158 FLESH-EATERS OF THE LAND 



discovered, she has been known to remove the litter a 

 distance of three miles in a night. She could only carry 

 one of her young at a time, and if the cubs numbered four, 

 their removal entailed journeys that totalled up to twenty- 

 one miles. 



All Fox skins are of value, and where the animal exists 

 in great numbers they become an important article of 

 export. In South America is found the Cross Fox (Canis 

 decussatus), a red Fox with a black cross on its neck and 

 shoulders. A skin of this animal is worth several pounds. 

 It should be noted that the price of furs varies constantly 

 according to the supply, and not a little on account of 

 changing fashions. 



ARCTIC FOX (Canis lagopus). 

 Coloured Plate VIII. Fig. 5. 



The Arctic Fox is common within the Arctic Circle. It 

 is smaller than the red Fox, and is coated with thick, 

 long hair quite to the soles of its feet. In summer it is a 

 grey or even a bluish shade ; but, in common with other 

 polar animals, the fur lightens in winter to a pure white. 

 Late in autumn this species collects in multitudes in such 

 regions as Hudson Bay, migrating southwards, where they 

 remain until the following spring. Trappers capture the 

 animal in vast numbers ; the skins are useful, but less in 

 value than those of the red Fox. 



In some of the islands of the Bering Sea the Blue Fox is 

 reared for the sake of its valuable fur. This species retains 

 its colour all the year round. The animals feed chiefly on 

 seal flesh, of which, in the sealing season in particular, 

 there is plenty and to spare. 



Another native of Northern America is the Black or 

 Silver Fox (Vulpes argentatis). The animal is exceedingly 

 rare ; its fur is among the most valuable in the world. Its 

 colour is a deep black, the long hairs all terminating in 

 white, which produces a singularly beautiful effect, whence 

 the title ' silvery.' The imperial pelisse of the Czar of 

 Russia, made of the black necks of the Silver Fox, was 

 exhibited at Hyde Park in 1851. It was valued at 3,500. 



