MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 155 



careful and extended comparisons of specimens from tbe two continents, 

 the common wolves of the Old World and the New to be, in their opinion, 

 identical. But Dr. De Kay, giving but two lines to a consideration of the 

 subject, very summarily separates the American wolf from its Old World 

 congener under the name of Lupus occidentalis. Professor Baird, after 

 admitting the weight of authority to be in favor of the supposition of their 

 specific identity, considers them distinct, and adopts the name of " Canis 

 occidentalis " for the American species. In referring to the different 

 varieties of the North American wolf this author says : " For the present I 

 prefer to consider all as one species, and to assume this with good reason 

 as distinct from some at least of the European wolves, if that continent pos- 

 sesses more than one." Although previously admitting the unsatisfactory 

 character of his materials,* such a conclusion is but in accordance with his 

 usual apparent predilection for considering American animals as distinct 

 from their intimate affines of the Eastern continent, sometimes even where 

 the weight of authority is by far in favor of their identity, and his own ma- 

 terials for an original examination of the subject are either entirely wanting 

 or too scanty to be of much account.f 



In his article on the "Wolf (p. 10S) Baird gives us, however, a most interest- 

 ing and very valuable table of measurements of twenty-six skulls, chiefly 

 from the Platte River, but which includes others from Sweden and Russia, 

 as well as such remote points in North America as New York, Oregon, 

 Texas, and Mexico. Aside from the markedly smaller size of those from the 

 southern localities, the specimens do not appear to differ more than the 

 same number might from either of the localities mentioned. The table 

 shows variations in the proportion of breadth to length in the muzzle and 

 in the whole skull, and in its relative breadth at similar points ; but a care- 

 ful examination of all the measurements given shows that these differences 

 are inconstant, specimens from near the same locality differing as much or 

 more than those from distant points. Neither are the differences greater 

 nor different in kind from those New England specimens of the common 

 fox (Vtdpus fulvus), the woodchuck (Arctomys monax), the northern hare 

 Lupus Americanus), or the gray rabbit (L. sylvaticus), present, and which 

 in some of these species are sometimes exceeded. 



* " In the lack of perfect specimens of the North American wolf, 1 find it very difficult 

 to throw any light upon the long-vexed questions of our species, all before me being mu- 

 tilated in some way, and not allowing a satisfactory comparison with each other and 

 with descriptions." — N. Am. Mam., p. 105. After stating his conclusions in regard to 

 the matter, however, he in a later paragraph mentions the receipt of additional speci- 

 mens from the Yellowstone River. 



| But one species, the Guloluseus, is admitted in the Report on North American Mam- 

 mals, as specifically identical with any species of the Old World. In this case a strong 

 probability, in his estimation, of distinctness is hinted at. 



