THE FOX. 7 



Stamina, nor has it the strength of the bull- 

 dog ; however, it is the most graceful animal 

 of the three, its whole body being a picture 

 of activity and suppleness, and though far 

 inferior in pace to the greyhound, it is sur- 

 prising how quickly, and without apparent 

 effort, it can, for a certain distance, draw away 

 from even the swiftest foxhound, and with 

 what wonderful dexterity it can at times, if 

 surrounded by hounds, extricate itself from, as 

 it were, the jaws of death. 



The natural and preponderating colour of 

 the common fox is a yellowish red, with light 

 ashy throat and belly, though in some districts 

 this shade varies to a certain extent, as the 

 colour of wild animals, like that of many birds 

 and insects, assimilates itself more or less to 

 its surroundings — a kind provision of Nature 

 to hide them from the sharp eyes of their 

 enemies. However, in many places, owing to 

 the change of blood introduced by foxes of 

 different breeds being imported from elsewhere, 

 and turned down to increase the stock for 

 hunting purposes, the colour of the common 

 fox assumes a variety of shades, and the 

 old characteristic almost disappears. One 



