THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FOX 



crosses exist. Miss Serrell, the author of 'With 

 Hound and Terrier in the Field,' assures me that 

 she knows of an undoubted instance, and while I 

 was writing this chapter a most interesting article 

 appeared in the Natural History column of 'The 

 Field' (September 30, 1905), entitled 'Wild Dogs in 

 Spain.' Mr. J. G. Haggard, the British Consul at 

 Malaga, communicated to the ' Field ' some notes 

 respecting these animals. He remarks their resem- 

 blance to the fox, and we cannot but be struck with 

 the similarity in the measurements he gives to those 

 of our foxes. Mr. Haggard writes : ' In colour, the 

 animal is yellowish-grey with long grey hairs inter- 

 spersed' (this might stand for a description of 

 many fox-skins I have examined), ' and it is very long 

 in the leg for its size, like all the Spanish foxes. The 

 dimensions roughly taken are as follows : From nose 

 to tail, 30 inches ; ear, 3^ inches ; foreleg, i\ inches 5 

 hind leg, 9 inches ; tail, 1 1 inches. Of course, I can- 

 not tell the age of the animal, but it seems to me 

 much larger than the English fox.' A comparison 

 of these measurements with those of the typical skin 

 given on p. 203 of this book will show that the 

 animal measured by Mr. Haggard was shorter in the 

 body, but higher on the leg, than the average of 

 English foxes. The above was referred to Mr. Abel 



