FOWNES, GEORGE, 1815-49;, b. England. His inclination was towards chemistry, and in 1837 he began to lecture on that science. Two years later he studied under the -celebrated Leibig at Giessen, and afterwards filled a number of professorships in his own country. In addition to his well-known Manual of Chemistry he published nearly a dozen works on chemical and cognate subjects.
FOX, Viilpe,s, a genus of canidce (q.v.), particularly distinguished from dogs, wolves, jackals, etc., by the pupils of the eyes contracting vertically, and in the form of the section of a lens, not circularly. This takes place whenever the eyes are turned to a strong light, and foxes are all nocturnal animals. Foxes are also generally of lower stature in proportion to their length than the other canidce; they have a roundish head, with a very pointed muzzle, short triangular ears, slender limbs, and a bushy tail. They dig burrows for themselves in the earth, or take possession of holes already exist ing. They are famous for their cunning, which they exhibit both in their artifices for obtaining prey, and for escaping from danger:" They feed on small quadrupeds, birds,eggs, etc.; some of them, however, also partly on fruits and other vegetable substances.— The COMMON Fox (V: vulgaris), a native of most parts of Europe, is the only British species, and is still pretty abundant in most parts of the country, although from many parts it would probably have been extirpated ere now, unless it had been in some meas ure protected with a view to the sport of fox-hunting. The common F.. is reddish brown above, white beneath; the outside of the ears black, a black line extending from the inner angle of the eye to the mouth; the legs mostly black, the end of the tail gen erally white, although specimens sometimes occur in which it is gray, or even black. There are at least three varieties known in Britain, pretty well marked by difference of size and form—the greyhound fox being more slender and longer-limbed, and the cur fax—frequent in upland moorish districts—being smaller than the common variety. Other varieties occur in the n. of Europe. The F. has a gland under the tail, which secretes a very fetid substance, communicating to the whole animal its well-known smell. It breeds once in a year, having usually four, or six young ones in a litter.
Its usual voice is a kind of yelp. Its senses of sight, hearing, and smelling are very acute. Innumerable anecdotes are on record illustrative of its cunning. The difficulty of setting traps so that they shall not be detected and avoided by it, is well known. Foxes are said to have been observed approaching water-fowl by swimming slowly with a turf in the mouth. so as to remain concealed. A most trustworthy person assured the writer of this article, that he saw a F. approach a group of hares that were feeding in a field, with a slow, limping motion, and having his head down as if eating clover, till he was near enough, by a sudden rush, to secure very different food. Foxes captured in hen-roosts have often been known to simulate death, and to submit to being dragged about and very roughly treated without a sign of life, till an opportunity of escape pre-. sented'itself. When they are driven to their holes, and these are surrounded with traps, they not unfrequently show such a just appreciation of the danger, that they will endure starvation for days and even weeks rather then come out. Even when taken young, the common F. can hardly be tamed; and very few instances are on record of its show ing even a little of that attachment to man of which so many animals are capable, and for which the dog is so remarkable. The improbability of any of the domestic races of doff being at all derived from the F., is noticed in the article Don. The French renard ap ears in English in reynard, the familiar appellation of the fox.—The s. of Europe produces foxes of smaller size than the common F., having the fur of the belly black, regarded by some as a mere variety, by others as a distinct species (1. melanogctster). They are less carnivorous,. and to them some of the allusions and fables relate—as of the fox and grapes, etc.which do not accord well with the habits of the foxes of Brit ain and of northern Europe.—The Himalaya mountains produce a species of F.
Hinzalaieus) very similar to the common F., but of superior size and brilliancy of colors. The fur is rich and fine.—The BLACK Fox of northern Asia is also very similar to the common F. but is entirely of a velvety black color, except the tip of the tail, which is white; its fur is greatly esteemed, brings a high price, and forms an article of export from Kamtchatka to China.—The COAL Fox (V. alopex) of some parts of Europe, as Switzerland and Bavaria, is by some naturalists regarded as distinct from the common fox. It is of inferior size, more timid, and less troublesome; the tip of the tail is black. —North America has several species of F.; of \Oki] the RED Fox ( V. fy/rzt..f) very nearly resembles the common F. of Europe, but is of rather larger size, has a shorter muzzle, eyes nearer each other, and a more copiously bushy tail. Its fur is also longer, finer, more brilliantly colored, and much more valuable, forming a considerable article of export from the fur countries; in which, as well as in Canada, and in the northern parts of the United States, this species is abundant. The CRoss Fox is a variety of it, distinguished by a longitudinal dark band along the back, crossed by a transverse band over the shoulders. The burrow of this F. " at first inclines downwards for 4 or 5 ft. at an angle of about 25 degrees, it then inclines upwards a little, which is a security against inundations, and is continued at a depth of about 3 or 4 ft. from the surface, until it reaches a point where it is divided into two or three galleries." Great numbers of these foxes are annually tracked to their burrows, and digged or smoked out of them by American farmers.—The GRAY Fox ( V.. Virginianus) is the most abundant species of the southern states, extending, however, as far ri. as Canada, where it is rare. It is of a gray color, varied with black, is about the size of the common F., but not so bold, and sometimes eats vegetable substances, such as ears of maize. The gray F. exhibits not a little of that cunning for which the common F. is celebrated, and when pursued by hunters and hounds, has been known to escape by getting upon the rail of a fence and running along it for some distance, so that the scent was lost. This was on one occa sion done on the newly-laid rail of a railroad elevated above a swamp. Itjs not unfre quent for the gray F., when hard pressed, to take refuge in a tree, particularly if one which has somewhat fallen from the perpendicular presents itself.—There are a number of other species of F., Asiatic, African, and American; but the most deserving of notice is the ARCTIC Fox (V. lagopus), which inhabits the most northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America. It is very plentiful in Iceland, feeding much on ptarmigans, and some times on young lambs. Great munbers are found on the shores of Hudson's bay, par ticularly during winter, and they have been supposed to migrate thither from still more northern regions; but it has been ascertained that this animal spends the winter even in the most northern that have ever been visited by man, braving the cold of Mel ville island and Banks's island, and finding abundance of food in the bares, marmots, ptarmigans, and other animals which also remain there. The Arctic F. is rather smaller than the common F.; it is inure densely clothed with a woolly fur, which on some parts is 2 in. in length; the tail is extremely bushy; and even the soles of the feet are thickly covered with hair. The color is pure white in winter, at least in very cold climates: varying to a brownish or in summer. It is gregarious, and many burrows are often found together. It is extremely cleanly in its habits, and is quite devoid of the offensive smell which belongs to most of the foxes; it is also much less cunning, and much more easily trapped, as well as much more gentle and capable of being tamed. Its flesh has been sometimes eaten by arctic voyagers, with a relish due to the extreme cold of the climate, and the consequent demand of the system for animal food. Its fur is not nearly equal in. value to that of the red fox.