1 84 THE ARCTIC WOLF. Chap. XI. 



Wolves are sparingly distributed over all arctic lands 

 wherever reindeer exist, excepting only Greenland, Iceland, 

 and Spitzbergen, where, happily for the latter, they are 

 unknown ; this may be partly due to their want of courage 

 and instinct to venture out upon the ice and cross wide 

 straits, as even the tiny lemming does. Their fur becomes 

 white in winter and brown in summer. 



For several months a wolf lived about our ships in Wel- 

 lington Channel ; as his appearance was duly entered in the 

 log-book, it was found that he made excursions from one to 

 the other, being one day near the ' Assistance,' and next 

 day fifty-two geographical miles off, at the ' North Star.' 



They have been seen attempting to surprise seals upon 

 the ice ; but their chief dependance is upon the reindeer. 

 A pack of ten of them have been observed manoeuvring 

 about a herd until they succeeded in cutting off a straggler ; 

 their next stratagem was to surround it, and then, gradually 

 and without alarming it, close in until sufficiently near for a 

 simultaneous rush, when instantly it was torn to pieces, and 

 in a few seconds scarcely a fragment of it remained. 



I believe that wolfish propensities attain their perfection 

 under the pressing necessities of this climate. Our arctic 

 species is gaunt, meagre, and insatiable of course, a 

 cowardly, slouching, yet untiring beast, that one feels it a 

 virtue to hate ; and he is cunning to a degree that con- 

 founded all our devices for his capture. As to coming upon 

 him unawares, an officer x has told me that one took up 

 his residence in a cleft in the rocks near the ship, and there 

 he would sleep for hours, out of bullet range, but near enough 

 for an observer with a telescope to discover, that on the 

 slightest noise on board he would erect his ears. No one 

 ever got within shot of that wolf ! 



1 Dr. Philpots, of the 'Queen,' of Peterhead. 



