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change from o to y, and addition of the femininetermination -en, cf. O. Eng. gyden, goddess, and Ger. Fnchsin, vixen. The v, for f, is common in See also:

SOUTHERN

southern See also:

ENGLISH

English See also:

PRONUNCIATION (Lat. pronuntiatio, from pronuntiare, proclaim, announce, pronounce)

pronunciation; vox, for fox, is found in the Ancren Riwle, C. 1230.

See also:

DOGS, ISLE OF

dogs, wolves, jackals, &c., which constitute the genus Canis in its more restricted sense, foxes are best distinguished by the circumstance that in the See also:

SKULL

skull the (postorbital) See also:

PROJECTION

projection immediately behind the socket for the See also:

eye has its upper See also:

SURFACE

surface See also:

CONCAVE

concave, with a raised See also:

ridge in front, in See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of regularly See also:

CONVEX

convex. Another See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character is the See also:

ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence- of a hollow chamber, or sinus, within the frontal See also:

bone of the forehead. Foxes are likewise distinguished by their slighter build, longer and bushy tail, which always exceeds See also:

HALF

half the length of the See also:

head and See also:

BODY

body, sharper muzzle, and relatively longer body and shorter limbs. Then again, the ears are large in proportion to the head, the See also:

PUPIL (Lat. pupillus, orphan, minor, dim. of pupus, boy, allied to puer, from root pm- or peu-, to beget, cf. "pupa," Lat. for " doll," the name given to the stage intervening between the larval and imaginal stages in certain insects)

pupil of the eye is elliptical and See also:

VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest point)

vertical when in a strong See also:

LIGHT

light, and the female has six pairs of teats, in place of the three to five pairs found in dogs, wolves and jackals. From the See also:

North See also:

AMERICAN

American See also:

grey foxes, constituting the genus or subgenus Urocyen, the true foxes are distinguished by the absence of-a See also:

crest of erectile See also:

long hairs along the See also:

MIDDLE

middle See also:

LINE

line of the upper surface of the tail, and also of a projection (subangular See also:

PROCESS

process) to the postero-inferior See also:

ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle of the See also:

LOWER

lower See also:

JAW (Mid. Eng. jawe, jowe and geowe, O. Eng. cheowan, connected with " chaw " and " chew," and in form with " jowl ")

jaw. With the exception of certain South See also:

AFRICAN

African species, foxes differ from wolves and jackals in that they do not See also:

ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate in packs, but go about in pairs or are solitary. From the Scandinavian See also:

peninsula and the British Islands the range of the fox extends eastwards across See also:

EUROPE

Europe and central and See also:

NORTHERN

northern See also:

ASIA

Asia to See also:

JAPAN

Japan, while to the south it embraces northern See also:

Africa and See also:

ARABIA

Arabia, See also:

PERSIA

Persia, See also:

BALUCHISTAN

Baluchistan, and the north-western districts of See also:

India and the See also:

HIMALAYA

Himalaya. On the North American See also:

side of the See also:

ATLANTIC

Atlantic the fox reappears. With such an enormous See also:

GEOGRAPHICAL

geographical range the species must of See also:

NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity present itself under a considerable number of See also:

LOCAL

local phases, differing from one another to a greater or less degree in the matters of See also:

SIZE

size and colouring. By some naturalists many of these local forms are regarded as specifically distinct, but it seems better and simpler to class them all as local phases or races of a single species primarily characterized by the See also:

white tip to the tail and the See also:

black or dark-See also:

brown See also:

HIND

hind surface of the See also:

EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear. The " foxy red " colouring of the typical See also:

RACE

race of north-western Europe is too well known to require description. From this there is a more or less nearly See also:

COMPLETE

complete gradation on the one See also:

hand to See also:

PALE (through Fr. pal, from Lat. palms, a stake, for paglus, from the stem pag- of pangere, to fix; " pole " is from the same original source)

pale-coloured forms like the white-footed fox (V. alepex leucopus) of Persia, N.W.

