252 THE CROSS-FOX OF AMERICA. 



make numerous comparisons of skins in the Atlantic- 

 States of America, and then came to the conclu- 

 sion, that the constant variations in the colours of 

 cross -foxes passed gradually into the grey, and 

 even offered individuals, when it could not be deter- 

 mined M^hether it was a cross, a grey, or a tri- 

 coloured fox, excepting by the presence of white on 

 the abdomen. The specimen which served for our 

 notes and drawing was a large and strong-limbed 

 fox ; his aspect not corresponding with the red ani- 

 mal in the Menagerie of the Zoological Society, 

 the eyes being less sunk, and the head not so round. 

 The forehead, back, and thighs, were of a mixed 

 yellow, black, and white, forming a grey like the 

 colour of a hare ; the nose, as far as the eyes, was 

 black ; from the nape, along the back to the tail, 

 ran a black streak, distinctly crossed at the shoul- 

 ders with another, but not descending more than 

 half way on each side ; from this bar forward to the 

 back of the ears, and the ears themselves (exclusive 

 of the tips, vMiich were black), the fur was bright 

 fulvous ; this colour reappeared again on the edge 

 of the buttocks and upper surface of the tail, where 

 it formed four distinct large spots ; the inside of 

 the ears, the cheeks, lips, jaws, and the tip of the 

 tail, were white ; the throat, breast, abdomen, feet, 

 inside of the thighs, under surface of the tail, upper 

 part of the root, a ring at base, and the separations 

 between the red spots above were sooty black. 



In other specimens, the back and shoulders had 

 so much of black colour, as well as the tail, that 



