CASCADE RED FOX. Vulpes cascadensis Merriam

Field characters.—General appearance that of a collie dog, but size smaller; tail extremely large and bushy; ears prominent; head and body about 26 inches, tail (excluding hairs at end) 16 inches, ear (about 4 inches?). Coloration (red phase) rich yellowish brown above, becoming white on belly and throat; feet and tips of ears black; inside of ears and end of tail white.

Occurrence,—Rare resident in higher zones on Sierra Nevada. Recorded definitely only at Big Meadows (4500 feet altitude), northeast of El Portal, about February 10, 1916; but to be expected anywhere from this level up to timber line. Lives chiefly in forest.

The Cascade Red Fox in the Yosemite region proved to be a notably elusive creature. We, ourselves, were not able to gain any direct information concerning it. On a number of occasions we saw tracks or sign which were believed to be those of this species, but we neither saw nor trapped the foxes. They must be present in only limited numbers, as even experienced trappers in the region, who have made good catches of other fur bearers, have rarely taken the Red Fox. Inclusion of the species in the fauna of the Yosemite rests definitely upon a single imperfect specimen obtained through Mr. F. S. Townsley of the Park Ranger Service.

This specimen was taken at a locality, Big Meadows, which lies well within the Transition Zone and hence inside the range of the California Gray Fox. And it may be that the captured fox was driven to this low level by the extreme severity which marked the winter of 1915-16.

The Red Fox is quite different in appearance from its foothill relative, the Gray Fox. While exhibiting the dog-like appearance of foxes in general, the present species has proportionately larger ears, a softer and heavier coat of fur, and a more cylindrically bushy tail which looms large in proportion to the size of the animal's body. An occasional individual of the Red Fox departs from the regular color scheme and becomes a "cross" fox or even a "black" fox. The general darkening in tone results from replacement of the red in the pelage by black. One of our local informants told of seeing a "black" fox in the vicinity of Tioga Pass in September, 1915.