THE FOX 



(Cants vulpes) 



OUR familiar beast of chase can boast of a very extended range over the 

 world, for he is found not only throughout Europe, but all along Northern 

 Asia, including the Himalayas, while the Red Fox of North America (Cams 

 vulpes fuhus) is simply a local race. Foxes vary a great deal in colour, 

 both locally and individually, the typical red not being always equally 

 intense, and sometimes absent. Our Highland Foxes are greyer, besides 

 being larger, than the Lowland Fox, and in the Himalayas the Fox's colour 

 is a sort of mixture of grey and yellow. In Southern Europe is found a 

 variety of the Fox in which the under-parts are sooty-black instead of 

 white, and the white " tag " at the end of the brush is often absent here. 



What are called " Cross Foxes " in America have a dark shading 

 along the back and a dark bar crossing this over the shoulders ; while the 

 much-prized " Silver Fox " is a black variety ticked with white hairs. 

 The great value of this skin is due to this casual occurrence of the colour, 

 and any one who could catch alive Silver Foxes, isolate them, and raise a 

 breed, would make his fortune. 



Both black and white Foxes have occurred in England, and in one 

 locality there is a superstition that if one of the former colour is run by 

 the hounds there will be some accident during that run to one of the 

 followers of the hunt. As the Fox has been so much and so long hunted, 

 his life-history is a matter of common knowledge with many people. He 

 preys, as all know, on any small creature he can overpower, and is the 

 traditional foe of poultry ; he is adroit enough to make the Hedgehog 

 unroll and yield himself a victim, and is really very useful by the number 

 of Rats and Field-Mice which he destroys. Rabbits form a large and im- 

 portant part of his food, and he also feeds upon Hares when he can catch 

 them. His usual method is to stalk his prey, but he has many ruses, 

 and has been seen to capture so wary and quick a bird as the Wood- 



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