306 
'CAMS. 
roundish black spots. It is an African animal, 
and is found in Guinea, .Ethiopia, and about 
the Cape of Good Hope. 
7th. Canis aureus, or jackal, is a native of 
the Warmer regions of Asia and Africa, and 
appears to be no where more common than 
in Barbary. It is about the size of a middling 
dog, and is of a pale or light orange-yellow, 
Vith darker or blackish shades about the back 
and legs ; the tail hangs straight, is rather 
bushy, and is commonly black at the tip. 
The jackal resides in rocky places, and in 
Woods, and makes its principal excursions 
during the night, preying indiscriminately on 
all the weaker animals. It also occasionally 
devours various vegetables. The voice of 
the jackal is described as peculiarly hideous, 
consisting of a kind of mixture of howling 
and indistinct barking. These animals fre- 
quently go in great troops to hunt their prey, 
and by their dreadful yellings alarm and put 
to (light deer, antelopes, and other timid 
quadrupeds ; while the lion, instinctively at- 
tending to the clamour, is said to follow till 
the jackals have hunted down the prey, and, 
having satiated himself, leaves only the man- 
gled remains to be devoured by the jackals. 
When taken young the jackal is easily 
famed, attaches itself to mankind, distinguishes 
its master, comes on being called by its name, 
shews an attachment to dogs, instead of flying 
from them, and has all the other particula- 
rities of character by which the dog is dis- 
tinguished. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 82. 
8th. Canis mesomelas, or cape jackal, is 
.said to be not uncommon about the Cape of 
Good Hope, and is by some confounded with 
the jackal, to which, indeed, it seems to be 
very nearly allied. The head is yellowish- 
brown, with a mixture of black and white 
hairs : the nape of the neck and the whole 
length of the back black, with a mixture of 
white. The general colour of the animal is 
bright foxy or ferruginous : the tail is not un- 
like that of a fox, but rather less bushy. The 
length of this animal is two feet and three 
quarters, exclusive of the tail, which mea- 
sures one foot. 
9th. Canis Barbaras, Barbary jackal, has 
a long slender nose, sharp upright ears, and a 
long bushy tail. Its colour is a very pale 
brown : from behind each ear runs a black 
lines which soon divides into two, running 
downwards along the neck. It is of the size 
of the common fox, but the limbs seemingly 
shorter, and the nose more slender. 
1.0th. Canis Ceilonicus, Ceylonese dog, is 
a native of Ceylon, but no particulars relative 
to its manners or history are known, It is a 
little larger than a common domestic cat, 
measuring about twenty-two inches from nose 
to tail; the tail itself sixteen inches, gradually 
tapering to the point. The claws ot this ani- 
mal resemble those of a cat more than of a 
dog, though not so long and slight in propor- 
tion. Both fore and hind feet have live toes. 
11th. Canis vulpes, pr fox, like the wolf, 
appears to be pretty generally diffused 
throughout all the northern and temperate 
parts of the globe ; occurring with numerous 
varieties, as to shades of colour and grada- 
tions of size, in most parts of Europe, the 
north of Asia, and America, See Plate Nat. 
Hist. fig. 83. 
In the northern climates are foxes of all 
colours, black, blue, grey, iron colour, silver- 
f rey, white with yellow feet, white with 
lack heads, white with the extremity oi the 
tail black, reddish, with the throat and belly 
entirely white, and, lastly, some have a black 
line along the back, and crossed with another 
over the shoulders: the latter are larger than 
the other kinds, and have black throats. 
The fox prepares for himself a convenient 
den or receptacle in which he lies concealed 
during the greater part of the day. H his den 
is sometimes said to be obtained by dispossess- 
ing the badger of its hole, and appropriating 
it to his own purposes. It is so contrived as 
to afford the best security to the inhabitant, 
by being situated under hard ground, the 
roots of trees, &c. and is besides furnished 
with proper outlets through which he may 
escape in case of necessity. 
The fox attempts his prey by cunning ra- 
ther than by force.: his scent is exquisite, so 
that be can perceive his prey or his enemies 
at the distance of 2 or 300 paces: he has the 
habit of killing more than he eats, and hiding 
the remainder under grass, the roots ot trees, 
&c. Ilis voice is a sharp, quick yell, often 
ending in a higher, stronger, and screaming 
kind of note, not unlike that of the peacock. 
The fox produces five or six young at a 
time ; and if they are discovered or disturbed, 
the female will carry them in her mouth, one 
at a time, to some more secret retreat; in 
this respect imitating the conduct of the cat 
and dog, which are known to do the same. 
12th. Canis alopex, brant fox, is less than 
the common fox, and has a thicker and darker 
fur, though sometimes, on the contrary, it is 
much brighter and redder than that species, 
as mentioned by Linnaeus in his fauna 
Sueeica t the tail is tipped with black. 
