INTRODUCTION. iii 



to divide them amongst more than five, and for even those five genera 

 only small distinctive characters can be assigned. 



The whole of the Camdce are either much like the Common Wolf or 

 the Common Fox, though with much divergence as to size. The legs 

 may be somewhat longer or shorter, and the tail may be shorter than 

 the Wolf's, though it is never longer than is the Fox's " brush." The 

 ears are occasionally very large, though always erect in undomesti- 

 cated forms. The coloration generally varies from grey to yellowish or 

 reddish brown. The back, the upper surface of the head, and some 

 parts of the limbs are mostly darker than the flanks. The underparts 

 are almost always paler or even white, and the tips and inner margins 

 of the ears are also often white, while the external aspect of the ears is 

 sometimes characteristically coloured. Frequently a dark mark occurs 

 between the eye and the tip of the nose, and on the dorsum of the tail not 

 far from its root ; while the end of the tail is often either white or black. 

 But stripes or patches of dark or light colour are mostly rather ill- 

 defined, though they may be distinctly marked. With the single 

 exception, however, of the Hyaena Dog (Lycaon pictus] no canine species 

 presents varied markings comparable with those found amongst the Cats 

 (Fetid*} or Civets (Viverrida). 



The coloration of each species is subject to much individual variation, 

 even apart from those seasonal changes which seem to commonly occur. 

 The hairy coat is longer and more abundant in the winter, and in indi- 

 viduals which inhabit cold mountain-heights. It is also generally paler 

 in winter than in summer, and in one species, the Arctic Fox (C. lago- 

 pus), habitually turns white during e coldest part of the year. Occa- 

 sionally other species (the Wolf and the Fox) have been found quite 

 white ; while an opposite tendency to blackness (" melanism ") affects 

 various individuals, and black wolves have been found in both hemi- 

 spheres. 



Inconstancy of hue is favoured by the varied coloration of the indi- 

 vidual hairs which make up the coat, and which differ in different parts 

 of the body and in different seasons of the year. There may or may 

 not also be a soft woolly underfur beneath and amongst the long hairs 



which make up the externally visible coat. 



62 



