FOX 
placable enemy, attend him in his excurfions, and 
give each other warning of his approach. The 
daw, the magpie, and the blackbird, conduit him 
along, perching on the hedges as he creeps below, 
and by their cries and notes of hoftility apprize 
other animals of their danger; a caution which 
they perfeftly underftand, and immediately put 
in pra6lice. Even the hunters themfelves are 
often informed by thofe birds of the place of his 
retreat J and accordingly fend their dogs into thofe 
thickets where they are particularly noify and que- 
rulous. Thus is it the fate of this petty plunderer 
to be detefted by every rank of animals; all the 
weaker claffes fhun him, while all the ftronger 
ones purfue him. 
Among the various tribes of wild animals, none 
are more fubjefl to the influence of climate than 
Foxes; and there are found almoft as many va- 
rieties in this kind as in any of the domeftic ani- 
mals. The generality of Foxes, it is well known, 
are red; but there are fome of a greyifh caft ; and 
BuiTon alTerts, that the tip of the tail in all the Fox 
tribe is white, though this peculiarity certainly does 
not always exift in this country. In Great Britain 
we only meet with three varieties of this animal; 
and thele are rather eftablifhed on a diverfity of 
fize than of colour or form. The greyhound Fox, 
which is the largeft, talleft, and boldeft, will at- 
tack a full-grown fheep ; the maftifF Fox is lefs, 
but more ftrongly built; and the cur Fox, which 
lurks about hedges and out-houfes, is the fmalleft, 
and moft common, as well as the moft deftruc- 
tive of the three to peafants and farmers. 
In the hyperborean regions. Foxes are found of all 
colours ; black, blue, grey, iron-grey, filver-grey, 
white, white with red legs, white with a black head, 
white with a black tip to the tail, red with the 
throat and belly entirely white, and fometimes with 
a ftripe of black running along the back, and an- 
other croffing it at the fhoulders. The common 
kind, however, is more univerfally diffufed than 
any of the former; being found in Europe, in the 
temperate climates of Afia, and alfo in America; 
but they are very rare in Africa, and in the coun- 
tries lying under the torrid zone. The furs of fome 
of the foreign P'oxes are peculiarly efteerned : the 
fkins of blue Foxes are very fcarce and valuable; 
but, of all others, thofe of black Foxes are moft 
efteemed, one of which often fells for forty or fifty 
crowns. The hair of thefe animals is fo difpofcd, 
that it is impoffible to tell which way the grain lies; 
for if the fkin is held by the head, the hair falls 
towards the tail; and, if it is held by the tail, it 
liangs down equally fmooth and even to the head. 
Fox, Common. This fpecies has a fharp nofe; 
lively hazel-coloured eyes ; fharp, ereft ears; and 
a long, ftraight, bufhy tail, tipped with white. 
The body is a tawny red, mixed with afli-colour; 
and the fore-part of the legs is black. But the 
creature is fubjcdl to confiderable variations in co- 
lour: it's voice is a kind of yelp, and not a bark; 
and it's bite, like that of the wolf, is very fevere 
and dangerous. 
Fox, Cross. This variety has a black line 
paffing tranfverfely from fhoulder to fhoulder, and 
another along the back to the tail. Crofs Foxes 
inhabit the moft frigid climates of Europe, Afia, 
and North America: their furs are thicker and 
fofter than thofe of the common fort ; and great 
numbers of their fkins are imported from Canada. 
Fox, Black. This creature is the moft cun- 
ning, as well as moft valuable, of all the vulpine 
FOX 
tribe. It's fkin is more highly efteemed in RuftisS 
than the fineft fables. It inhabits the northern 
parts of Afia and North America; but thofe fkins 
which are imported from the latter, are of an infe- 
rior quality. 
Fox, Brant. GefneJ- and Linnaeus defcribe 
this Fox as being of a fiery rednefs : the former 
calls it brand-fuchs; and the latter, brandraef. 
One of thefe animalsi, which was kept in an Eng - 
lifli menagery, was fcarcely half the fize of the 
common Fox; the nofe v/as black, and much 
ftiarper; the fpace round the eyes was ferruginous; 
the forehead, back, ftioulders, fides, and thighsj 
were mixed with red, afii- colour, and black, the 
afti-colour being predominant; the belly was yel- 
lowifii ; and the tail was black above, red beneathj' 
and cinereous on the fides. This creature was 
imported from Pennlylvania ; and appears to be 
allied to the karagan, a fmall fpecies very coaimoni 
in all parts of Great Tartary. 
Fox, CoRSAK. This animal, which inhabits 
the defarts beyond the Yaik, and from the Don to 
the Amur, lives in holes, howls, barks, and bur- 
rows deep. Foity or fifty thoufand of thefe crea- 
tures are generally caught by the natives of thofe 
countries yearly, by means of falcons and grey- 
hounds; and their flcins are fold to the Ruffians, 
at the rate of forty kopeiksy or twenty-pence fter- 
ling, each. They likewife export confiderable 
numbers of their fkins into Turky, ufing them in- 
ftead of money. 
This Ipecies has upright ears, foft downy hair, 
a bufhy tail as long as the whole body, a white 
throat, and yellowifn green irides. In fummer, it's^ 
colour is a pale tawny; and, in winter, grey. The 
bafe and tip of the tail is black ; and the other parts 
are cinereous. This fmall fpecies is confounded 
by Buff"on with the ar6lic Fox. 
Fox, Arctic, The hair of this fpecies is fofter 
than that of the common Fox; and t!ie tail is 
ftiorter and more buficy. Some of thefe animals 
are blue ; and others are white at one feafon of the 
year, and greyifh and brown at another. The 
hair is much longer in winter than in fummer, as 
is ufual with refpeft to thofe animals which inha- 
bit cold climates. The noie is fliarp; the ears 
are fhort, rounded, and almoft hid in the fur; the 
legs are fliort; and the toes are entirely covered 
with fur, like thofe of the hare. 
The Ar6lic Fox is very common in all tlie 
northern countries bordering on the Icy Sea, and h 
feldom. feen in more propitious climates. It is 
principally found in the mountainous and barren 
regions of Norway, Siberia, and Lapland, wheje 
it burrows under ground, and ftrews the bottom of 
it's kennel with mofs. In Greenland and Spitz- 
bergen, it lives in the cliffs of rocks, being pre- 
vented from burrowing by the infuperable barrier 
of froft ; and two or three pair generally inhabit ths 
fame hole. About Ladyday tliey copulate, dur- 
ing which time they continue in the open air; af- 
ter which they take to th.eir holes, and go with 
young nine weeks. Like dogs, they continue 
united in the aft of copulation, and bark like thefe 
animals; for which reafons the Rufllans call them 
pefzti. They poftefs all the cunning of the com- 
mon Fox; prey indifcriminately on the young of 
all aquatic fowls before they can fly; on groufe 
and hares, and even on the eggs of birds. In 
Greenland, they are compelled by necefiity to fub- 
fift on berries, ftiell-fifii, or any fubftances which 
the fea cafts forth; but their principal food in the 
north 
