Shiloh takes place in West Virginia, and it’s about a dog.
So you’d think that I would have read it, right?
But you’d be wrong.
I read the first page and half or so, and the main character claims to have seen a fox that was half red (Vulpes) and half gray (Urocyon).
You are just as likely to find one of those as the sasquatch or maybe find that Chesapeake Bay retrievers really do have otter in them.
Urocyon is one of the most primitive forms of wild dog, and one of only two that retains the ability to climb trees. It superficially looks like a fox, so we call it a fox.
If we had a better word for them besides “gray fox,” I’d call them that.
I suppose I’m weird that way, but I’m a stickler for zoological correctness.
Just think of all the children who read that book and think that it is possible to cross these foxes.
If you put a red and a gray in the same cage, you have a bad fox fight.
And the gray will win.
Reds fear the grays. Those who use calls to hunt foxes know that reds will not come in on a gray call. A gray will come in on a red call, but reds will avoid the gray at all costs.
The grays will displace the reds in the wild, even though the two don’t exactly use the same habitat.
At last I will try to comment some on your blog(testing, testing, 1, 2, 3,…..)As you know, I’ve been wearing my right index finger(I don’t actually “type”) to a nub trying to “edjumakate” that Conformation Dog Show afficiondo on the Querencia blog(under the comments on the Chow article)….. Anyhoo–I encounter this “Reds crossing with Greys” in the local fox lore all the time–it is very common(and many people just don’t know any better). I believe a lot of it stems from the fact that Grey Foxes have rust red markings, and many people assume(wrongly) that this bit of reddish color means they are crosses with Reds–I’ve even had people state such to me! And they never like it much when I attempt to correct them…….L.B.
It worked.
I’m glad you’re commenting on my blog now.
Been years since I’ve read that book. Basically all I remember now is that it was about a beagle named after the Shiloh school house. Can’t remember ANYTHING about foxes :P
I have a much better memory of the events in Where The Red Fern Grows, despite having read them both for school projects. I guess the coonhounds just made for a better story!
I can remember the West Virginia accents were more suitable for Logan County than Wetzel County, which borders on both Ohio and PA.
It’s Tyler County, the one just down the Ohio.
When we go to the WV/OH border, it’s not hard to fall into the accent of the area when we’re out in public. Behind closed doors though, we go back to proper English.
I think it’s more the general Appalachian region than anything. As for the cities around the Ohio, I’d have to say that they’ve stagnated more than they’ve grown more refined with time, even with all the updates and new buildings at the Marietta College.
We had to laugh when someone tried to put a high-class steakhouse with prices through the roof right outside Williamstown. I don’t think it lasted a year and the building is still sitting empty as far as I know.
I grew up less than 45 miles from Parkersburg. The hospital I was born in (in P-burg) was just a block from the Belpre Bridge.
I don’t know if you knew this, but if you go south of Charleston (the capital), the accent abruptly changes.
They talk like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRCWU6cHywk
That guy is infamous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesco_White
I’ve spent too much time within sight of PA to have retained my accent.
I almost went to Marietta College.