19 



U. virgifiianus. — "The Gray Fox was formerly very abundant, but it rapidly disap- 

 peared before the advancemtnt of cnltivation, and its place is now generally filled by a 

 more cunning and sagacious sacceasor, the Red Fox." — [Ohio Geol. Surv., 1838.] 



Of this beautiful animal, Thoreau says: 



" His pace is a sort of leopard canter, as if he were in nowise impeded by the snow, 

 bat were husbanding his strength all the while; when the ground is uneven the conrse 

 is a series of graceful curves, conforming to the shape of the surface. He runs as though 

 there were not a bone iu his back, occasionally dropping his muzzle to the ground for a 

 rod or two, and then tossing his head aloft when satisfied of his course. When he comes 

 to a declivity he will put his fore feet together and slide swiftly down it, shoving the 

 snow before him. He travels so softly that you would hardly hear it from any distance. 

 Sometimes you will sea the trail (in the snow) of many together, and where they have 

 gambolled and gone through a hundred evolutions, which testify to a singular listless- 

 ness in nature." — [Thoieau's Excursions — Natural History of Massachusetts.] 



Genus Ubocyon. Baird. 



Urocyon, Baird. Mamm. N. A., 1857. — Vulpes, Brisson. 



Etymology, Greek, oura — tail, and kuon — dog. 



Type, Urocyon cinereo-argentaius, (Schreb.) Coues. 



Generic Characters. — Tail with a concealed mane of stiff hairs without 

 any soft fur intermixed; ihuzzle short; temporal crests always widely 

 separated. A supplementary tubercle on the lower sectorial tooth ; under 

 jaw with an angular emarginatiori below. "Mane-tailed foxes." Two 

 species ; the type and U. litoralis (Baird) of the island of San Miguel, Cal- 

 ifornia. 



Urocyon cinereo-argentatus. (Schreb.) Coues. 

 Gray Fox. 



1778. Canis cinereo nrgentatus, Schreber, Saug., iii, 1778, 360, pi. 92 (has 

 actual priority over Erxlebin.) — ErxL, Syst. An., 1777, 576. — 

 Gm. ,Syst. Nat., 1,1788,74.— Shaw, Gen. ZooL, 1,1800,324.— Desm., 

 Mamm., i, 1820, 204 (partim).— Harlan, Fn. Amer., 1825, 90.— 

 Griff., An. Kingd., v, 1827, 148.— Godman, Am. Nat. Hist., i, 

 1831, 280.— Fr. Cuv., Suppl. Buffon, i, 1831.— Doughty's Cab. 

 Nat. Hist., ii, 1832, 146, pi. 14.— Wagn., Suppl. Schreb., ii, 1841, 

 436 (partly). — Woodh., Sitgreave's Report Expl. Zuni and Col- 

 orado, 1864, 46. 



1778. Canis virginianus, Schreb., Saug., iii, 1778, 361, pi. 92.— Erxl., 

 Syst. An., 1777, 567.— Gm., Syst. Nat., i, 1778, 74— Shaw, Gen. 

 ZooL, i, 1800, 325.— Harlan, Pn. Amer., 1825, 89.— Griff., An. 

 King., V, 1827, 160.— Rich., P. Bor. Amer., 1829, 96 (Vvipes,) 



1784. Canis grisem, Bodd., Elench. Anim., i, 1784, 97 (Ex Penn.) 



1857. Vidpet (Urocyon) virginianus, Baird, Mamm. N. A., 1857, 138. 



