APPENDIX C. — MAMMALS. 309 



MAMMALS. 



BY S. F. BAIRD. 



1. YuLPES MACROURUS, Baird. — Great-tailed Fox. 



We greatly regret that the spechnens of this, the most import- 

 ant addition to our fauna made by Captain Stansbury, should be 

 of such character as not to admit of a description based upon the 

 skull. None were found by the party, all brought in being cased 

 skins purchased of hunters in Salt Lake Valley, and, as usual, 

 without the skull. 



In general appearance, this species resembles the red fox, 

 Vulpes fulvuSj in its different varieties. From these, however, 

 it may be at once distinguished by the great length of the tail, 

 which exceeds that of the latter species by six inches, and more. 

 In the best specimen procured, the back is of mixed grizzled 

 gray colour as in the gray fox or badger, the hairs being dark 

 brown at the base, then yellowish white, and finally, tipped with 

 black. These hairs are interspersed in a very abundant soft fur, 

 of uniform colour, varying in tint with the region of body. A de- 

 cided black colour prevails on the muzzle, sides of face, top of head, 

 and upper part of neck, separated from that of the back by a rather 

 uniform ferruginous in front of the shoulder. On the shoulders, 

 the gray exhibits a slight tendency to a cross, and widens poste- 

 riorly, including the outside of thighs, and extending a short dis- 

 tance on the tail. There is a considerable admixture of black 

 around the eyes. The sides of the neck and body, concavity of 

 the ear, basal anterior portion of the convexity, and space across 

 lower neck, are light ferruginous ; the remaining portion of the 

 convexity of the ear black ; chin, throat, legs, belly, top, and sides 

 of the tail, black. The tip of the tail is dirty white ; beneath, 

 with region about the arms and posterior edge of thighs, light fer- 

 ruginous ; whiskers, black. 



Length (approximate) from snout to base of tail 33 inches. 



Tail to end of vertebrae 18 '* 



" «« tip of hair 22 " 



Breadth of tail, flattened 9 " 



