417 



bj Mr. S. N. Rhoads* in his list of Mammals of Cen- 

 tral Penns;ylvania: 



"Regarding the dexterity of this species climbing trees the 

 junior Nelson (Seth I.) told me he had seen one ascend after 

 a Squirrel to the height of sixty feet on an erect dead pine 

 stripped of its bark. It did this voluntarily, literally 'shinning' 

 twenty-five feet up the branchless trunk and backing down 

 again as a boy would do it. He has known his dog to run 

 them up an erect tree eighteen inches in diameter, the first limb 

 of which was twenty feet from the ground. " 



I have often heard of the climbing powers of the 

 Gray Fox but never knew they possessed such remark- 

 able dexterity as that which is reported to have 

 been seen by young Mr, Nelson. However, Clinton 

 county has plenty of good water, an invigorating cli- 

 mate, numerous Pheasants, plenty of other wild birds, 

 lots of Cottontails, a good many Varying Hares, an 

 abundance of small rodents, and a share of domesti- 

 cated fowls about the places where Gray Foxes sneak, 

 murder and hide, and it may be such advantages all 

 tend to give certain of these animals powers, inclina- 

 tions and elevations which Gray Foxes do not com 

 monly assume. 



HE LOVES THE WOOD AND UNDERBRUSH. 



Messrs. Ooues and Yarrow, in alluding to this spe- 

 cies, say: 



"It is not a burrowing animal, at least to any great extent; 

 and when it digs, the burrow is simple with a single entrance. 

 It lies concealed in rank herbage, beneath or inside fallen logs, 

 under partially excavated stumps and similar retreats. This 

 habit is in evident correlation with its woodland range, for 

 having no such protection as the Red Fox, which takes to the 

 earth any where it is forced to abide where there are the nat- 



•A contribution to the Mammalogy of Central Pa. Proc, .\cad.. 

 Nat.. Sci.. Phlla., April. 1897. 



27-n 



