84 Fauna Italica. 



pears to be in the size of the head, which, instead of being one-fourth 

 of the length of the body as in C. vulpes, approaches to one-third. 

 The fore paws are much shorter than in the other species, whilst 

 those behind are equal, thus making the respective difference of the 

 fore -arm greater. The ears are shorter than in the C. vulpes ; 

 and Professor Savi has noticed a peculiarity, which, if it be con- 

 stant, is rather singular. The young of the C vulpes, when first 

 whelped, have the hair long and whitish, whilst in the new spe- 

 cies it is short and of an ash-gray colour. We may add that, in 

 our own opinion, the proportions and general appearance of the ani- 

 mal are different ; the head being larger, and the tail very bushy, 

 alter his port and bearing. The Roman fox in winter has the under 

 parts of the belly, breast, tail, back of the ears, part of the paws, 

 and under jaw, black, the other parts of the body being tawny. In 

 summer the black parts change to white, thus inverting the general 

 order of nature as we approach the north. On this winter colour 

 the name has been founded ; but independently of the general ob- 

 jection to the adoption of colour as a distinctive appellation, there 

 are two very strong ones to using it in this instance ; the one, that 

 it is by no means constant, the same individual varying in intensity 

 of colour from one year to another, probably from age, or health, or 

 diet, the other that in Nilson's Fauna Scandinavia, an individual of 

 C vulpes is figured which had precisely the colour of the C. me- 

 lanogaster ; and within our observation we remember assisting 

 at the death of a fox which had been maimed by a trap ; it had a 

 quantity of black in different parts of the body, differing very 

 much from the common appearance of its brethren. For these 

 reasons we think the name had better have been selected from 

 some of the points of organic difference, than from the fleeting 

 and uncertain one of colour. The author considers that his species 

 resembles the C fulvus of Desmarest, an American fox, more near- 

 ly than any other. The C. Niloticus of the French Institute, might 

 be supposed to be identical, from the contiguity of regions, but the 

 osteology of the head is different, in the latter species. 



The limits of the habitat of C. melanogaster are not yet exactly 

 defined, but would appear to be those of the great southern zone of 

 Europe, which comprises Italy south of the Apennines, Greece, the 

 south of Spain, and the Islands of the Mediterranean. Like the 

 peasantry in other places, the Romans consider that there are two 

 species of the common fox, the one not eatable, the other, which is 

 called, "Leprene," probably from its fancied resemblance to the 

 flavour of the hare, being admitted to the table. Not having made 

 the trial, we agree with the Prince, " de gustibus, " &c. 



