13 



This family is connected to the cats by the hyenas, of which no species 

 occur in North America. Indigenous species of dogs occur in all habita- 

 ble regions, and the domestic dog thrives wherever man has a foothold. 



The dogs are separated from the cats externally by the long, sharp 

 muzzle, small eyes, long hair, bushy tail, contracted belly, and pointed, 

 erect ears; they are related to the hyenas by the blunt, non-retractile 

 claws, by their digitigrade feet, and general appearance. 



The Canidse vary much in size from the largest wolves to the California 

 coast fox, scarcely larger than the domestic cat. 



There are two groups or sub-families of North American Canidse, the 

 wolves, including the dopiestic dog, and the foxes. These groups are 

 related by the South American foxes — a fox-like wolf directly interme- 

 diate between the fox and wolf forms of Europe and North America. 



In the wolves the tail is short, the pupil circular, and the median upper 

 incisors very distinctly lobed on each side j the post-orbital process of the 

 frontal bone is triangular, convex on its upper surface, with its point 

 below the plane of the inter-orbital space. Subfamily Lupinse. 



In the foxes the tail is bushy, the pupil elliptical, and the whole form 

 more slender; the upper incisors are scarcely lobed, and the post-orbital 

 process of the frontal bone bent but little downward, the anterior edge 

 turned up ; a longitudinal shallow pit or indentation at its base. Sub- 

 family Vulpinas. 



The South American fox-like forms (Lycalopex and Pseudalopex of Bur- 

 meieter) have the circular pupils and wolf-like character of the post- 

 orbital process, but their tails are even larger than those of the true foxes, 

 reaching to the ground. Prof. Baird, therefore, includes them in the 

 eub-family Lupinse. 



KEY TO THE GENERA OF CA.NID.iE. 



" Post-orbital process of the frontal bone very convex and curving downwards, with 

 little or no depression or indentation in its upper surface ; pupil circular ; tail com- 

 paratively short ; upper incisors distinctly lobed on each side. . . . Canis. 

 ** Post-qrbital process bent but little downwards, the anterior edge turned up; a longi- 

 tudinal shallow pit or indentation at its base : tail long and bushy : pupil ellipti- 

 cal ; body more slender ; upper incisors scarcely lobed. 



t Tail with soft fur and long hair uniformly mixed ; muzzle long; temporal crests com- 

 ing nearly in contact Vulpks. 



tt Tail with a concealed mane of stiff hairs, without soft fur intermixed ; muzzle shorter ; 

 temporal crests always widely separated ■ . Ubocyon. 



