MAMMALIA. 83 
(25.] 4. Canis (Vunpes) tacopus. (Linn.) The Arctic Fox. 
Genus, Canis, Linn. Swub-genus, Vulpes. DEsMaReEsT. 
Pied foxes. James, Voy.,p. 50. An. 1633. 
Canis lagopus. Linn. Syst., vol.i.p. 59. Forster, Phil. Trans., 62, p.370. 
Arcticfox. PENNANT, Arctic Zool., vol.i., p.42. HEARNE, Journey, p. 363. 
Greenland dog. PENNANT, Hist. Quadr., vol.i. p. 257? a young individual. 
Canis lagopus, CarTaIN SaBINE, Parry’s First Voy. Suppl. clxxxvii. Mr.SaBine, Franklin’s Jour., 
p- 658. RicHarpson, Parry’s Second Voy., App. p. 299. Haran, Fauna, p. 92. 
Tsatis and Arcticfox. Gopman, Nat. Hist., vol.i. p. 268. 
Stone fox. AuUCTORUM. 
Terreeanee-arioo. Esquimaux OF MELVILLE-PENINSULA. Terienniak. GREENLANDERS. 
Wappeeskeeshew-makkeeshew. CREE InDi1ans. Peszi. Russians. 
DESCRIPTION. 
The Arctic Fox in its full winter dress is entirely of a pure white colour, or white with a 
slight tinge of yellow, except at the tip of the tail, where there are a few black hairs intermixed. 
Before the eyes, and on the lower jaw, the hair is short and sleek; on the forehead and 
posterior part of the cheeks, it becomes considerably longer, and on the occiput and neck 
it equals the ears in height, and is intermixed with a soft wool or down. There is so much of 
the wool on the body, that it gives the fur the character of that of the Polar Hare. The ears 
are of a rounded form, and are covered with shorter hairs than the neighbouring parts: 
the shortest hair is on their edges, and it terminates so evenly with that on the back and. 
front of the ear, as to seem as if it had been trimmed with a pair of scissars, and to render 
the ear thicker in appearance than it really is*. The long fur on the posterior part 
of the cheeks is directed backwards, and contributes to give a peculiar cast to the 
physiognomy, and an apparent great thickness to the neck, which features are common to the 
foxes, wolves, and native races of the domestic dog in the northern parts of America, and 
distinguish them from their congeners of the Old World. The vibrisse about the mouth 
are very strong, and are in some specimens nearly white, in others of a dusky-brown colour. 
The hair on the body is long, particularly on the sides. It is rather longer on the belly than 
on the back, but not so close and woolly. It is denser, and coarser on the tail than else- 
where. The shoulders and thighs are protected by long fur, but the fore-parts of the legs 
are covered with short hair, the hind-legs having the shortest and smoothest coat. On the 
posterior surface of the legs the hair is longer. The soles of the feet are covered with 
very dense woolly hair, of a dirty white colour, giving them that resemblance to the feet of 
a hare which is the origin of the Linnean name for the species. 
* This fox has shorter and rounder ears than any variety of the red fox. 
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