EXPERIMENTS. 35 



were males, and closely resembled in colour and shape their 

 parents. 



"In 1831 the same pair of old crossed-foxes had a litter 

 of four; the dog-fox, as on the preceding year, in spite of 

 the efforts of the bitch to save them, having devoured others. 

 Two of the survivors both males exactly resembled the 

 father; but the remaining two a male and female with 

 the exception of the tip of each hair all over the body being 

 of a silvery white, were black. 



"In 1832, this pair of black-foxes, which were of some- 

 what smaller size, and of quieter habits than the crossed- 

 foxes, were placed by themselves in a part of the enclosure 

 specially prepared for their accommodation, with the object 

 of ascertaining what their produce might turn out. But 

 owing to an accident, the female escaped and was killed 

 so that the speculation proved a failure. 



"In this same year (1832), the old pair of crossed-foxes 

 produced five cubs, one of which, however, died. Two of 

 the remainder both males resembled the parents ; but the 

 other two male and female were black. In this instance, 

 the female was larger and more handsome than the male. 



"At the commencement of the year 1833, the colony 

 consisted of two pair of foxes namely, the pair of old 

 crossed-foxes, then in their seventh year, and a pair of black- 

 foxes, the male in his third year, and the female in her first. 

 In the middle of January, and consequently before the com- 

 mencement of the pairing season, the crossed-pair were sepa- 

 rated from the black-pair, that the breed might not be mixed. 

 On the 1 6th of the following April, the pair of crossed-foxes 

 produced five young ones, of which number four one male 

 and three females were black ; but the fifth was crucigerous. 



D 2 



