Clafs I. FOX. 6i 



tain, and fo well known as not to require a defcrip^ 

 tion. The fl^in is furniflied with a foft and warm fur» 

 which in many parts of Europe is ufed to make muffs 

 and line deaths. Vaft numbers are taken in Le VaU 

 lois, and the Alpm parts of Switzerland. At Laufanne 

 there are furriers who are in poffeffion of between two 

 and three thoufand fkins, all taken in one winter. 



There ,are three varieties of foxes found in the 

 mountainous parts of the iflands, which differ a little 

 in form, but not in color, from each other. Thefe 

 are diftinguiflied in Wales, by as many different 

 names. The Milgi or gre-hound fox, is the largeft, 

 talleft, and boldeft ; and will attack a grown (licep 

 or wether : the mafiiff fox is lefs, but more ftrongly 

 built : the Corgi, or cur fox, is the leaft, and lurks 

 about hedges, out houfes, i^c. and is the mod perni- 

 cious of the three to the feathered tribe. The num- 

 bers of thefe animals in general would foon become 

 intolerable, if they were not profcribed, having a cer- 

 tain reward feton their heads. 



In this place we fhould mtroduce the wolf, a con- 

 generous animal, if we had not fortunately a juft right 

 to omit it in a hiftory of Britifh quadrupeds. We 

 cannot for certain fay when it was extirpated in Scot- 

 land, but it was, as appears by Hollingfioed *, very 

 noifome to the flocks in 1577 » however, we are told 

 that none are to be found there at prefent, fo haverea- 

 fon to think M. de Buffon was mifinformed as to that 

 particular -f. 



It has been a received opinion, that the other parts 

 of thefe kingdoms were in early times delivered from 



* Difc. Scot. I o. t Tom. vii. 



this 



