23 



Wild Cat or Eastern Bay Lynx, Lynx ruffus Gueld. 



Once abundant everywhere but now met with commonly only in 

 our larger and more remote forest districts. Occurs rarely and 

 irregularly in many old farming districts. 



Wild eats are a terror to the harmless wild life of the forest. They 

 catch great numbers of smaller mammals and birds that frequent 

 the ground. They have even been known to kill deer. Poultry, 

 young pigs and lambs often fall a prey to them. Their fur is of 

 but little value and in their habits there is little to recommend 

 them to the mercy of the farmer or hunter. 



Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus Schreber. 



Originally this was the only fox found by the pioneers of West 

 Virginia. It was distributed generally, though preferring the less 

 elevated sections of the State. It is still common in some places 

 and entirely absent in others. Surber says it is increasing in abun- 

 dance in the mountains. Its thievish habits in the poultry yard 

 and its lust for game and song birds make it deserving of the bad 

 name it bears. 



Red Fox, Vxdpes fulvus Des. 



It is probably something more than a century since the red fox- 

 es began to be noticed in West Virginia by the settlers. There 

 are still many old hunters living who can remember their first ap- 

 pearance in certain sections. It is believed to have invaded the 

 •State from the north but from just how far north it originally be- 

 gan to spread southward is uncertain. There are some naturalists 

 who believe it has descended from red foxes imported from Europe 

 in colonial times. 



Red foxes are now met with in some localities where no gray 

 foxes have been seen for years, in other localities the grays are 

 present and the reds absent while in still other localities both are 

 more or less common. The valuable fur of the red fox has led to 

 its being persistently sought after by hunters with hounds, traps 

 and guns and the wonder is that any are left. Domestic fowls, 

 birds and small mammals are its food. 



