in the skull and teeth. As is well known, also, many species of foxes of different 
regions resemble each other so closely that it is very difficult to separate them—more closely, 
indeed, than the present fox and the common gray species. 
The Vulpes littoralis is scarcely more than half the size of the common gray fox, in length 
and height, in fact, exceeded by some common house cats. The body, however, is considerably 
stouter than in the house cat. The limbs are short, slender, and weak. The tail in the 
specimen before me is very short, not more than one-third the length of the head and body. It 
has probably lost some of the terminal vertebre at an early age, although the tip is now covered 
with hair. Two living specimens in captivity are said by Lieut. Trowbridge to possess this 
same brevity of tail. 
As already stated, the colors are similar to those of the common gray fox. The upper parts 
