THE GAME BREEDER 7 



THE SILVER FOX. 



~j^ By Ned Dearborn, 

 Assistant Biologist, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



- [This historical sketchof the silver fox industry is from bulletin No. 301, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. The bulletin contains much valuable information about the area 

 suitable for foxes, the food, the handling, etc., and is illustrated with cuts showing inclosures. 

 Readers interested in fur farming can procure the bulletin by writing to the Agricultural 

 Department.] 



The name "silver fox," as commonly fairly common, the silver gray scarce, 

 used by furriers, includes the dark phases and the pure black very rare, 

 of the ordinary red fox, variously called The market value of skins of the dif- 

 silver, silver gray, silver black, or black, ferent phases depends upon the relative 

 It should not be confused with the gray, scarcity of the animals. The price paid 

 or tree, fox of the United States, the fur for black skins, however, has recently 

 of which is of comparatively little value, fallen considerably below that of silvers, 

 The color of the red fox of the North- for the reason that furriers now dye 

 eastern States and of its allies of the ordinary red fox skins a lustrous black, 

 colder parts of North America varies and put them on the market at a com- 

 from red to black, and these extremes, paratively low figure, 

 with their gradations, form four more or Domestication of the fox was first 

 less distinct phases, known respectively achieved in 1894 by Robert T. Oulton 

 as red, cross (or patch), silver, and and Charles Dalton on Prince Edward 

 black. In the red phase the fur is en- Island, a Canadian Province in the Gulf 

 tirely rich fulvous, except for restricted of St. Lawrence. Silver fox pelts have 

 black markings on the feet and ears, a continuously commanded high prices, 

 white area at the end of the tail, and and hunters have been correspondingly 

 certain white-tipped hairs on the back keen to secure them. It is not strange, 

 and rump. Grading into the next phase therefore, that the first successful breed- 

 the black increases in extent until, in the ers of this rare animal were men who 

 typical cross fox, the black predominates had pursued it in the chase. The two 

 on the feet, legs and underparts, while mentioned had hunted foxes together and 

 fulvous overlaying black covers most of had frequently bought and sold fox pelts 

 the head, shoulders and back. A gradual of their neighbors. Oulton was once 

 increase of the black and elimination of lucky enough to shoot a silver fox, the 

 the fulvous, or its replacement by white, skin of which netted $138. Becoming 

 results in the next phase, the silver (or impressed with the possibility of domes- 

 silver gray) fox, in which the entire ticating such valuable fur bearers, Oul- 

 pelage is dark at the base and heavily or ton and Dalton separately experimented 

 lightly overlaid with grayish white. The in building fox-proof fences and in feed- 

 color of silver foxes varies from grizzly ing and breeding the animals. After sev- 

 to pure black, except for a few white- eral years' work on these problems they 

 tipped hairs on the back and rump, formed a partnership in 1894, built a 

 Finally, in the black phase, the white is ranch, and stocked it with two pairs of 

 absent from all parts except the tip of the silver foxes. This became the first 

 tail, which is white in all four phases, profitable fox ranch, the forerunner of 

 The red phase is much more abundant a remarkable and, for that region, a revo- 

 than the others, but all four interbreed lutionizing industry, 

 freely, and wherever one occurs occa- At that time black pelts brought much 

 sional examples of the others may be higher prices than silver pelts. This 

 expected. In general the cross fox is prompted Oulton & Dalton to retain their 



