702 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxviii. 



mistaken in this. They have brought me Uve cub foxes for silver, which on growing 

 up proved to be cross. My own theory is that the silver fox is the offspring of two 

 silver parents, the cross, of u silver and red, the red, of i vo reds, and the different 

 shades being caused by fresh inter-breeds. Thus two negroes will have neither white 

 nor mulatto children, nor will two whites have black or mulatto offspring. I do not 

 know whether 1 have explained my ideas on the su])ject clearly or not. They are the 

 result of my experience on a subjectt to which I have given no small attention. I 

 have often robbed fox dens, and have also bred the animals, and the summing up 

 of this part of my subject may be thus made— like colours rejjroduce like, l)lack and 

 red being origins, the cross is the fruit of intermixture between these shades. I kept 

 a pair of cross foxes in confinement at Slave Lake; their offspring were all cross. I 

 had only one litter when the bitch died. Foxes are very shy animals, and difficult 

 to tame, indeed when old they appear to pine away in confinement, when young 

 they are playful, but at all times rather snappish. They are far from sociable and 

 generally burrow alone, although it is not uncommon for the members of one family 

 to live together. 



The above views, I deferentially opine, are perhaps as reasonably 

 probable as that of the eminent Prof. Spencer F. Baird in respect to 

 the origin of the American red fox, which he and others thought 

 might be the lineal descendant of individuals of the European red 

 fox introduced many years ago. The fact of their present a))undance 

 and extent of distribution being no barrier to the reception of the 

 idea. Tt is rather remarkable, however, that the supposed varieties — 

 cross, red. silver, and black — should, in Europe as well as in America, 

 be confined to the northern portions of both continents. Neither can 

 the gra}^ fox of the United States, entirely unknown in northwestern 

 Canada, be considered as their progenitor, as these varieties are con- 

 spicuous by their absence wherever that species of fox predominates. 

 I now regret that during my long residence in the Indian country I 

 neglected to have the theory of fox origin practically tested, but I 

 hope the matter will eventually receive due attention. 



Doctor Armstrong mentions that one of the crew of the Investlgafor 

 saw a "black fox" on the shores of Baring Land (island), near Cape 

 CokiLihon, early in September, 1851. Again on November 11 of the 

 same 3'ear, one of the men observed another black fox on the ice, 

 about a mile from the ship, then wintering in Mercy Bay, latitude 76° 

 north. He further says that there was no previous record of the 

 appearance of this animal so far north, but that its existence there 

 could not ])e questioned. It may ])e asked in vain, Were these foxes 

 but one and the same individual twice seen, or were they indigenous, 

 or a pair of recent stragglers from the continent? With the excep- 

 tion of the blue and white foxes ( Vuljjcs lagajyvs and Vulpesfnlk/hwsa)^ 

 of Avhich all arctic explorers make frecpient mention, I believe these 

 are the only recorded instances of any species of fox having been 

 observed on the lands situated to the north of the American Continent. 



In course of fifteen years' residence at Fort Chipewyan, Lake Atha- 

 basca, the Indians brought me five litters of young foxes. Until they 



