46 ANIMALS OF THE 



found all these animals together; or rather, he 

 would be unable to catch those peculiar outlines 

 that no description can supply. Words will never 

 give any person an exact idea of forms any way 

 irregular ; for although they be extremely just 

 and precise, yet the numberless discriminations 

 to be attended to will confound each other, and 

 we shall no more conceive the precise form, than 

 we should be able to tell when one pebble more 

 was added or taken away from a thousand. To 

 conceive, therefore, how the fox differs in form 

 from the wolf or the dog, it is necessary to see all 

 three, or at least to supply the defects of descrip- 

 tion, by examining the difference in a print. 



The fox is of a slenderer make than the wolf, 

 and not near so large ; for as the former is above 

 three feet and a half long, so the other is not 

 above two feet three inches. The tail of the fox 

 also is longer in proportion, and more bushy ; its 

 nose is smaller, and approaching more nearly to 

 that of the greyhound ; and its hair softer. On 

 the other hand, it differs from the dog in having 

 its eyes obliquely situated, like those of the wolf; 

 its ears are directed also in the same manner as 

 those of the wolf, and its head is equally large 

 in proportion to its size. It differs still more 

 from the dog in its strong offensive smell, which 

 is peculiar to the species, and often the cause of 

 their death. However, some are ignorantly of 

 opinion that it will keep off infectious diseases, 

 and they preserve this animal near their habita- 

 tions for that very purpose. 



