272 
ARCTIC FOX. 
considerable time in circles to catch it. In cold 
weather he wraps it about his nose. 
The fox is very common in Japan. The natives 
believe him to be animated by the devil ; and their 
historical and sacred writings are all full of strange 
accounts respecting him. New England is said 
to have been early stocked with* foxes by a gen- 
tleman who imported some from Europe for the 
pleasure of the chace. The present breed in that 
country are supposed to have sprung from these. 
They are there believed to be very destructive to 
lambs ; and a reward is given of two shillingt 
a head, for their extirpation. 
Arctic fox, or isatis. 
This species, which is smaller than the common 
fox, has a sharp nose, and sharp rounded ears* 
almost hid in its fur ; its hair is long and soft, 
and very thick ; its legs are short, having the 
toes covered with fur like those of a hare ; its tail 
is shorter and more bushy than that of the com- 
mon fox, of a bluish grey, or ash colour, some- 
times white ; the young of the grey are blackish 
before they come to maturity ; their hair is much 
longer in winter than in summer, as is usual with 
animals in cold climates. 
They inhabit the countries bordering on the Fro- 
zen sea, as far as the land is destitute of woods,- 
which is generally from seventy to sixty-five de- 
grees of latitude ; this species extends to Kamts- 
chatka, and Bering’s, and Copper islands ; but 
are found in none of the other islands between 
Kamtschatka and the other opposite parts of’ 
America, discovered by: captain Bering in 1741. 
They are found in Greenland, Iceland, Spitsber- 
gen, Nova Zembla, and Lapland, and once in 
four or five years in Hudson’s Bay : they burrow 
