524 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



as Sam Weller gave the orthography of his name, " accord- 

 ing to the taste and fancy of the speller." " For my part," 

 observes Mr. Weller, "I spells it with awe.'' 



The Fox is mutually fertile with the Wolf and domestic 

 dog, which seems to be true of all existing canine species; 

 whether the cross-bred offsi)ring presents the character of 

 mongrels, or of fertile hybrids, has not been determined. 

 Not even, as a rule, have naturalists, all run to morpholog- 

 ical views as they are, clearly recognized these differences; 

 for the greatest naturalists have confounded atavic varia- 

 tion with the reversion of hybrids to a parent form. Leav- 

 ing this question of specific distinctions as we find it, the 

 sportsman's distinction between our Foxes is, broadly, into 

 red and gray. The cross-Fox is merely a Red Fox thus 

 marked; the kit-Fox, a dwarfish individual. 



The Gray Fox, treated by some naturalists as being a 

 mere color variety, has habits entirely different from the 

 Red, in almost all possible respects. So far as my personal 

 observations inform me, the following are some of the prin- 

 cipal distinctions : First, as to reproduction, the Red Fox 

 nearly always brings forth its young in an earth den; the 

 Gray Fox, generally in a hollow log or tree, or, at most, 

 under a rock. The last one I found with her young was 

 a Gray. The young, only a few hours old, w^ere in the hol- 

 low stump of an old rotten tree, broken off about five feet 

 high. As I came up, the old one jumjied out of the tojp of 

 the stump and ran off. I looked down the hole, and saw, 

 at the bottom, five young ones, scarcely dry. I have sel- 

 dom seen a Gray with more than five, and often with only 

 four young. I never found a Red with less than five. I 

 have seen one with nine, and several with seven. I think 

 it certain, therefore, that the Reds are more prolific. 



Second, as to hunting for prey and subsistence : The 

 Reds are bolder in pursuit, and hunt over a much greater 

 territory than the Grays. Whether the Grays ever climb 

 trees in pursuit of prey, I am uncertain; but they take to a 

 tree as readily as a cat when hard run by hounds. I think 

 it nearly certain that they climb for persimmons, grapes, 



