MAMMALS-CANIDAE-VULPES VIRGINIANUS. 
139 
The prevailing color of the upper parts and sides of body and limbs is a mixed silver gray, 
or hoary and black, something like the badger, but with more black. The proportion of black 
predominates towards the dorsal region, without being collected into a band. The base of the 
ears and a decided tinge on their convexity, the sides of the neck with a narrow, interrupted 
collar on the lower throat, the posterior and interior surface of the fore legs, and a broad edge 
to the belly, are of a chestnut brown or cinnamon color, darkest on the legs and paler on the 
sides of the belly. There is no mixture of black or hoary on the sides of the neck. The 
interior of the fore legs is not colored uniformly, some portions being quite whitish. A some¬ 
what similar condition is seen on the hind legs, where, however, the cinnamon tinge is much 
paler, and mixed with dusky. The tail above is hoary and black like the back, entirely black 
along the median line and towards the tip, where the color is uniform. There is also a very 
considerable amount of black tips on the sides of the tail. The under surface of the tail is 
light chestnut, without any mixture of black. 
The under parts of the body, although whitish, have a very decided tinge of cinnamon. The 
inferior half of the head and the throat are pure white ; the margins of the lips, the chin, and 
a patch on the side of the muzzle midway between the snout and eye being, however, brownish 
black, relieved by white tips to some of the hairs. The extreme tip of chin and of sides of 
muzzle are, however, dull white. The white on the side of the head is strongly marked and of 
well defined outline, passing about the breadth of the orbit beneath the eye. In this white is a 
small dusky spot behind the angle of the jaw, where some bristles are inserted. 
The long hairs of the back, considered separately, are about two inches in length, and mostly 
black ; hoary white at the base, and annulated some distance from the tip with the same. The 
bristly hairs of the upper line of the tail are about three inches in length ; some of them, as 
well as those at the extremity, are without the subterminal annulation of hoary ; this annula- 
tion, however, is always present on the sides. The rusty hairs of the under surface of the tail 
are ashy at the base (the rusty tinge beneath the tail passes gradually into hoary on the sides 
and top). 
The soft fur of the back and sides is about an inch in length. This is lead colored at the 
base; the terminal half is a rusty yellowish, near the vertebral region, gradually becoming 
lighter towards the belly ; sometimes very faint black tips may be distinguished. 
The specimen (65) as described above is a rather young male in full winter dress. A female 
killed at the same time (March, 1852) is almost precisely similar. 
In a considerable number of specimens before me, from different regions of North America, 
I am unable to perceive any external differences of specific value, and the variations are very 
trifling. In a young animal from Texas, there is less black than as just described. Specimens 
from California and Oregon seem to have the black line of the tail more distinct. A skin from 
Nappa valley (1194) has the tail more slender than in eastern specimens, the upper parts more 
hoary, and the rusty or cinnamon tints lighter. In a skin from San Francisco, a sooty tinge 
pervades the soft fur along the vertebral region of the back. 
A gray fox, No. 1711, brought by Captain Pope from the Llano Estacado, since the above article 
was written, differs from most others in the collection, in being generally much lighter in color, 
compared with specimen 64 from Washington. The fur is much fuller and softer, the gray tips 
to the hairs more extensive. The chestnut gorget of the throat is entirely wanting, or only 
indicated by a slight wash, leaving the entire under parts of a creamy white, from the chin to 
