14 CANID^l. 



brighter red, while the coat is also far longer, softer, 

 and more silky. As with the wolf, its muzzle is not 

 so sharp as in its European congener; the feet, too, 

 are stronger and more completely covered with hair 

 beneath. Lastly, the brush is darker and very much 

 fuller, and is composed of an under fur, having long 

 hairs growing through it; the tip being pure white. 

 The chin is also white, a dark grey stripe runs under 

 the throat and chest, and the anterior faces of the legs 

 are black. 



The Cross Fox (V. f. var. decussatus), so called from a 

 dark mark across the shoulders, not unlike that in the ass, 

 is perhaps rather larger than the preceding ; the sides and 

 neck are a reddish yellow, and the legs and under parts of 

 the body are black ; the tail, which is very full, is of a 

 blackish hue, the extreme point being white. 



The Black or Silver Fox ( V. f. var. argentatus) is a 

 shining black, grizzled with silvery grey on the back, the 

 loins, and the thighs, and less conspicuously on the 

 shoulders and along the tail, the extreme tip of which is 

 perfectly white, as are also the under parts and feet ; they 

 vary, however, a good deal in colour. 



An important trade is carried on in foxes' skins, and 

 large quantities are annually sent to England of all 

 descriptions, those of the Cross Fox, and Silver Fox being 

 exceedingly valuable ; indeed, so great is the beauty of the 



