342 mammalia: feile. — liii. 



bb. Tail with a concealed mam of stiff hairs, and without soft fur; muzzle 



shorter Ukocyom, 603. 



an. Pupil circular; tail moderate; upper incisors distinctly lobed. Cams, U04. 



602. VULPES Brisson. (Lat., fox.) 



1187. V. vulpes (L.). Red Fox. Chiefly reddish gray, with >« 

 black feet and cars; tip of tail white. The American form is var. 

 is (Desmarest). The Cross Fox is var. decussatus Desm., 

 with a dark cross on back ; the Black or Silver Fox is var. argen- 

 tatus Shaw. These forms fully intergrade with the Common Fox. 

 L. 15. T. 15. Northern regions, S. to Texas. (Eu.) 



1138. V. velox Say. Kit Fox. Smaller, with closer fur; yel- 

 lowish gray, ears not black. L. 33. T. 9. Iowa to Ore. (Lat., 

 swift.) 



603. UROCYON Baird. (obpa, tail ; itveov, dog.) 



1139. U. cinereo-argentatus (Sclneber). Gray Fox. Chiefly i 

 gray; fur dusky or tawny, hairs hoary at tip; tip of tail usually 

 .lark. L. 40. T. 14. Penn. to Texas and S. W. (Lat., ashy- 

 silvery.) 



604. CANIS Linnaeus. (Lat., dog.) 



1140. C. latrans Say. Coyote. Prairie Wolf. Yellowish 

 gray, clouded with black; fur coarse; snout sharp. L. 55. T. 11. 

 Wi-. to Texas and W., common on the plains, burrowing in the 

 ground. A vagabond dog-like animal, "half bold and half timid, 

 yet lazy all through." (Lat., barking.) 



1141. C. lupus L. "Wolf. Color exceedingly variable ; chiefly 

 gray, becoming whitish northward (var. occidentalis), southward more 

 and more blackish and reddish, till in Florida black wolves (var. ater 

 Richardson) predominate, and in Texas red ones (var. rufus Aud. 

 & Bach.), while on the plains is the dusky wolf (var. nubilus Say). 

 L. 60. T. 15. Northern regions, common where not extermi- 

 nated. Allied to the wolf, or perhaps descended from it, and more 

 or less mixed with other Canidce is the Dog, Canis familiar is L. 

 {Eu. | 



Family CCII. FELID^E. (The Cats.) 



Digitigrade Carnivora with the toes ">-4 ; claws compressed, very 

 sharp, retractile; palms and soles hairy, with naked pads under 

 i ach toe and the ball of the foot. Body compact; head short, broad 

 and rounded. Dentition i. §:§; c. \:\ ; pm. -| | or |:| ; m. ^ = 30 

 or 28 ; canine teeth long and sharp; teeth all strongly trenchant ; 

 tongue with short, retrorse papillae. General aspect cat-like. Spe- 

 cie- about 50, found in all parts of the world excepting Australia 

 and its islands, " the fiercest, strongest and most terrible of beasts," 

 " brave when hungry and in the dark, cowardly or lazy in the day- 



