THE GROUP OF THE FOXES. 



149 



bobak, and traverses wide stretches of the 

 steppes, which he inhabits to the exclusion of 

 the woods and mountains. He hunts every- 

 thing which he is a match for, and even 

 follows the swarms of locusts, of which he 

 devours great numbers. His fur is highly 

 esteemed in China, but scarcely enters into 

 European trade. 



On the island of Jan Mayen I became 

 well acquainted with the White or Arctic Fox 

 (Cants lagopiis\ fig. 66. As its name indicates, 

 this pretty animal, which is much smaller 

 than our fox, inhabits all Polar lands, and it 

 is likewise found in the mountains of Norway, 

 even beyond the Arctic Circle. The muzzle 

 is shorter, and so also are the ears, than those 



Fig. 66. The White or Arctic Fox (Canis lagopus). 



of our fox. The tail is very bushy, and the 

 claws of the two middle toes of the fore-feet 

 project a good deal, and are very strong. 

 The legs are very short, and the soles of the 

 feet quite covered with hair. The animal is 

 very remarkable on account of its change of 

 colour according to the season. In summer 

 the fur is grayish brown, with a violet or blue 

 shimmer; in winter it becomes much thicker, 

 and consists of a snow-white, short, warm 

 down with longer hairs intermingled. Hence 

 the terms blue fox and white fox are both 

 applied to this animal. Since this alteration 

 is only gradually accomplished many sorts of 

 mixtures in the colours are to be seen, and 

 moreover all Polar foxes are not subject to 



these half-yearly variations, so that one may 

 meet with gray specimens in winter and 

 white in summer. The fur is not greatly 

 valued, since the hair does not remain long 

 attached to the skin. 



This animal, at once crafty, foolishly bold, 

 and stupid, picks up a miserable subsistence 

 by eating all it can find in the dreary wastes 

 which it inhabits. All observers are agreed 

 as to the rare mixture of cowardice, slyness, 

 and boldness rising to the pitch of folly, which 

 this fox exhibits. Usually very timid and 

 cautious, at certain times it shuns no danger, 

 and allows itself to be struck dead without 

 making even an attempt at flight. On the 

 island of Jan Mayen we have seen these 



