FOXES AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THEM 



679 



their fur on some of the islands in Behring Sea ; they are 

 fed on the seals killed on the neighboring islands, and 

 are, like them, killed when their coat is in condition." 

 (Living Animals of the World.) In short, the life- 

 history of this little fox is extremely interesting. Stone 

 and Cram, who appear to be of the opinion that there are 

 several geographic forms of the Arctic Fox, relate of 

 the species that in "summer they hunt for lemmings in 

 the moss-grown tundras and barren grounds, digging 

 them out of their holes, or pouncing on them as they 

 traverse their runways in the thick, wet sphagnous beds 

 that cover the swamps and boggy places. At this season 



' 



FEW EQUAL THIS FELLOW FOR SLYNESS 



Figure 8. As pointed out in the text, the Swift or Kit foxes stand 

 among the most interesting species we have in the fox family._ This 

 is the Big-eared one, and those familiar with the animal in the 

 Southwest will never question its swiftness afoot. 



(This figure, as well as Figures 9 and 10, were kindly loaned by 

 the New York Zoological Society, and secured through the courtesy of 

 Doctor Charles H. Townsend, Director of the New York Aquarium.) 



the Arctic fox lives in luxury; for besides the lemmings 

 there are numberless wild fowl nesting by the margin 

 f every stream, and on the ridges willow grouse and 

 snow bunting hide their eggs in the reindeer moss and 

 low brushes, or in warm hollows where the short-lived 

 blossoms of the northland crowd together in dense 

 borders of bright colors. The lemmings are so numerous 

 and easily caught that a very few hours each day spent 

 in hunting would easily keep the fox supplied with meat. 



"But the little, stub-nosed blue fox, though he lacks 

 something of the wily shrewdness of the long-headed red 

 fox of the woodland, is nevertheless a very intelligent 

 beast. Knowing that summer will soon be over, the 

 lemmings safe in their hidden runways beneath ice and 

 snow, and the birds all driven north before the cold, he 

 hunts diligently while game is yet abundant, and brings 

 home load after load of fat-bodied lemmings, to be packed 

 away in cold storage for the winter. 



"Where the blue fox lives, the frost never wholly 

 leaves the ground ; so he digs down in the moist turf 

 until he reaches a temperature only just above freezing, 



and packs down several dozen lemmings in a place, cover- 

 ing them with moss and sod. These caches of frozen 

 lemmings are his principal food-supply for the greater 

 part of the year." 



Many of the habits of the grey fox are quite different 

 when compared with those of the red fox. Where the 

 gray fox is more or less abundant, the red one is scarce 

 and vice versa. They are opposed to each other in not 

 a few respects, and in the long run the reds are the 

 winners. The reasoning powers of the latter are finer; 

 they are better plotters and schemers, and far more 

 frequently plunder the poultry yards without paying 

 penalty for it. Still, a gray fox is by no means a fool, 

 and he has a number of physical advantages over his 

 congeners ; his inconspicuous gray pelt is an advantage 

 to him, as is his smaller size. He can run quite as well, 

 and is not so easily exhausted ; moreover, the gray fox 

 is a better tree-climber than the red, and so more fre- 

 quently escapes in that way. His skin is not worth 

 much, and therefore he is not especially hunted ; and he 



REYNARD OF THE CHASE. THE AMERICAN RED FOX 



Figure 9. Foxes are, as a rule, not very tolerant of confinement, 

 however regardful we may be of their welfare and comfort. This 

 fellow does not appear to be having a very happy time, although 

 entirely safe from hounds or gun, and all his wants well looked after. 



will eat almost anything he meets with, from a mush- 

 room to a quail. Then, being more or less of a southern 

 species, his living is surer in the winter and all this 

 combines to favor his existence and perpetuation. 



It is rare that one finds a gray fox living in a burrow 

 they much prefer hollow trees or stumps, or a long, 

 hollow log stretched upon the ground. To such places 

 they are often chased by the hounds, and in them they 

 take refuge when it is stormy and the weather unfit for 

 a sensible gray fox to be out in. When it is pleasant, 