13th. Canis corsac, or corsac fox. The 
colour of this species is, in summer, a clear 
yellow-ferruginous ; in winter mixed or shad- 
ed with grey, deeper on the back, white on 
the belly, and reddish on the feet : tire eyes 
are surrounded with a border of white ; and 
a brownish stripe runs from them down the 
nose, The size of this animal is less than that 
of the common fox. 
1 4th. Canis Karagan, orKaragan fox. This 
is a small species, which, according to Dr. 
Pallas, is very common in almost all parts of 
the Kirghisian deserts and Great Tartary. Its 
general colour is a wolf-grey ; the head yel- 
lowish, and above the eyes reddish : the throat 
and breast are of a deep or blackish grey, the 
belly white. 
15th. Canis cinereo-argenteus, or fulvous- 
necked fox, inhabits North America, and the 
skins are often sent over to Europe. T he 
crown of the head, neck, and back, are grey, 
mixed with black and white :■ the finer hairs 
being white-grey, the coarser varied with 
black and white like a porcupine’s quill. In 
size this species is inferior to the common 
fox. 
1 6th. Canis Virginianus, or Virginian fox, 
resembles tire common fox in shape: has a 
sharp nose, long, sharp, upright ears, long 
legs, and a bushy tail: its colour is a whitish 
grey, with a cast of red about the ears. It 
inhabits the warmer parts of North America, 
particularly Carolina and Virginia. It is said 
never to burrow under ground like the com- 
mon fox, but to inhabit hollow trees: it is 
destitute of the strong smell of the common 
fox, is easily tamed, and is said to prey chief- 
ly on poultry, birds, &c. 
17. Canis argentatus, silvery fox, resem- 
bles the common fox. It is of a deep brown- 
colour, with the longer or exterior hairs of a 
silvery white, giving a highly elegant appe§fc» 
dr.ee to the animal. It is an inhabitant of the 
forests of Louisiana, and preys on game. 
18th. Canis lagopus, arctic fox, is inferior 
in size to the common fox. Its colour is a 
bluish-grey, which sometimes changes to per- 
fect white : when young it is said to be of a 
dusky colour. They inhabit Spitzbergen, 
Greenland, and Iceland; and are only mi- 
gratory in Hudson’s Bay, once in four or five 
years. They are the hardiest of animals, and 
even in Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla prowl 
for prey during the severity of winter. They 
live on the young wild geese, and all kinds 
of water-fowl, or on their eggs; on hares or 
any lesser animals ; and in Greenland 
(through necessity) on berries, shell-fish, or 
whatsoever the sea throws up. They swim 
well, and often cross from island to island in 
search of prey. 1 he Greenlanders take 
them either in pitfalls dug in the snow, and 
baited with the capelin fish, or in springs 
made with whalebone laid over a hole made 
in the snow, strewed over at bottom with the 
same kind of fish ; or in traps made like little 
huts, with fiat stones, with a broad one by 
way of door, which falls down (by means of a 
string baited on the inside with a piece of 
fiesh) whenever the fox enters and pulls at 
it. The Greenlanders preserve the skin for 
traffic ; and, in cases of necessity, eat the 
ilesh. They also make buttons of the skins ; 
and split the tendons, which they use instead 
of thread. The blue furs are much more 
esteemed than the white. See PlateNat. Hist, 
fig. 80. 
19th. Canis culpseus. Chili fox, is sup- 
posed to be a variety of the antarctic fox.. . 
Its length from nose to tail is two feet and a 
half ; its colour a deep brown. It inhabits 
the open countries of Chili, in which it forms 
its burrows. 
20th. Canis thous, or Surinam dog, seems 
to have been unknown to other naturalists. 
Linnaeus states only that the body is grey, 
entirely white beneath ; that it is of the size 
of a large cat, and has upright ears of the 
same colour with the body ; a verruca or 
wart above the eyes, on each cheek, and 
beneath the throat; and that the tongue is 
ciliated at the edges. 
21st. Canis Bengalensis, Bengal fox, is 
scarcely half the size of the European fox. 
The face is cinereous, the body pale-brown* 
the legs fulvous, the tail tipped with black, 
and down the middle of the face runs a black 
stripe. The spaces round the eyes and the 
middle of 'the jaws are white. It is said to 
feed chiefly on roots and berries. 
22d. Canis fuliginosus, sooty fox, in size 
and habit resembles the arctic fox, but is a 
distinct species. It is said to be numerous 
in Iceland. 
23d. Canis antarcticus, antarctic fox, is 
aboHt a third part superior in size to the arc- 
tic fox, and has pretty much the habit of a 
wolf in its ears, tail, and strength of limbs. 
It is a native of the Falkland isles, and is said 
to be almost the only land quadruped of 
those distant spots. It resides near the 
shores ; kennels like a fox, and forms regu- 
lar paths from bay to bay, probably for the 
convenience of surprising water-fowl, on 
which it principally lives. It is a tame, fe- 
tid animal, and barks in the manner of a dog. 
24th. Canis zerda, the Fennec, or zerda, is 
a beautiful African and Asiatic animal, arjd 
is principally found in Arabia, Its genera), 
