274 
THE FENNEC. 
and canine analogies, for the common Fox is remarkably fond of ripe fruits, such as grapes or 
strawberries, and the domestic dog is too often a depredator of those very gardens which he 
was enjoined to keep clear from robbers. But that the animal should enjoy the power of pro- 
curing that food in which it so delights is a very extraordinary circumstance, and one which 
would hardly be expected from a creature which partakes so largely of the vulpine form and 
characteristics. The date-palm is a tree of a very lofty growth, and the rich clusters of the 
fruit are placed at the very summit of the bare, branchless stem. Yet the Fennec is said to 
to be able to climb the trunk of the date-palm, and so procure for itself the coveted luxury. 
This creature presents so strange a medley of characteristics that it has proved a sad stum- 
bling-block to systematic zoologists, and has been so frequently transferred by them from one 
portion of the animal kingdom to another, that its position in their catalogues seems to vary 
as often as the different lists are published. One celebrated naturalist considers the Fennec to 
belong to the civets and genetts ; another ranks it with the hyenas ; while a third believes 
that its true position is among the Galagos. Y ow, however, it finds a resting-place in the 
genus Yulpes, being a congener with the various foxes of the Old and Yew Worlds. 
It must here be remembered that the generic distinction of dogs and foxes can hardly be 
regarded as a settled matter, and that many practical naturalists favor the opinion that the 
foxes ought to be included in the genus “Canis.” That the dog and the fox will produce a 
mixed offspring is now generally allowed. There are many authenticated accounts of such 
mixed breeds, dating from the earlier part of the present century up to the present time.. 
Moreover, it has been found that the offspring of the dog and the fox is capable of reproduc- 
tion when it is again crossed with the dog. Should this experiment be successfully conducted 
to a still further extent, and the vulpo -canine offspring of both sexes be found capable of 
mutual reproduction, the difficult question to which we have referred will be finally solved. 
Like the veritable foxes, the Fennec is accustomed to dwell in subterranean abodes, which 
it scoops in the light sandy soil of its native land. Bruce, who claims the honor of introducing 
this curious little animal to zoological science, avers that it builds its nest in trees. Ruppell, 
however, who may lay claim to more scientific knowledge than was possessed by Bruce, dis- 
tinctly contradicts this statement, and asserts that it lives in “burrows” like other foxes. 
This curious little animal is not entirely without its use to man ; for its fur is of consider- 
able value among the native tribes of the locality wherein it is found. The skin of the Fennec, 
called ‘ c motlose ’ ’ in the native dialect, is said to furnish the warmest fur in Africa, and is 
highly prized for that quality. And as, on account of the diminutive size of the animal, a 
single skin forms but a very small portion of a garment, a mantle which is composed of “mot- 
lose” fur is valued very highly, and can with difficulty be purchased from its dark owner. 
As is the case with the greater number of predaceous animals, the Fennec is but seldom 
seen during the daytime, preferring to issue forth upon ik marauding expeditions under the 
friendly cover of night. Even when it has spent some time in captivity, it retains its restless 
nocturnal demeanor, and during the hours of daylight passes the greater portion of its time in 
semi-somnolence or in actual sleep. On a comparison with the Otocyon, the Fennec appears 
at first sight to bear so close a* resemblance to that animal that either of the two creatures 
might easily be mistaken for the other. The slender body, the bushy tail, the sharply pointed 
snout, and the extraordinarily long ears, are so conspicuously notable that the two animals 
have frequently been confounded together, and actually figured under the same title. Yet 
the distinguishing characteristics are so strongly marked as to justify their separation, not 
only into different species, but into different genera. 
It is a quaint little creature in its aspect, and wears an air of precocious self-reliance that 
has quite a ludicrous effect in so small an animal. The color of its eyes is a beautiful blue, 
and the “whisker” hairs which decorate its face are long and thick in their texture, and 
white in their color. The honor of introducing the Fennec into Europe is claimed by two 
persons ; the one being Bruce, the celebrated traveller, and the other being a Swedish gentle- 
man of the name of Skioldebrand. The latter writer was certainly the first person who pub- 
licly brought the Fennec before the zoologists of Europe, but is supposed to have succeeded in 
his ambition by means which were hardly just or honorable. 
