 Depictions of kitsune or their possessed victims may feature round or onion @-@ shaped white balls known as hoshi no tama ( <unk> , star balls ) . Tales describe these as glowing with kitsunebi . Some stories identify them as magical jewels or <unk> . When not in human form or possessing a human , a kitsune keeps the ball in its mouth or carries it on its tail . Jewels are a common symbol of Inari , and representations of sacred Inari foxes without them are rare . 
