NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 66 



in the area. Sometime around 1650, red foxes were imported from 

 England and released along the Eastern Shore of Maryland. These 

 foxes apparently thrived and by the late 1670's had spread down the 

 peninsula into Virginia. Today the species is widely distributed in 

 Maryland, and is found even within the limits of metropolitan areas 

 such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Whether the fox which now 

 occurs throughout the State is the variety introduced by the English, 

 or the native eastern North American form which has extended its 

 range southward, will be discussed under the Remarks section. 



The red fox is extremely abundant in some areas of the State. Ac- 

 cording to the League of Maryland Sportsmen (Rally Sheet 4(10), 

 p. 6, December 1946) 79 were caught in a 5- week period at Mount 

 Savage, Garrett County, in 1946. At the eastern end of the State on 

 the outer barrier beach of Assateague Island, it is also abundant, and 

 does some damage to nesting birds and their eggs. This species still 

 roams in Rock Creek Park in the heart of Washington, D.C. 



The food of the red fox varies from season to season. Llewellyn and 

 Uhler, (1952, p. 198) foimd that in their Maryland sample, compris- 

 ing mostly November, December, and January animals, 17 percent of 

 the food was plant material consisting of fmits, berries, and other 

 plant items. Persimmon, pokeberry, and wild grape were most often 

 consumed, while in the fall beechnuts were heavily utilized. Apple, 

 pear, and com were eaten to a minor extent. The bulk of the red fox's 

 food consists of animal foods, the most important part of which ap- 

 pears to be rabbit. Also consumed are rodents (meadow mice, musk- 

 rats, pine mice, gray and flying squirrels, house mice) and shrews. 

 Birds and occasionally insects are eaten. In the spring and summer 

 months the food consists of woodchucks, poultry, rabbits, small ro- 

 dents, birds, snakes, turtles, eggs and varying amounts of vegetable 

 matter particularly raspberries and blackberries. There is no question 

 that red foxes prey to some extent on domestic livestock, particularly 

 poultry when it is not properly housed. Sometimes red foxes may be- 

 come quite bold. Vernon Bailey (unpublished report in files of U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service, 25 April 1936) tells of a pair raiding the 

 henhouse of a farm in Brookville, Montgomery County; they were 

 so bold that they often raided in broad daylight and took the hens 

 bef ore the eyes of their owners. 



The red fox is monogamous and is believed to remain mated for 

 life. The species is monestrous, with one season a year. Most matings 

 take place in late January or February, and the gestation period is 

 between 49 and 55 days. Litter size varies between one and eight, with 

 four or five being the usual number. 



The breeding or family den of the red fox is nearly always in a 

 burrow, often that of a woodchuck, and is more often located in more 



