168 GRAY FOX. 



This species, in many parts of the country where caves, fissures, or holes 

 in the rocks, offer it a safe retreat from danger, makes its home in such 

 places. Some little distance above the city of New- York, in the wild and 

 rocky woods on the Jersey side of the Hudson river, a good manj' Gray 

 Foxes abide, the number of large fissures and holes in the rocks there- 

 abouts furnishing them secure dwelling places, or safe resorts in case 

 they are pursued. In this neighbourhood they are most easily killed by 

 finding the paths to their hole, and, after starting the animal, making the 

 best of your way to near the entrance of it, while he doubles about a lit- 

 tle before the dogs ; you can thus generally secure a shot at him as he 

 approaches his home, which if the dogs are near he will do without look- 

 ing to see if he be watched. The Gray Fox is frequently caught in steel- 

 traps, and seems to possess far less cunning than the red species ; we 

 have never, however, seen it taken in box-traps, into which the Bay lynx 

 readily enters ; and it is not often caught in dead-falls, which are very 

 successful in capturing the racoon and opossum. 



The Gray Fox does not possess the rank smell of the red fox, or the 

 European fox ; as a pet, however, we have not found him particularly 

 interesting. It is difiicult to subdue the snappish disposition of this spe- 

 cies, and we have never seen one that was more than half tamed. It 

 does not at any time become as playful as the red fox, and continually 

 attempts to escape. 



This species affords good sport when chased, vidnding and doubling 

 when in favourable ground, so that when the hunter is on foot even, he 

 can occasionally obtain a " view," and can hear the cry of the pack al- 

 most all the while. When started in an open part of the country the 

 Gray Fox, however, generally speeds toward some thickly grown and 

 tangled retreat, and prefers the shelter and concealment of a heavy 

 gro^vth of young pines along some elevated sandy ridge ; having gained 

 which, he threads along the by-paths and dashes through the thickets, 

 some of which are so dense that the dogs can hardly follow him. He does 

 not, like the red fox, run far ahead of the pack, but generally courses 

 along from seventy to a hundred yards in advance of his pursuers. 



We have been told that the Gray Fox has been run down and caught 

 in the winter season, by a remarkably fleet pack of hounds, in forty mi- 

 nutes, but a two hours' chase is generally necessary, with tolerably good 

 dogs, to tire out and capture him. As many as two or three Foxes have 

 been occasionally caught on the same day by one pack of hounds ; but in 

 most cases both hunters and dogs are quite willing to give over for the 

 lay, after they have captured one. 



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