THE FOXES 561 



the short rounded ears, the rather short and busy tail, and the great length of its 

 fur, more especially during the winter. There is much individual variation in 

 color, the prevailing tints being dusky yellow and black, but the proportions in 

 which the two occur differing greatly. Black is, however, always present on the 

 cheeks and around the eyes, extending forward to the muzzle, where there is a 

 white spot below the nose on each side. The sides of the head are yellowish, and 

 the forehead may be either of the same color or blackish. The ears have brown 

 margins but are white internally, and sometimes partially so externally. The chin 

 and front of the neck are brown, but, as in the specimen on the right side of our 

 illustration, a yellowish color may extend backward toward the shoulders. The 

 whole of the back has fur varying from a mixture of black and yellow to nearly 

 black, the individual hairs always having long black tips. On the sides the ends of 

 the hair are yellowish ; and the chest and under parts vary from brown to nearly 

 black, while the limbs are blackish brown. The tail, on which the hairs are long 

 and pendent, is frequently black above and at its extremity, while below it may be 

 light yellow. The raccoon-dog is chiefly a nocturnal animal, dwelling in summer in 

 the wood-clad mountains, and in winter descending to the neighborhood of the river 

 valleys, where it is said, when in good condition, to hibernate. In Amurland, 

 where it does not hibernate, it feeds largely on fish during the winter, reposing dur- 

 ing the day in the thick sedges of the river banks. The asserted hibernation of this 

 animal is a remarkable feature, since no other member of the family takes a winter 

 sleep. The hibernation is said to take place in the deserted burrow of a fox, or 

 some other animal ; but it can also construct an earth of its own. The individuals 

 which do not hibernate may be seen in winter crossing the icebound rivers in a 

 succession of short jumps. The raccoon-dog is far from wary, and, and as it is almost 

 omnivorous in its food, is easily killed by means of strychnine. The fish which 

 forms its favorite diet in winter is a kind of carp, while in summer the chief food 

 consists of mice, which are pursued either in small companies or family parties. 

 Fruit also forms a portion of its diet. It does little or no damage to poultry ; and 

 in Japan has been known to make its winter lair beneath the walls of a house. 

 Both its fur and its flesh are held in high estimation by the Japanese. 



THE FOXES {Cants vulpes, etc.) 



One of the characteristics by which the skulls of the wolves and the other mem- 

 bers of the Dog family described above may be distinguished from those of the foxes 

 has been mentioned on p. 500. To this it may be added that the frontal bones of the 

 skulls of the former group are inflated by internal air chambers, which are wanting 

 in those of the latter. Moreover, the pupil of the eye, when contracted, is circular in 

 the wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs, whereas in the foxes it is elliptical. Some 

 of the fox-like South American species of the former resemble, however, foxes in this 

 respect, as they do in external form to a more or less marked degree. On account 

 of these intermediate forms, we cannot agree with those who refer the foxes to a 

 distinct genus, although they differ from all other members of the family in having 

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