ARCTIC FOX. 33 



tion during the day, for the sake of basking in the 

 sun. Their voice is a kind of yelping bark. The skin 

 of the Fox is a warm and soft fur, which, in many 

 parts of Europe, is used for muffs, and the linings of 

 clothes. 



The head of this animal is broad at the back, and 

 sharpened towards the muzzle. The ears are erect and 

 sharp-pointed, and the eyes very brilliant and expressive. 

 The tail is bushy. The upper parts of the body are of 

 a yellowish brown colour, and the under parts white. 

 There is a white stripe on the under-side of each leg, and 

 the tip of the tail also is white. The feet and the tips of 

 the ears are black. 



The Arctic Fox. The instances of cunning and saga- 

 city which have been related of the Arctic Foxes are 

 almost beyond belief. They are inhabitants of various 

 countries in the frozen regions both of Europe and 

 America. In the neighbourhood of Hudson's Bay they 

 are so numerous, that more than four hundred of them 

 have been killed, or taken in different ways, betwixt the 

 months of December and March. They are in great re- 

 quest on account of their skins, the fur of which is light 

 and warm, though not durable. The Greenlanders 

 sometimes eat them. 



In size these animals are not quite so large as the com- 

 mon fox. Their fur, during the summer, is bluish-grey ; 

 but, at the approach of winter, changes to white. The 

 hair is very thick, long, and soft. The ears are short, and 

 almost concealed in the fur. The feet are remarkably 

 hairy, and the tail is straight and bushy. 



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