MAMMALS—CANIDAE-VULPES LITTORALIS. 
143 
List of specimens. 
Catal'gue 
number. 
Corresp’ng 
number of 
skull. 
Sex & 
age. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Original 
number. 
Nature of 
specimen. 
Collected by 
64 
65 
1556 
1654 
968 
Q 
Washington, D. C. - 
Mar. 3,1852 
R. J. Pollard...... 
Skin __ 
974 
$ 
2385 
Rowleysburg, Va_ 
A. Brakeley_... 
Spottsylv’nia co.,Va. 
Tremont, Ill_ 
A. W. Massey_ 
779 
130 
W. J. Shaw.. 
1116 
Eagle Pass, Tex_ 
Maj. W. H. Emory. 
A. Schott. 
201 
1175 
1386 
Presidio, Cal 
Lt. W. P.Tro wbridge. 
E. Samuels __ 
1940 
2616 
Petaluma, Cal..... 
380 
1194 
Kappa valley,Cal.. 
Lt.R. S. Williamson. 
Dr. J.S.Newberry. 
1016 
Fort Vancouver,O.T. 
1855 
Dr. Geo. Suckley . . 
......do.......... 
. ... 
54 
1017 
55 
1711 
Q 
Llano Estacado,Tex. 
Jan. 7, 1856 
Capt. J. Pope_ 
194 
YULPES (UROCYON) LITTORALIS, Baird. 
Coast Fox, Short-tailed Fox. 
Sp. Ch.—S carcely more than half the size of the common gray fox (Vulpes virginianus). Tail one-third the length of body. 
Above, hoary and black ; sides of neck, fore legs, and lower part of sides, dull cinnamon *, chin and sides of muzzle, black. 
Tail with a concealed mane of stiff hairs, and with a black stripe above. 
This very curious fox, the smallest of all the North American species, was brought by Lieut. 
Trowbridge from the island of San Miguel, on the coast of California, where quite a number of 
specimens were seen. It is stated by Lieut. Trowbridge to be very tame, scarcely taking the 
trouble to get out of the way, and when escaped from a trap, returning directly to the same 
place. His men found no difficulty in outrunning these foxes in a fair race, although it is 
possible, that owing to their unusual tameness, their full powers were not exerted. 
The species is a miniature of the common gray fox of the United States, and so closely like it 
in external appearance as to induce the belief of its being possibly a local race. Gray foxes 
from the main land of California are, however, of full size, and there are some differences of 
importance in the skull and teeth. As is well known, also, many species of foxes of different 
regions resemble each other so closely that it is very difficult to separate them—more closely, 
indeed, than the present fox and the common gray species. 
. The Vulpes littoralis is scarcely more than half the size of the common gray fox, in length 
and height, in fact, exceeded by some common house cats. _ The body, however, is considerably 
stouter than in the house cat. The limbs are short, slender, and weak. The tail in the 
specimen before me is very short, not more than one-third the length of the head and body. It 
has probably lost some of the terminal vertebrae at an early age, although the tip is now covered 
with hair. Two living specimens in captivity are said by Lieut. Trowbridge to possess this 
same brevity of tail. 
As already stated, the colors are similar to those of the common gray fox. The upper parts 
