674 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



boreal species known as the Silver Fox and Long-tailed 

 Fox are found in Nebraska, westward to California, and 

 southward to Arizona and Oklahoma, and to these must 

 be added the Hall Island fox, the Arctic fox (Fig. 7), 

 the Great-eared fox of southern California, the Kit 

 fox (Fig. 6), and the Nova Scotian and Newfoundland 

 Red foxes forms closely resembling the common species. 

 These have all been described in various books, as well as 

 the forms contained in the genus Urocyon, which are 

 the "short-muzzle" foxes, further characterized by a 

 concealed mane of stiffish hair down the dorsum of the 

 tail that is, not intermixed with the ordinary fur. 

 Urocyon contains all the Gray foxes, as the Gray fox, 

 and the Florida, Texas, California, Townsend's, Wis- 

 consin, and the Dwarf Gray foxes. 



The American Red fox is found in many localities 

 from Canada to Georgia, and westward to the great 

 plains. When it exhibits a dark cross on the back and 

 shoulders, it is known as 

 the Cross fox, and when 

 the animal is all black with 

 a white-tipped tail, it is 

 called the Black fox. As 

 has been shown, three well- 

 known subspecies of the 

 red fox are recognized, and 

 they extend the genus over 

 a large part of North 

 America. Where these do 

 not occur we meet with 

 other distinct species, as 

 the Newfoundland red fox 

 in Newfoundland, and 

 others. 



At different times the 

 writer has had opportunity 

 to study a large number of 

 these species and sub- 

 species, in nature as well as 

 in confinement, in regions 

 where they were more or 

 less abundant, and it has been noticed that foxes vary 

 greatly. In England, where they have been chased for 

 many generations, they have become so wily and cunning 

 that it is no uncommon thing to have an old fellow com- 

 pletely outwit both men and hounds and make good his 

 escape; this is especially true of the foxes in Leicester- 

 shire, which is the best fox-hunting country in all Eng- 

 land. This fact is mentioned because of late our more 

 experienced fox-hunters in New England have begun 

 to notice the same change taking place in our red foxes. 

 Having been hunted for many years' past, they, too, are 

 becoming better educated in the ways of hunters and 

 hounds, and ere long they will, no doubt, be as good at 

 getting away from their pursuers as are the foxes of 

 England ; in fact, no wild animals profit more success- 

 fully by their experience in the matter of avoiding danger 

 than foxes do. Out West, years ago, the writer noticed 

 that the foxes there had none of this educated caution 

 and intelligence; their audacity and boldness was due 



THE SKULL OF OUR DESERT FOX 



Figure 2. This is the left side view, designed to show the forms and 

 placements of the teeth. _ Lower jaw detached. This specimen was 

 collected in Arizona, and is here shown to invite attention to the close 

 resemblance it bears to the skull of some species of dogs, examples of 

 which are to be seen upon the streets every day. 



to an utter lack of knowledge of their arch enemy, man, 

 and not to a confidence in their power to escape him in 

 critical situations. On one occasion he was out on foot 

 hunting, and he carried a shot-gun loaded with heavy 

 shot. Passing over the prairie and along the foothills, 

 he came to place where there were several large burrows 

 in the ground, and at the entrance to one of them stood 

 three nearly full-grown long-tailed foxes. They stood 

 there staring just as though they had never seen a man 

 with a gun before. No New England fox would have done 

 it he would have been down the burrow in a minute. As 

 it was, it went very much against the grain to fire upon 

 them, but nevertheless two of their number fell to the 

 writer's gun, while the third disappeared down the bur- 

 row as quick as a flash, unhurt. 



At another time, the writer was out hunting rabbits 

 in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with his youngest 

 brother. A very heavy fall of snow was coming down, 



and there was already sev- 

 eral inches of it on the 

 ground. As the flakes 

 were large and the wind 

 was blowing, they were 

 prevented from seeing ob- 

 jects at any great distance. 

 In those days they owned 

 an elegant St. Bernard dog, 

 Bruno, who was very fond of 

 going out hunting in a snow- 

 storm. This was usually 

 objected to, as Bruno knew 

 no more about hunting 

 than a woodchuck, and was 

 often in the way ; moreover, 

 he conceived it to be his 

 duty to commence violent- 

 ly barking at all sorts of 

 critical moments. As they 

 trudged along a narrow 

 path by a piece of woods, 

 the writer chanced to look 

 back, when, lo and behold ! there was an animal trotting 

 coolly along after them, about forty feet in their rear. It 

 was at once taken for Bruno, and they yelled at him to go 

 home, which only had the effect of halting the newcomer, 

 who stood looking at them in the most saucy manner 

 imaginable. Then it flashed on them that the animal 

 was not Bruno at all but a fox and a splendid, red 

 animal at that. But before they could say "bip" he was 

 off and out of sight in the storm, at a rate that would 

 have filled an old coyote with envy. His color had 

 saved his life, as they certainly thought he was Bruno. 

 This, it was learned afterwards, is an old trick of 

 Reynard's, and frequently practiced by him to baffle his 

 arch enemies dogs and men. He is seldom caught at 

 it, however, as he watches the hunter with the greatest 

 keenness, literally keeping in his footsteps, knowing full 

 -veil that it is the very last place he will be suspected 

 of being in by his pursuer. He is ready instantly to put 

 himself out of sight when in danger of being discovered. 



