FOXES. 133 



with a handsome silver-gray, white-tipped tail. His ears, 

 neck, upper fore-legs, and hocks are reddish orange, and 

 the edges of his thighs, belly, breast, and throat pure white. 

 He is as pretty as he is fleet, and can catch a rabbit as 

 easily as a collie can a sheep. 



The cat genus, from lynx to pumas, was well represented. 

 Raccoons, badgers, mink, otter, and beaver, were plentiful, 

 and " varmints " of all kinds abounded. 



Of game birds only wild turkeys were in sufficient 

 numbers to be objects of pursuit. There were a few 

 mountain partridges and some wood-grouse ; but wild cats 

 and foxes kept them very scarce, as they also did rabbits 

 and mountain hares. The turkeys differed slightly from 

 those we had been in the habit of shooting farther north 

 and east. They were much lighter and more party-coloured 

 in their plumage, showed much more white and brown 

 markings, but had the same calls and habits. None of the 

 flocks were large. They ranged from a dozen to thirty head 

 to the " drove." 



Of predatory birds first mention belongs of right to 

 " the king of the air," the great American white-headed 

 eagle, who in that locality was, for him, numerous. Turkey- 

 buzzards could be always seen wheeling aloft, and occa- 

 sionally some immense vultures ; but we were not able to 

 get a close inspection of any of them, for they kept out of 

 shot. Had we not been so far north of the limits assigned 

 by naturalists to the condor, we should, from their size 

 and flight, have believed these birds to be such. Hawks 

 and owls of many varieties were there, and magpies and 

 lays were more plentiful than welcome, for they were very 



