188 Scientific Intelligence, — Zoology. 



the country that are thickly wooded, and delights particularly 

 in cane-brakes, where it feeds in the winter on the tender shoots 

 of the young cane. The meat is tender and finely flavoured, 

 and is esteemed a great delicacy. Wolves are very numerous in 

 every part of the state. There are two kinds : the common or 

 black wolf, and the prairie wolf. The former is a large fierce 

 animal, and very destructive to sheep, pigs, calves, poultry, and 

 even young colts. They hunt in large packs, and after using 

 every stratagem to circumvent their prey, attack it with re- 

 markable forocity. Like the Indian, they always endeavour to 

 surprise their victim, and strike the mortal blow without ex- 

 posing themselves to danger. They seldom attack man except 

 when asleep or wounded. The largest animals, when wounded, 

 entangled, or otherwise disabled, become their prey, but in 

 general they only attack such as are incapable of resistance. 

 They have been known to lie in wait upon the bank of a stream, 

 which the buffaloes were in the habit of crossing, and, when one 

 of those unwieldy animals was so unfortunate as to sink in the 

 mire, spring suddenly upon it, and worry it to death, while 

 thus disabled from resistance. Their most common prey is the 

 deer, which they hunt regularly ; but all defenceless animals 

 are alike acceptable to their ravenous appetites. When tempted 

 by hunger, they approach the farm-houses in the night, and 

 snatch their prey from under the very eye of the farmer ; and 

 when the latter is absent with bis dogs, the wolf is sometimes 

 seen by the females lurking about in mid-day, as if aware of the 

 unprotected state of the family. Our heroic females have some- 

 times shot them under such circumstances. The smell of burn- 

 ing assafoetida has a remarkable effect upon this animal. If a 

 fire be made in the woods, and a portion of this drug thrown 

 into it, so as to saturate the atmosphere with the odour, the 

 wolves, if any are within reach of the scent, immediately assemble 

 around, howling in the most mournful manner ; and such is the 

 remarkable fascination under which they seem to labour, that 

 they will often suffer themselves to be shot down rather than 

 quit the spot. Of the very few instances of their attacking 

 human beings of which we have heard, the following may serve 

 to give some idea of their habits : In very early times, a Negro 

 man was passing in the night, in the lower part of Kentucky, 



