242 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



According to Audubon the Gray Fox is more fre- 

 quent in the southern than in the northern states of 

 North America and it does not seem to exist to the 

 north of Maine. It is of rare occurrence in New 

 England and Canada; in Pennsylvania and New 

 Jersey it is about as frequent as the Red Fox, but in 

 the southern states, excepting the mountains of Vir- 

 ginia, it is the only existing species; and in Florida, 

 Mississippi and Louisiana especially it is quite com- 

 mon. To the west it ranges as far as California. 

 Traits and Life It is difficult to say in what respects 



of the Gray the Gray Fox differs from Reynard and 

 Fox. his relatives proper. The descriptions 

 known to me, among which the detailed account of 

 Audubon ranks first, resemble the biography of the 

 Common Fox as one egg does another. The Gray 

 Fox is said not to be so rapid and enduring a runner; 

 as to the rest its ways probably do not differ mate- 

 rially from those of its kinsman. Its haunts are 

 thickets difficult of access and impenetrable to large 

 Beasts of Prey, and rocks abounding in hollows and 

 crevices ; its hunting-grounds are the surroundings 



THE GRAY FOX. Here is one of our own American animals, found only in tlie United States and a small 



portion of Canada. The lean legs are shorter than those of the Common Fox, but the body is less clumsy. It does 

 not ravage Hen-roosts to such an extent as the Red Fox, but this is not because it is less inclined to robbery, but 

 because it is more timid. This specifes was formerly much more common than it now is in the north, where the Red 

 Fox has supplanted it to a great extent, but Gray Foxes are still plentiful in the south. ( Vulpes cinereo-argentatus.) 



of its abode, from the sea-shore to the farm-yard. 

 Audubon affirms, that though it is much more timid 

 and shy than the Red Fox and is driven to flight 

 not only by the bark of a Dog but even by the crack- 

 ling of a branch ; and although one hears little or 

 nothing of inroads made by it on protected poultry 

 yards or flocks of Sheep, yet the animal is detested 

 and pursued in the south to the same extent as the 

 Red Fox in the north. The latter, he says, may be 

 compared to a sly, bold robber, the former to a 

 sneak-thief. 



How Gray The females of both species are equally 

 Foxes Live impudent, however, when they have 



and Hunt young. Like Reynard, the Gray Fox 

 shows a predilection for Mice and Rats, especially 

 the Meadow Mouse and the Cotton Rat, without, 

 however, disdaining anything eatable. Audubon 

 describes in a very graphic way, how the animal, 

 which may be compared to an excellent Hound, 

 sneaks up to a bevy of Quail, pays most careful 

 attention to the wind, and succeeds in carrying off 

 one of the birds. "On a cold, rainy, traveling day," 



says he, "we caught sight of a Gray Fox, whose gait 

 was exactly similar to that of a Setter. Slinking 

 on against the wind, through the high grass, it sud- 

 denly stopped and sat down on its haunches. An 

 instant later it got up, and sneaked on with slow and 

 cautious tread, occasionally lifting its nose high in 

 the air and moving it from side to side. Finally it 

 seemed to be sure of its prey and moved on in a 

 straight direction, though still very cautiously some- 

 times creeping along the ground and occasionally 

 getting out of our sight, until we noticed it again as 

 it made the last stop. We saw no Cat-like move- 

 ment of the tail ; but the ears were lowered, the head 

 raised but a few inches from the ground. In this 

 position it remained for about half a minute, and 

 then it jumped on its prey with one powerful bound. 

 The whirr of a rising bevy of Quail and two or three 

 sharp, screaming sounds were heard, and soon after- 

 ward the successful thief came into view, with a 

 Quail in its mouth. We were provided with a gun, 

 and probably could have killed it, but why should 

 we have done so? It had demonstrated to us that 



it not only belonged ta 

 the Dogs, but could match 

 an excellent Hound; and 

 besides, it had procured 

 its food in a lawful way; 

 why should we kill it?" 

 Our judgment is some- 

 what less_ mild when we 

 find the nests of Turkeys- 

 and other useful birds 

 plundered by it or come 

 to a place which plainly 

 shows the traces of a com- 

 bat between it and a Tur- 

 key. We then understand 

 why it is pursued as much 

 as its kinsmen, although 

 we may assume that, like 

 them, its usefulness in 

 diminishing the numbers 

 of harmful rodents out- 

 weighs the damage it 

 causes by destroying use- 

 ful animals. Besides pur- 

 suing larger game, espe- 

 cially vertebrates of all 

 classes, the Gray Fox also' 

 hunts insects, sometimes scratching the half-rotted 

 bark from trees to get at them, and it likewise 

 feeds on all kinds of vegetable substances. In the 

 state of New York a farmer called Audubon's atten- 

 tion to a maize-field in which several unknown ani- 

 mals had caused considerable damage, feeding on 

 the ripening cobs. The trace of the culprits proved 

 them to be Gray Foxes and the suspicion was 

 shown to be correct by the capture of three of 

 these animals. 



Young Gray In Carolina young Gray Foxes are 

 Foxes and their born during the last days of March 

 Training. or in the beginning of April, in the 

 northern states a little later. The young remain 

 under the mother's protection for about three 

 months and then disperse, as soon as they are in- 

 dependent and able to lead a solitary life. Even 

 when they have attained their full size, the younger 

 Foxes are still easily recognized, by their compara- 

 tive lack of caution, and if hunted with Hounds, 

 they seek safety in prolonged flight only when com- 

 pelled to do so, usually trying to climb some coo- 



