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Show i68 This animal is ora izc la.a·gct• than the wiltl cat ol' our cou 11 h·y, and much the sa me in fot•nJ. agility, and fe•·oei ty. 'l'h1~ colom· of the bacl\, ncrk, and siflf'S is of a 1'ctldish IH'own, irregulal'ly v~u·icp;ated with small spots or thu·k l.H'own: the tail is about two inches long. afl(l ncm·ly whitt•. {'.\.(~ept IIH• extremity, which is black. 1t tc•·mirmtes ahl'uptly, as if il rnul hccn am1mtatcd: the belly is white, all(l ht•autirully vat ·iegated with small black spots: tlae Jcgs ~~ re or the same t'n tour with the sides, and the back is marked ta·nah;vc•·scly with black stripes: the cars :\l'e hla('k on the ouh~1· siclc, covCJ'(•tl with fine, short hail·, ex<'ept at the upJlet· point, whidt i ~ furnishc(l with a pencil or )la.il', fine, sh·aif~lat, antllJiack . tht•cc-fourths or an iuch in length. 'l'hc ltait• of this aui mal is long and fine, fa1· ex(~eeding tlaat of the wilcl car. of the United States, but infel'io1· iu that qualiLy to that. of tho bent• of the llOI'thwcst. 'l'he Sli.in ol' this animal is in great dcmaucl amongst the natives, fot· of this the! fo•·m their robes, antl it re(JUit·cs !"our to make np the com t>lcmeut. 7. or the foxes we have seen sevet·al !\pecil~s. The laq~e re(l fox: or the plains, and tho ldt-L'ox 01' smnll red fox. of the plains, arc tho same which m·c fonutl on lhe banks of the Misson~·i. They at·e found almo~t exclusive!.' in tbe open plains, ot· on the tops ol' brush within the level cou11tl'y: the common red fox of the United States, inhabit~ the country bordering the coast, not• docs this animal appcat to have undergone any alteration. The black fox, ot· as it is termed in tlJC neigbbout·hood of Detroit, tbc fishe•·, is found in the woody country bordcl'ing ou the coast. II ow it should have aequjrcd this appellation it is •lifficult to imagine, as it eel'Laiuly docs not Jli'CY upon fish. rrhese animals at'C extremely strong and active, anti admil'ably expert in climbing: this they pcrf01·m with Hu~ gl'catcst ease, .and bounll from tree to tree in put•suit of 1hc S<}uirt·el or r~u·oon, their most usual food. 'rhcil·, coIoul' is of a jetty blael<, excepting a small white Sllot upon Up the Jtlissotwi. 109 the breast: the body is long, the legs short, aml resembling those or the ordinary t.ua·n S})it dog. The tail j rcmat·kably long. and not ditlcring in other pat·ticulat·s from that of the ordina•·y L'ox. Tho silver fox is an animal very rare, even in the country he inhabits. We laavc !:!ecn nothiug but the skins or this animal, aml those in the 1wsscssion of tho natives of the woody countr·y below the Columbia falls, '' hich makes us conjcctu•·e iL to be an inhabitant of that count1·y exclusively. From the skin it appeat·cd to he of' the !:iize of the lar·ge r c<l fox of the plains, a·esemhJing tha.t ~tnimal iu fonn, aml paa·ticularly in the dimensions of the tail. The legs captain Lewis conjectured to be somewhat larger. Jt has a. long deep lead colour·cd fur, for foil, intermixed with long hairs, either of a black or white coloua· at the lower 11art, and inval'iably white at the top, i'cH'ming a most beautiful silver s;•·ay. Captain I~ewis thought this the most beautiful of the whole SI)Ccies, excepting one which he discovered on the Missouri nea1· the natUJ·al wall-;. 8. 'The antt·Jopt' inha.hit the gr·ea.t plains of the Columbia, and l'escmlJlcs those r'onnd on the banks or the l\lissoua·i, and indeed in cver·y pa1·t of the nut !mbeeed eount•·y, but they are by no mPaus so abmulaut on this as ou the o1her side of tbe U.ocky mountains. The nativ('s in tlli~ l,]acc make themselves robes of their skins, and }ll'cserve the hait• entire. lu the su11mar1· a11tl aut nml.ol. wlH'n the salmon begin to de(• liue, the majot·ity of the natives leave the sides of the river, and t•esidc in the oven plainR, to hunt the antelope, whiell they persue on horseback, and shoot with their· ~u·t·ows. 9. rrhe sheep is found in many places, but mostly in the timbert'd pat·ts oft he Rocky mountains. They live in gt·eater numbe1·s on the chain of mountains forming the commence .. mcnt of the woody counla·y on the coast, aml passing the Columbia. bet ween the falls and rapids. '\\r c have ouly seen tlae skins or these animals, which the natives d•·ess with tbe wool, and the blankets which they manu.facture from tlle ''OL. II. 7. |