12 



HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



after great intervals of time, they are sometimes 

 absent three or four years in pursuit of their 

 favourite prey. 



. The hair of the Arctic Fox is of an ash colour, 

 but changes to white in the winter, \vhen it is long, 

 soft, and somewhat woolly : its tail is shorter than 

 that of the common Fox, and more bushy; and its 

 toes are covered with fur on the under part, like 

 those of a Hare: it is smaller and more slender 

 than the European Fox : its nose is sharp and 

 black ; and its ears short, and almost hid in the 

 fur. It is sometimes taken in traps, but its skin 

 is of little value. 



