52 



SOUTH-WESTERN ASIA 



Foxes. 



South-western Asia is the home of several species of foxes, in 

 addition to the European fox which also occurs within the area. One 

 of these is the desert-fox (Canis leucopas), which seems to be widely spread over 

 south-western Asia, as it occurs near Muscat in Arabia, as well as in Baluchistan, 

 Afghanistan, Sind, Rajputana, the Punjab, and the United Provinces as far east 

 as Fatigarh. It is almost exclusively an animal of the desert, and in India 



TIBET DOG. 



lives principally on gerbils. It is rarely found in the same localities as the Bengal 

 fox, though both inhabit the desert-like country, occupying the greater part 

 of Sind. 



The hoary fox (C. canus) inhabits Baluchistan, southern Afghanistan, and 

 perhaps also the east of Sind, while in Europe it is represented by a few stragglers. 

 Principally ashy grey in colour above, and white below, it is smaller than the 

 Asiatic desert-fox, being only 33 inches long inclusive of the tail, which measures 



