122 MAMMALS OF UTAH 



fox, the type specimen of which was taken near Salt Lake 

 City. Though the red fox is now and then seen pretty 

 much throughout the State of Utah, very few people see 

 them often enough to make many observations concerning 

 them. One record I have of the occurrence of the black 

 fox in this state is the account given me by Brigham 

 Spencer of Moab; but the evidence is unquestionable. He 

 states: "I was dairying in the Aquarius Plateau, Garfield 

 County, Utah, in. 1890. I was gathering calves one morn- 

 ing near the top of the mountain when I saw a black fox 

 run into a hole beneath a spruce tree. As I approached 

 she was very vicious; so I killed her. I then discovered 

 five pups in the den. I killed them also. They were all 

 coal black all over except a white tip at the end of the tail 

 and a little whitish on each hip. I showed them to my 

 family and to others in the neighborhood where they at- 

 tracted considerable attention as no one had before seen 

 foxes of that color. It was not until too late that we 

 learned the great value of the pelts." 



Several cross foxes have been taken from the Middle 

 Desert near the Thousand Lake Mountain. Dr. Hornaday 

 states in his invaluable work that the cross fox is "occas- 

 ionally found in Idaho and Utah," though he informs me 

 that at this late date he cannot recall upon just what data 

 the statement was based, adding, however, "in view of the 

 occasional occurences of cross foxes as color phases of 

 Vulpes macrourus, the type locality of which is Utah, it is 

 perfectly certain that before they were all killed off, cross 

 foxes occured in Utah." 



It is largely through the efforts of Dr. Hornaday and 

 a few others that America is fast awakening to the fact 

 that unless a halt is called on indiscriminate shooting there 

 will soon be very few large mammals left except in mu- 

 seums. 



S. B. Locke says that a black fox has been seen several 

 times the past few years in the La Sal mountains. 



Mr. F. A. Wrathall informs me that about eighteen years 

 ago he received two black fox skins and eight cross foxes 

 from some trappers who had been working at the head of 

 the Duchesne river. The black skins were dressed and 

 sold to a New York tourist for $400 each. He reports the 

 cross fox as not at all uncommon, and the red fox affords 

 a constant supply. He has almost every color gradation 

 in his possession, all taken from Utah. 



Habits — ^Their bill of fare includes many items, as 

 mice, birds, reptiles, insects, many kinds of fruits, and on 

 rare occasions a chicken. The bad name borne by them 