India and Arabia, and on the other to the See also:

SILVER

silver or black fox (V. a. argentatus) of North America which yields the valuable silver-tipped black See also:

FUR (connected with O. Fr. forre, a sheath or case; so " an outer covering ")

fur. Silver foxes apparently also occur in northern Asia. To mention all the other local races would be superfluous, and it will suffice to See also:

note that the North African fox is known as V. a. niloticus, the Himalayan as V. a. montanus, the Tibetan as V. a. wadelli, the North American red or See also:

CROSS

cross fox as V. a. pennsylvanicus, and the Alaskan as V. a. harrimani; the last named, like several other animals from See also:

ALASKA

Alaska, being the largest of its See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind. The cunning and stratagem of the fox have been proverbial for many ages, and he has figured as a central character in fables from the earliest times, as in See also:

AESOP (Gr. Aivwvros)

Aesop, down to " See also:

UNCLE

Uncle Remus," most notably as Reynard (Raginohardus, strong in counsel) in the See also:

GREAT

great See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval beast-epic " Reynard the Fox " (q.v.). It is not unlikely that, owing to the conditions under which it now lives, these traits are even more See also:

DEVELOPED

developed in See also:

England than elsewhere. In habits the fox is to a great extent solitary, and its See also:

home is usually a burrow, which may be excavated by its own labour, but is more often the usurped or deserted See also:

TENEMENT (Med. Lat. tenetnentum, from tenere, to hold)

tenement of a See also:

BADGER

badger or a See also:

RABBIT

rabbit. Foxes will, however, often take up their See also:

RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence in See also:

woods, or even in See also:

WATER

water-meadows with large tussocks of grass, remaining concealed during the day and issuing forth on marauding expeditions at See also:

NIGHT

night. Rabbits, See also:

HARES

hares, domesticated poultry, See also:

GAME

game-birds, and, when these run See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short, rats, mice and even See also:

INSECTS

insects, See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

DIET

diet of the fox. When living near the See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast foxes will, however, visit the See also:

SHORE

shore at See also:

low water in See also:

SEARCH, or VISIT AND SEARCH

search of crabs and whelks; and the old See also:

story of the fox and the grapes seems to be founded upon a partiality on the See also:

PART

part of the creature for that See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit. Flesh that has become tainted appears to be specially acceptable; but it is a curious fact that on no See also:

account will a fox eat any kind of See also:

BIRD

bird of See also:

PREY (0. Fr. preie, mod. proie, Lat. praeda, booty, from prae and the root hed—seen in prehendere, prendere, to grasp)

prey. X. 25 After a gestation of from 6o to 65 days, the vixen during the See also:

month of See also:

APRIL

April gives See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth to cubs, of which from five to eight usually go to form a See also:

LITTER (through O. Fr. litere or litiere, mod. litiere from Med. Lat. lectaria, classical lectica, lectus, bed, couch)

litter.

When first See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born these are clothed with a See also:

UNIFORM

uniform slaty-grey fur, which in due course gives place to a coat of more tawny See also:

hue than the adult See also:

LIVERY

livery. In a See also:

YEAR

year and a half the cubs attain their full development; and from observations on See also:

CAPTIVE (from Lat. capere, to take)

captive specimens it appears that the duration of See also:

LIFE

life ought to extend to some thirteen or fourteen years. In the care and See also:

defence of her See also:

young the vixen displays extraordinary solicitude and boldness, altogether losing on such occasions her accustomed timidity and caution. Like most other young animals, fox-cubs are exceedingly playful, and may be seen See also:

CHASING, or ENCHASING

chasing one another in front of the mouth of the burrow, or even See also:

RUNNING

running after their own tails. Young foxes can be tamed to a certain extent, and do not then emit the well-known odour to any great degree unless excited. The species cannot, however, be completely domesticated, and never displays the affectionate traits of the dog. It was long believed that foxes and dogs would never interbreed; but several instances of such unions have been recorded, although they are undoubtedly rare. When suddenly confronted in a situation where immediate See also:

ESCAPE (in mid. Eng. eschape or escape, from the O. Fr. eschapper, modern echapper, and escaper, low Lat. escapium, from ex, out of, and cappa, cape, cloak; cf. for the sense development the Gr. iichueoOat, literally to put off one's clothes, hence to sli

escape is impossible, the fox, like the wolf, will not hesitate to resort to the See also:

DEATH

death-feigning See also:

INSTINCT

instinct. Smartness in avoiding traps is one of the most distinctive traits in the character of the species; but when a See also:

TRAP (0. Eng. treppe or traepee, properly a step, as that or which an animal places its foot and is caught, cf. Ger. Treppe flight of stairs)

trap has once claimed its victim, and is consequently no longer dangerous, the fox is always ready to take See also:

ADVANTAGE

advantage of the gratuitous See also:

MEAL

meal. Red fox-skins are largely imported into Europe for various purposes, the American imports alone formerly reaching as many as 6o,000 skins annually. Silver fox is one of the most valuable of all furs, as much as £48o having been given for an unusually See also:

FINE

fine pair of skins in 1902. Of foxes certainly distinct specifically from the typical representative of the group, one of the best known is the See also:

INDIAN

Indian Vulpes liengalensis, a species much inferior in point of size to its See also:

EUROPEAN

European relative, and lacking the strong odour of the latter, from which it is also distinguished by the black tip to the tail and the pale-coloured backs of the ears.

