37 



for his soft and beautiful skin, in olden time so indispen- 

 sable and fashionable with our mothers and grand-mothers, 

 in the neat manufactured article of comfortable mufts 

 and tippets, to shield their exposed and delicate forms 

 from the rude blasts and severe frosts, of our old fashion- 

 ed winters. 



An old fox is as untameable as a tiger, altogether ferae 

 naturae. A cub taken within the year, may be domesti- 

 cated, but never will be social with any one but his kind 

 feeder, or those about the place, who familiarize with and 

 pet him. Let him loose to range, and it will generally 

 be found, that he soon ungratefully changes his domestic 

 for his natural state, and is readily transformed into a 

 real wild reynard. 



The wolf entertains a great aversion to him, and eager- 

 ly hunts him, but usually fails, because of the fox's strat- 

 agems and speed. Perhaps this dislike arises from the 

 fondness of the one, for some of the more delicate food 

 of the other. 



In the Polar regions, we are informed the fox assumes 

 many varieties of color. In the vicinity of the rocky 

 mountains, the size and colors of the animal are varied, 

 but with us in the old States, the prevailing color is the 

 native grey, and the red, his more subtle, evasive and 

 predatory enemy the offspring of other climes. Unfortu- 

 nately for us he propagates abundantly, and according to 

 the expressed opinion of an observant and erudite natu- 

 ralist, the late venerable Jefferson, annually extends his 



