518 Practical Game Preserving. 



scription as correct. However, in spite of these decidedly 

 phenomenal colours, there is but one kind of fox, and 

 although they vary to a certain extent, the differences in 

 colour never run to red or blue. 



A full-grown fox has for its chief colour a reddish fawn, 

 which covers the upper and outer parts of most of the body, 

 becoming brighter in colour towards the brush, over the 

 hind legs, and being what is termed " flecked " with white, 

 that is, white for about an eighth of an inch towards the 

 middle, nearer the surface than otherwise, and by the skin 

 the fur is woolly and of a very dark grey ; a band of very 

 light grey forms the boundary to the fawn, and on the sides 

 of the neck and close behind the shoulders is nearly white. 

 The under part is of dark grey. The brush in most cases 

 partakes of the tints predominating over the body, while the 

 finer and longer hairs are tipped with black. The hair upon 

 the extremity of the brush is white. A reddish shade of 

 fawn passes down the upper side of it from the back, and 

 loses itself about three-fourths down the tail. The ears and 

 pads are nearly black, the shade of fawn appearing in 

 certain lights. In young foxes not fully grown the 

 colour is reddish fawn upon the upper parts, but is 

 "flecked" with white throughout, while the " flecking " 

 disappears as the varmint becomes older, and in aged 

 specimens gives place to a dullish grey colour, mingled with 

 the fawn. 



The length of a full-grown fox is generally computed at 

 2^ft., exclusive of the brush ; this is not an average size, 

 and our experience is that 2ft. gin. is nearer the mark, 

 while we have killed many larger. The brush varies con- 



