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Show MAMMALIA. 11 The hairs of the head are annulated with white, and fulvous, and are black at the tip; the two former colours are most conspicuous. The chin is brownish. The lower part of the cheeks, the throat, and the under parts of the body, are of a dirty yellowish white colom, inclining to buff in certain parts, especially on the lower part of the neck and chest. The limbs are of a rich deep fulvous, or ye1lowish rust colour externally; the feet and inner sides of the legs are of a paler hue. On the hinder legs externally, above the heel, is a patch of bright rust colour; such is also the colour of the ears externally, and likewise of that portion of the neck behind the ears. Internally the ears are furnished with long yellowish white hairs. The tail is long and very bushy; at its base the hairs are rusty white, towards the middle they are of a paleish rust colour, and at the apex they are black; there is also a black patch on the upper part towards the base. The hairs of the tail beneath are almost entirely of an uniform rusty white colour, those on the upper side are all tipped with black. Length from nose to root of tail to bnsc of c:1r of tail (hair included) Habitat, Chile. (June.) ln. 3] G 17 Lines. 0 9 0 Length of cnr Height of body <Lt tl1c shoulders ln. Lines. 2 0 B G "This animal was first brought to Europe by Captain PhilipP. King, who obtained it at Port Famine in Tierra del Fuego, where it is common. My specimen was obtained in the valley of Copiap6 in the northern part of Chile. The Magellanic fox, therefore, has a range on the western coast of at least 1000 miles, from the humid and entangled forests of Tierra del Fuego, to the almost absolutely desert cotntry of northern Chile. In La Plata, on the Atlantic side of the continent, I believe it is not found.* It is mentioned by Molina in his account of the animals of Cbile,"j" under the name of Culpeu, which he supposes to be derived from the Indian word "culpem," signi(ying madness ; for this animal, when it sees a man, runs towards him, and standing at the distance of a few yards, looks at him attentively. He adds, although great numbers are killed, they do not leave off this hauit. Molina states that he has repeatedly been a witness of this, and I received nearly similar accounts fi·om several of the inhabitants of Chile : yet I must observe, that the people of the farm-house, where my specimen was killed * Az:tm has n~t dcscrillod this nnimal, which circumstnnce alono would render it probable thnt it is not nn inhnbitant of Paraguny or La Plab. The two F oxes mentioned by him arc the Aguan\-gu:u:n, (Canis jubatus, Auct.) a. very large kind of fox (a strangely oxnggerated description of this nnimnl is given by Falkner) of which I could not obtnin :1 specimen ; and the Aguan\-chay, or Canis Azarro. t llfoli11:1, Compendio do In IIistoria del Reyno do Chilo, vol. i. p. 330 nnd 332. c 2 |
