THE FOXES 



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portions of those of the limbs are black, and the extreme tip of the tail is white. 

 Occasionally, however, the tip of the tail may be dark gray, or even black, while in 

 one specimen caught in Warwickshire, the whole of the under parts were grayish 

 black. The total length of the head and body may vary from twenty-seven to 

 forty-six inches, and that of the tail from twelve to fifteen inches. 



In Southern Europe, black-bellied foxes are far from uncommon, and connect 

 the ordinary form with the Himalayan variety, which has a somewhat similar colora- 

 tion, and is altogether a paler animal than the English fox. In its long winter 

 dress, the Himalayan fox (which is generally smaller than the English), is a strik- 

 ingly handsome animal, with the fur of the back varying from chestnut or dull 

 rufous, more or less speckled with yellow, to a dark iron gray. Frequently there is 



ARCTIC FOXES ON THE ICE. 



a dark stripe across the shoulder, bordered with buff patches in front and behind ; 

 while the hinder parts of the back and thighs are grayer and more speckled with 

 white, the sides paler, and the under parts varying from cream color to nearly black. 

 The throat and chest, with the exception of a white spot in the centre of the latter, 

 are frequently darker than the under parts of the body, in which the dusky area 

 may be confined to a streak along the middle. Like the English fox, the outer 

 sides of the ears are black, and the tip of the tail is white ; but the limbs have little 

 or no black, and the general color of the tail is grayish, with a more or less marked 

 rufous tinge. The face is rufous, with a black spot below the eyes ; while the 

 cheeks are whitish. Very different is, however, the appearance of the animal in 

 summer, after the loss of its long winter coat, when the dark under- fur communi- 

 cates a grayish-brown tinge to the back, while the sides are paler and the under 



