84 POPULAR OFFICIAL GUIDE. 



the tail is always white, which is the only constant color 

 mark about him. 



The Swift, or Kit Fox, (Vulpcs vchx), is the daintiest, 

 smallest and liveliest of all American foxes. From his del- 

 icate little nose to the tip of his well-trimmed tail, he is 

 every inch a thoroughbred. His countenance is bright and 

 pert, and when several specimens are kept together they 

 are very playful. One striking feature of this little animal 

 is what may well be termed its trimness. When in fair con- 

 dition, its coat of thick, silvery gray fur is as smooth and 

 even as if recently trimmed by a barber. 



On the western plains, where it once had for companions 

 the bui'falo and prong-horn, the Swift is becoming rare. Its 

 worst enemy is the deadly strychnine bottle of the ranch- 

 man. This species does not thrive in the Fox Dens, and it 

 will be found in the Burrowing Animal's Quarters, where it 

 seems pleased to consider itself at home. 



In the Small-Mammal House is shoAvn a new species, 

 closely allied to the above, from Phoenix, Arizona, recently 

 described by Dr. C. H. Merriam as Vulpcs macrotis, or the 

 Large-Eared Swift. 



The Gray Fox, {Urocyon virgiiiiaiius), is the fox of the 

 South, even though it does range northward well into the 

 territory of the red fox. This species is distinctly smaller 

 and more lightly built than the red, its hair is not so luxu- 

 riant, it is more shy and retiring, and its colors change very 

 little. When hotly pursued by dogs it oftens climbs trees 

 that are quite perpendicular, to a height of twenty feet or 

 more. In captivity Gray Foxes are forever trying to escape 

 by climbing, instead of by burrowing, as would naturally be 

 expected. In temper, they are treacherous to their keepers, 

 and also to each other, and as "pets" are anything but 

 desirable. 



The Tasmanian Wolf, or Thylacine, (Thylacinus cyno- 

 cephahis). — In the most southerly yard of the Fox Dens will 

 be found a very strange-looking and interesting creature, 

 about the size of a pointer dog. Its color is dark yellowish 

 brown, and it has a series of broad black stripes, or bands, 

 running across its hind quarters and loins. The wide gape 

 of its mouth reminds one of an iguana or a monitor. 



This animal, fully named above, is the largest of the car- 

 nivorous marsupials of Australia, and the female possesses 

 an abdominal pouch in which she carries her young, like a 

 kangaroo. It is now found only in Tasmania, and it dwells 

 amongst rocks, in rugged and mountainous regions. Be- 



