532 



F O X- B A N E F R A G A R I A. 



"little fox" alluded to in the bible, though the accu- 

 sation against the little foxes there is that thoy " spoil 

 the vines," and there are no vines, at least in the 

 native localities of this one. The general colour is 

 greyish yellow, with some waving streaks of black at 

 the'root of the tail, and the tip of the tail is also black. 

 The place where this fox has been seen in the great- 

 est abundance, is on the steppes between the moun- 

 tains of Ural and the west end of the Altaian chain. 

 They are so numerous on the wide plains there, that 

 according to Pallas, not fewer than fifty thousand 

 skins have been procured in a single season in the 

 province of Orenburg alone. They are also found 

 very abundantly on all the dry and extensive plains 

 of central Asia, and appear to follow the line of the 

 arid wastes on the margin of the deserts as far as the 

 sources of the White Nile. It is probable that they 

 are found also on the dry plains of the north of India; 

 but the fox of the south of that country, or of the 

 Deccan, is described as being somewhat different. 

 The following is the account of it, as given by Colonel 

 Sykes, to whom we are so much indebted for a know- 

 ledge of the animals of (he Deecan. 



The KOKREE (V. kokree ; Cants kokree, Sykes.) 

 " Upper part reddish grey, under, dull white, tail 

 brushy, with the tip black, feet reddish, and pupil 

 of the eye elongated. 



" The fox of Dukhun appears to be new to science, 

 although it much resembles the descriptions of the 

 corsac. It is a very pretty animal, but much smaller 

 than the European fox. Head short ; muzzle very 

 sharp. Eyes oblique ; irides nut brown. Legs very 

 slender ; tail trailing on the ground, very bushy. 

 Along the back, and on the forehead, fawn colour ; 

 with hair having a white ring near to its tip. Back, 

 neck, between the eyes, along the sides, and halfway 

 down the tail, reddish grey, each hair being banded 

 black, and reddish white. All the legs reddish out- 

 side, reddish white inside. Chin and throat dirty 

 white. Along the belly reddish white. Ears exter- 

 nally dark brown, and with their fur so short as to be 

 scarcely discoverable ; edges of eyelids black ; muzzle 

 red brown." The length from the muzzle to the tail 

 is from twenty-two inches to twenty-two inches and 

 a half ; and that of the tail itself from eleven inches 

 and a half to a foot. The foxes of the corresponding 

 latitudes of Arabia and Africa have not been examined 

 with much care ; but from the account given by Riip- 

 pell, it should seem that the Nubian fox very closely 

 resembles this one, and that they differ from the small 

 fox of the dry plains of the northern and central 

 plains of America, chiefly in being smaller in size and 

 having the fur on the body less produced ; but, even 

 in the warmest latitudes, they retain their brush in its 

 full perfection, which shows that this peculiar produc- 

 tion of the tail and its covering answers some very 

 important purpose in the economy of foxes, though 

 what this purpose is has not hitherto been ascertained, 

 indeed, we want a good philosophical account of 

 the tails of animals. 



The CAPE Fox (V. mesomelas). This species from 

 its name is, of course, South African ; and it appears 

 to resemble the last-mentioned in some particulars ; 

 though there are some doubts about it. It has a long 

 bushy tail, and elliptical pupils according to some ; 

 while, according to others, the pupils are round. If the 

 first are correct, it is a fox ; if the second, it is a jackal. 



The CROSS Fox ( V. decussatus), is considered by 

 Cuvier as only a coloured variety of the common fox, 



which it resembles in size and in manners ; but, in our 

 uncertainty as to the species of foxes, it is worthy of 

 a separate notice. The prevailing colour on the 

 upper part is blackish grey, produced by hairs with 

 alternate rings of white and black. This colour also 

 extends to the outer parts of the legs, but these have 

 less white. There is a black cross on the shoulders, 

 from which the trivial name is obtained. It has been 

 principally found in North America, where it inhabits 

 far to the northward, and is found on the shores of 

 the Arctic Sea, not only on the American side of the 

 Straits, but also on the Siberian. Indeed, from the 

 proximity of the two continents at this place, from 

 the ice in the strait forming a regular bridge every 

 winter, and there being a permanent one from thence 

 to the north, it is natural to suppose that foxes which, 

 though not migratory, are ranging animals, and 

 which, as they do not migrate, may naturally be sup- 

 posed to disperse in the winter, when food for them 

 is not abundant in any one locality, will pass readily 

 from the one continent to the other, so as to be very 

 little different in both. They also, in all the spcri.-.- 

 probably, are subject to seasonal varieties, both in the 

 length and closeness, and in the colour of the fur. 

 Thus at certain seasons, or at all events, in certain 

 individuals, the /ox, which is usually called white and 

 silver, from the grey on the points of the hairs, is 

 found entirely black. In this state it is rare, and this 

 also seems to be the prime condition of the fur in 

 point of beauty ; the old coat entirely gone, and the 

 new one fully grown, but not begun in the least to 

 fade or become dry, so that it has more gloss than at 

 any other period. It seems also, that, whatever may 

 be their variety as to colour, foxes acquire a much 

 thicker winter covering, in proportion as they inhabit 

 places which are colder, and this not only over the 

 body, but on the soles of the feet. Not on the pads, 

 because these are not fitted for producing hairs, as 

 they are without the papilla? from which those appen- 

 dages grow. But the inner and under sides of the toes, 

 and the spaces between the pads, produce fur of so 

 lengthened a character, that it seems to cover the 

 entire sole of the foot, at least that part of it which 

 comes in contact with the snow. The numbers of 

 those animals in the northern regions are immense ; 

 their skins are of great value ; and we believe that 

 their flesh is very wholesome, and might be cleared 

 of the foxy odour by being buried a short time in 

 the ground. The northern people are not, however, 

 very delicate in their tastes. 



FOX-BANE. Is the Acqnitum vu/paria of Rei- 

 chenbach, a common plant found wild on the European 

 alps, and belongs to the natural order Ranunculaceas. 



FOX-GLOVE. Is the Digitalis pitrpitrea of Lin- 

 naeus, a handsome and very common British plant, 

 abundant on hedge-banks everywhere. It belongs to 

 Scrophularincc. 



FOX-TAIL GRASS. Is the Afo-pecurus pratensis 

 of Linnaeus, one of our most useful meadow-grasses, 

 and one of the principal species employed in laying 

 down permanent pastures. 



FRAGARIA Strawberry. A genus of Euro- 

 pean herbs, yielding delicious fruit. The flowers are 

 icosandrious, and belong to the natural order Rosacece. 

 The strawberry has been long in cultivation, and 

 many excellent varieties have originated under the 

 practical skill and care bestowed on their culture. 

 The best and most convenient season for forming a 

 new plantation of strawberries is the month of An- 



