Natural History of the Wolf. 209 



ARTICLE 'XXS.W.— Natural History of the Wolf, {Canis Lupus,) and 



its varieties. 



Genus canis, (Linnaeus.) 

 Dental Formula. — Incisive, | ; Canine, j-\ ; Molar, 



6 B 



Generic Characters. — •* The three first in the upper jaw, and the 

 four in the lower, trenchant but small, and called also false molars. The 

 great carnivorous tooth above bi-cuspid, with a small tubercle on the inner 

 side, that below with the posterior lobe altogether tubercular, and two tuber- 

 culous teeth behind each of the great carnivorous teeth ; muzzle, elongate ; 

 tongue soft ; ears erect, (sometimes pendant in the domestic varieties) ; fore 

 feet pentadactylous, (five-toed) ; hind feet tetradactylous, (four-toed) ; teats 

 both inguinal and ventral." * 



Canis Lupus, (Linn.) The American Wolf. 



There are several varieties of the American Wolf differing so much from 

 each other as to lead naturalists to suspect that they are distinct species, and 

 did not originate from the same primeval stock. They are all about the same 

 size, and band together in the same pack ; the Black, White, Grey, and Red 

 being often seen in the same company. The Grey Wolf, the variety most 

 common in Canada, bears a very striking resemblance to the European Wolf, 

 There are, however, differences which appear to be permanciit, and which 

 occur in all the varieties of American Wolves ,• the body is generally more 

 robust ; the legs shorter and the muzzle thicker and more obtuse in the 

 latter. Audubon and Backman state that " they have examined a number 

 of European Wolves, and although there were great differences between the 

 various specimens, they were not able to satisfy themselves that the American 

 Wolf is the largest, as supposed by other authors. They regard them as 

 about the same size, and as exhibiting only varieties, not specific differences. 

 The body of the American Grey Wolf is long and gaunt ; muzzle elongated^ 

 and somewhat thicker than that of the Pyrenean Wolf ; head thick ; nose 

 long ; ears erect and conical ; eyes oblique, as is the case in all true wolves — 

 pupil of the eye circular ; tail straight, and bushy. The animal does not curl 

 it over the back like a dog. ' 



" Behind the cheek there is a bunch of hairs, which look like a collar. 

 The hairs are of two kinds, the longer coarse and rigid, the under fuf soft 

 and woolly ; whiskers very few, and coarse and rigid ; nails long, slightly 

 arched. The long hairs, from their roots, for one third of their length, are 

 yellowish white, then a broad band of brown follows, succeeded by yellowish 

 brovv^n, and the tips are black. The under fur is ashy brown. On the under 

 surface the long hairs are white, nearly to the roots. 



" The general appearance of the upper surface is dark brindled grey, 

 with an indistinct dorsal line a little darker than the colour of the sidest, 



* Audubon & Bachman's Quadrupeds of America^ vol. 2, page 1S6» 

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