T12 Former Range of New England Mammals. [December, 
that no remains of the red fox have been found in the Carlisle 
- and other bone caves of Pennsylvania, while those of the gray 
fox are abundantly represented there. ‘* This,” he adds, ** would 
almost give color to the impression somewhat prevalent that the 
red fox of Eastern America is the descendant of individuals of 
the European fox imported many years ago and allowed to run 
wild and overspread the country. The fact of their present 
abundance and extent. of distribution is no barrier to the recep- 
tion of this idea, as the same has been the case with horses, 
brought over by the Spaniards after the discovery of America, 
and set at liberty.”! Ina recent number of Forest and Stream 
(October 5, 1876), Mr. Alexander Hunter quotes Colonel T. B. 
Thorpe as saying, “ The red fox is supposed to have been im- 
ported from England to the eastern shore of Maryland, and to 
have emigrated to Virginia on the ice in the severe winter of 
1779, at which time the Chesapeake was frozen over. In 1789 
the first red fox that we have any record of was killed in Mary- 
land. In that year there had been a few red foxes turned loose ` 
on Long Island.” 
That the red fox was an abundant species from New York north- 
ward, however, as early as the sixteenth century is a fact as well 
substantiated as that of the existence there of the wolf or beaver. 
The red fox was seen by Jacques Cartier on the Saguenay River 
in 1535 and 1536. Its occurrence in great numbers in N; found- 
land as early as 1590 to 1620 is repeatedly mentioned by Rich- 
ard Whitboune and other contemporary explorers. In 1603 Mar- 
tin Pring found foxes so abundant on an island in latitude 43° 
that he named it Fox Island. He also speaks of meeting with 
great numbers on the main-land in latitude 43° 30’. Morton like- 
wise refers to their abundance in Massachusetts prior to 1637. 
The first settlers of the town of Lynn found them to be annoy- 
ingly numerous, and in 1698 voted to pay a reward of two shil- 
lings a head for their destruction. Lewis states, in his history of 
the town, that the town records show that between this date and 
1722 the destruction of four hundred and twenty-eight foxes was 
paid for by the town, all of which were killed in the “ Lyon 
woods and on Nahant.” 2 In the enumeration of the peltries = 
ported from Quebec during the single year 1786, 6215 fox skins 
are mentioned.’ It is also stated that the records of the Pynchon 
1 Mammals of North America, page 130. 
2 Lewis’s History of Lynn, edition of 1829, page 144. 
8 Mass. Hist. Coll., vi. 57. Ps 
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