198 , THEOUGH THE MACKEls'ZIE BASIN" 



it had only two examples, but the average for 1880 to 1882 

 ■was 23 for the three outfits. Many years ago an individual 

 of the species was shot a considerable distance up the Peace 

 River. Sir John Richardson states that early in the nine- 

 teenth century two white foxes were seen near Carlton House, 

 on the Saskatchewan River. 



We hardly ever saw a live white fox on our many summer 

 and winter trips in the Arctic regions of Canada. E^either 

 have I observed among several thousand prime winter skins 

 of this animal one that was not almost if not wholly pure 

 white, while the blue variety always appeared distinct in 

 color. McClintock, who had many opportunities for obser- 

 vation, writes that both white and blue foxes are found in 

 all Arctic lands, and that they are beautiful animals, full of 

 tricks and impudence. In September, 1853, he " captured 

 a litter of three cubs of a dark grayish color- — fierce little 

 fellows with most restless eyes and pliant weasel-shaped 

 bodies. !N"ot unfrequently foxes would venture on board the 

 Arctic ships in winter and be caught even in traps set for 

 them on deck. When irritated they gave a short, suppressed 

 bark, and they sometimes uttered a strange cry resembling 

 that of a hawk, goose, or gull." At Port Kennedy, where 

 he passed the winter of 1858-59, McClintock secured two 

 polar bears, nineteen white foxes, nine hares, eight reindeer, 

 and eighteen seals; several ermines and lemmings were also 

 caught. Sir J. Clark Ross, who passed several years in 

 Victoria Harbor, Boothia, latitude 70° north and longitude 

 90° west, states that the foxes breed there early in June, 

 and have from six to eight young at a birth. On one occa- 

 sion, several weeks later in the season, he captured six little 

 ones in a sand burrow close to the ship's wintering position. 

 White foxes were numerous in that quarter, and upward 

 of fifty were trapped. Sir George Nares observed a " mot- 

 tled " fox in latitude 82° north. Doctor Armstrong also 

 refers to the presence of V. lagopus at Mercy Bay and Prince 

 of Wales Strait, where some fifty specimens were taken 

 during their long stay. 



