1NTROD UCTION OF THE RED FOX. 1 83 



warded with success upon another. By the bright glow of 

 a wood -fire, illuminating the unhewn long walls, rough 

 chinking, and shingle roof of a frontier cabin, the cold and 

 bitter night being made doubly severe by the howling 

 blasts that impetuously rush with angry noise through the 

 disturbed trees, these narratives of perseverance and hard- 

 ship form a pleasant way of passing the long wintry night. 

 The cup goes round, the pipe is smoked, and the company, 

 although illiterate and unpolished, possess one great qual- 

 ity sincerity. If they quaff your health or shake your 

 hand, it is not an empty form, but one which emanates 

 from genuine friendship and unselfish feelings. 



There are no distinct differences between the black and 

 red fox excepting color, save it be that the fur of the for- 

 mer is much finer ; but this can satisfactorily be accounted 

 for by his residence being always in much colder latitudes ; 

 in fact, his chief resorts appear to be the intermediate space 

 between the homes of the red and Arctic representatives. 

 Nevertheless, I claim that he is of different species from 

 either of the aforementioned. My reason I will state. 



The black fox has been known in North America since 

 the first settlement of the country. We hear of one of the 

 Indian chiefs presenting some of the earliest settlers with a 

 skin of this species, as a mark of the high estimation placed 

 on the white man's friendship. Not so with the red fox of 

 at least the eastern portion of the North American conti- 

 nent. In searching over some old works among the admi- 

 rable writings on natural history emanating from the pen 

 of Postmaster-general Skinner, now dead many years, we 

 learn that the red fox was introduced into the State of 

 Maryland from England considerably over one hundred 

 years ago. The importer was no other than the gallant 

 and loyal old soldier, Colonel Guy Carlton, whose name so 

 conspicuously appears associated in all the efforts made by 



