4 THE FOX 



But having made clear that the fox is the same 

 wherever we find him, we see that he is subject to 

 great variations in colour, size, and weight. This 

 tendency to modification in minor particulars may be 

 perceived by examining carefully any collection of 

 foxes' masks. It will be noted that the size of the 

 heads differs, that some are rounder in the face and 

 shorter in the snout than others. The differences 

 are so great that it would be easy to believe the 

 animals are of distinct species. 



Again, a fox varies in colouring according to the 

 country he lives in. Since concealment alike from 

 his prey and his enemies is an immense advantage to 

 him, we are prepared to find that his coat harmonises 

 with his surroundings in such a way as to make him 

 invisible at a short distance. Thus the woodland 

 foxes of England and the foxes of the Himalaya 

 are red in colour ; the Scotch fox is of a grey that 

 matches with the heath and rocks of his native 

 haunts ; the Asiatic variety of Cants Vulpes known 

 as V. flavescens is a sort of yellowish-khaki colour. 

 Nor is this all : foxes vary in colour in the same 

 district, but always, I think, in such a way as to assist 

 their concealment. I have also noted how foxes 

 when hunted, as the fur loses its brightness, become 

 more and more difficult to see, so that in a plough 