The corsac fox (V. corsac), ranging from southern See also:

Russia and the See also:

CASPIAN

Caspian provinces across Asia to Amurland, may be regarded as a northern representative of the Indian species; while the pale fox (V. pallidus), of the See also:

SUAKIN, or SAWAKIN

Suakin and See also:

DONGOLA

Dongola deserts, may be regarded as the African representative of the group. Possibly the See also:

KIT (1) (probably an adaptation of the Middle Dutch kitie, a wooden tub, usually with a lid and handles; in modern Dutch kit means a tankard)

kit-fox (V. velox), which has likewise a black tail-tip and pale ears, may be the North American form of the same group. The northern fennec (V. famelicus), whose range extends apparently from See also:

EGYPT

Egypt and See also:

SOMALILAND

Somaliland through See also:

PALESTINE

Palestine and Persia into See also:

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan, seems to form a connecting See also:

LINK

link between the more typical foxes and the small African species properly known as fennecs. The long and bushy tail in the northern species has a white tip and a dark gland-patch near the See also:

root, but the backs of the ears are fawn-coloured. The enormous length of the ears and the small bodily size (inferior to that of any other member of the family) suffice to distinguish the true fennec (V. zerda) of See also:

Algeria and Egypt, in which the See also:

general See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour is pale and the tip of the relatively short tail black. South of the See also:

ZAMBEZI

Zambezi the group reappears in the shape of the asse-fox or fennec. (V. cama), a dark-coloured species, with a black tip to the long, bushy tail and reddish-brown ears. Passing from South Africa to the north polar regions of both the Old and the New World, inclusive of See also:

ICELAND (Dan. Island)

Iceland, we enter the domain of the See also:

ARCTIC (Gr. "ApKroc, the Bear, the northern constellation of Ursa Major)

Arctic fox (V. lagopus), a very distinct species characterized by the hairy soles of its feet, the short, See also:

blunt ears, the long, bushy tail, and the great length of the fur in See also:

winter. The upper parts in summer are usually brownish and the under parts white; but in winter the whole coat, in this phase of the species, turns white. In a second phase of the species, the colour, which often displays a slaty hue (whence the name of See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue fox), remains more or less the same throughout the year, the winter coat being, however, recognizable by the great length of the fur. Many at least of the " blue fox " skins of the fur-See also:

trade are white skins dyed. About 2000 blue fox-skins were II annually imported into See also:

LONDON

London from Alaska some five-andtwenty years ago.

Arctic foxes feed largely on See also:

sea-birds and lemmings, laying up hidden stores of the last-named rodents for winter use. The American grey fox, or Virginian fox, is now generally ranged as a distinct genus (or a subgenus of Canis) under the name of Urocyon cinereo-argentatus, on account of being distinguished, as already mentioned, by the presence of a ridge of long erectile hairs along the upper surface of the tail and of a projection to the postero-inferior angle of the lower jaw. The prevailing colour of the fur of the upper parts is See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron-grey. The so-called foxes of South America, such as the crab-eating fox (C. thous), See also:

AZARA, DON JOSE NICHOLAS DE (1731-1804)

Azara's fox (C. azarae), and the colpeo (C. magellanicus), are aberrant members of the typical genus Canis. On the other hand, the long-eared fox or Delalande's fox (Otocyon megalotis) of south and See also:

east Africa represents a totally distinct genus. See St See also:

George See also:

MIVART, ST GEORGE JACKSON (1827-1900)

Mivart, Dogs, Jackals, Wolves and Foxes (London, 1890) ; R. I. See also:

POCOCK, SIR GEORGE (1706-1792)

Pocock, " Ancestors and Relatives of the Dog," in The See also:

KENNEL

Kennel See also:

ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Encyclopaedia (London, 1907). For fox-See also:

HUNTING (the verbal substantive from " hunt "; O. Eng. huntian, hunta; apparently connected with O. Eng. hentan, Gothic hinpan, to capture, O.H.G. hunda,booty)

hunting, see HUNTING. (R.

End of Article: FOX

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