_This animal is found wild in most of the countries of the Continent, and was formerly common in England._ The wolf affords to us nothing valuable but his _skin_, which makes a warm and durable fur. In North Carolina there is a kind of wolf the _skin_ of which, when properly dressed, makes good parchment; and, when tanned, is convertible into excellent summer shoes. The Indians frequently use these skins for beds, under an impression that they drive away bugs and fleas; and they imagine that nearly all parts of this animal are useful as remedies for different bodily disorders. In the ancient periods of our history wolves were so numerous and so destructive in England, that we are informed of places having been built in different parts of the island to defend passengers from their attacks. In the reign of Edward the First, a royal mandate was issued to a person whose name was Corbet, to superintend and assist in the destruction of wolves, in the several counties of Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, Salop, and Stafford; and numerous individuals held lands of the crown, by the duty of hunting and destroying wolves. The latest account that has occurred respecting the existence of wolves in England is under the date of 1281. The last wolf known to have been killed in Scotland was in the year 1680; and the date of the complete extinction of these animals in Ireland is 1710. 42. _The COMMON FOX_ (Canis vulpes, Fig. 24) _is an animal of the dog tribe, of brown colour, with sharp muzzle, erect and pointed ears, and straight and bushy tail tipped with white._ _This animal is found in almost every country of the world._ Although foxes occasionally commit great depredation in poultry-yards, and among game, they are serviceable to mankind by destroying many kinds of noxious animals. Their _skin_ also constitutes a soft and warm fur, which, in many parts of Europe, is used for muffs and tippets, for the linings of winter garments, and for robes of state. So great is the demand for these skins, that, at Lausanne, there are furriers, who in a single winter, have received betwixt two and three thousand of them from different parts of the adjacent country. The _flesh_ of the fox is eaten by the inhabitants of some countries of the Continent. 43. _The ARCTIC FOX_ (Canis lagopus) _is an animal of the dog tribe, smaller than the common fox, of white or bluish grey colour; the hair very thick, long, and soft, the tail straight and bushy, and the feet very hairy._ _The extreme parts of North America, and the country around the Frozen Sea, are those which the Arctic fox principally inhabits._ These animals are principally killed on account of their _skins_, their fur being light and warm, though not durable. In winter this changes to a _white_ colour, and becomes much thicker. The inhabitants of Greenland split the _tendons_, and use them as thread; they also sometimes eat the _flesh_ of these animals.