326 



VULPUS FULVUS, (Desmarest). 



THE FOX. 



Specific Character. — Heddish yellow; black behind, grizzled with grayish. 

 Throat and narrow line on the belly, white. Ears behind and tips of caudal 

 hairs (^except terminal brush) black. 



Habitat. — Arctic America to Northern United States. 



Average Size. — Equal to a medium sized dog. 



Average Weight. — 15 pounds. 



Average Height. — 14 inches. 



Average Length. — 40 inches ; nose to tail, 26 inches ; tail, 14 inches. 



Value of Fur. — Per skin, average 75c. to $1,00. 



The fox abounds in Ontario and is generally regarded as a downright 

 nuisance. 



To the farmer he is a pest, and as a destroyer of young game and game bird's 

 eggs, he is almost without a peer. 



The fox lives in a hole of his own making;, and there the she-fox brings forth 

 her young in April, generally three to five at a litter. The cubs live on the fat 

 of the land if a hen roost is anywhere near at hand, for the mother is a successful 

 poacher and evades the farmers' gun and traps right warily. 



The skins are readily sold, and bring a fair price in the markets, but are all 

 exported to Russia and Germany. 



The fox is variable in the colour and marking of its fur ; some specimens being 

 of a pale yellow, some of a reddish fawn, and some^blackish in tinting. In nearly 

 every specimen there is a dark transverse strip over the shoulders, giving the 

 animal the appellation of a cross fox. 



The hair is long, silky and soft. Tail very full and composed of an under fur* 

 with long hair distributed uniformly among it, and having a white tip ; feet and 

 ears, black. 



The fox is crafty to a degree and unless taken at a disadvantage, generally 

 manages to elude its pursuers. 



The skin has a peculiar and offensive odour, and for this reason few foxes are 

 tamed, although they are easily domesticated. 



