AMERICAN CROSS FOX. 87 



Cross Fox skins are sorted into qualities and colours ; 

 the darkest are scarcely distinguishable from the Silver 

 Fox ; the red and pale coloured skins are only a few 

 shades darker than the Pied Fox. The fur of the Cross 

 Fox is more valuable than the Red Fox. The finest 

 dark skins fetch from 100s. to 145s. each, an average 

 skin being worth from 20s. to 50s. About 5,000 to 

 7,000 skins are imported annually into London ; 2,457 

 were sold by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1891, and 

 2,824 from Alaska, Canada, and United States. These 

 quantities show that it is scarcer than the Red Fox, but 

 more abundant than the Silver Fox. 



The majority of skins are bought for Russian con- 

 sumption. 



The Cross Fox is also found in Kadiak Islands in 

 Kamschatka ; it almost reaches the size of Wolves. 



AMERICAN SILVER FOX. 



Canisfidnis. 

 French : Renard argente. German : Silber Fuchs. 



The Silver Fox is also called the Black Fox. It is 

 scarcer, and its fur is consequently of greater value, than 

 either of the foregoing varieties. Similar remarks as to 

 size, locality, and quality of fur, again apply to this 

 animal ; but no Silver Foxes are found in the Southern 

 districts of the United States, and are only found in 

 California and Western States of the Republic. 



The Silver Fox is much rarer than the Cross Fox, 

 and the highest value is attached to skins which are 

 nearly or quite black, there being but one, two, or three 

 such skins in a whole year's collection. Some immense 



