This red fox den occupies a point of vantage on 

 a sloping ridge in rough, wooded terrain. 



The demand for foxes is usually in reverse 

 among hunters who are primarily interested in small 

 ganie. Poor hunting is often charged to foxes 

 whether there are many, few, or none of them in the 

 area in question. 



At present, cliief support for the red fox comes 

 from among those who enjoy fox hunting as a sport 

 and from those for whom this colorful fox imparts 

 a special charm of wildness to the countryside. In 

 active opposition to this fox are the small game 

 gunners who feel that foxes make important inroads 

 on game populations, farmers who hope to eliminate 

 them as a cause for poultry losses, and those who 

 are periodically alarmed about the role of this fox 

 in the dissemination of rabies. There has been no 

 demand for red fox fur in recent years. There was 

 a little evidence, however, of revival of an interest 

 in some long-haired furs during the 1954-55 season. 



It has been suggested that the factors which 

 condition the demand for the red fox are several 

 and variable. Perhaps study of the most important 

 of these factors will result in more accurate ap- 



This red fox den occupies a point of vantage on 

 a knoll in open country. 



praisals of the value of this fox than are general 

 today. 



The Red Fox as a Predator 



The role of the red fox as a predator appears 

 to be the most celebrated of the various factors 

 affecting the economic position of this animal. The 

 real importance of red fox predation is undeniably 

 difficult to determine, but enough has been learned 

 to provide a basis for attempting some reasonably 

 accurate generalizations. Certain basic similarities 

 seem to take form in recent investigations of the 

 food habits of red foxes (Cook & Hamilton 1944; 

 Errington 1935, 1937; Murie 1936; Scott 1943, 1947; 

 Scott & Klimstra 1955). 



The diet of the red fox is largely a product of 

 characteristic responses of the fox to its environ- 

 ment. Within the limits of its food preferences, 

 familiarity with the habitat, and physical capabil- 

 ities, this fox tends to take the foods which are 

 most readily available. Foods may occur in the 



