212 Natural History of the Wolf. 



my first impulse was to punish the dog, which was still clinging to me 

 in fear. I looked round and beheld a monstrous wolf, within a few feet of 

 me. From these attitudes, I felt convinced the dog had started the wrong 

 game and had caught a tartar, he soon retired, and upon examining the dog 

 his hind parts were covered with saliva from the wolf's mouth. I immedi- 

 ately went on, as it commenced snowing, and followed his track for twelve 

 miles before he left the path. The dog was a brave one, yet I could not 

 keep him from my feet the whole of that distance ; many dogs will attack a 

 bear that cannot be got to look at a wolf, although well backed by 

 numbers." 



The following is from the English Cyclopaedia : — 



" Sir John Kichardson, in the ' Fauna Boreali- Americana,* observes 

 that the Common Wolves of the Old and New Worlds have been generally 

 supposed to be the same species — the Canis Lupus of Linnaeus. The 

 American naturalists have indeed, he remarks, described some of the northern 

 kinds of wolf as distinct ; but it never seems to have been doubted that a 

 wolf possessing all the characters of the European Wolf exists within the 

 limits of the United States. He then goes on to point out that the wolf to 

 which these characters have been ascribed seemed to be the Large Brown 

 Wolf of Lewis and Clark ; and, according to them, it inhabits not only the 

 Atlantic countries, but also the borders of the Pacific and the mountains 

 which approach the Columbia River, between the great falls and rapids, but 

 is not found on the Missouri to the westward of the Platte. Richardson 

 remarks that he had seen none of these Brown Wolves. 



" In the *' New Description of Virginia,' (1640) wolves are mentioned 

 among the beasts found there ; and Lawson notices the Wolf of Carolina, 

 and thus describes him : — " The Wolf of Carolina is the dog of the woods. 

 The Indians had no other curs before the Christians came amongst them. 

 They are made domestic. When wild, they are neither so large nor fierce 

 as the European Wolf. They are not man-slayers, neither is any creature in 

 Carolina unless wounded. They go in great droves in the night to hunt 

 deer, which they do as well as the best pack of hounds ; nay, one of these 

 will hunt down a deer. They are often so poor that they can hardly run. — 

 When they catch no prey they go to a swamp, and fill their belly full of mud ; 

 if afterwards they chance to get anything of flesh, they will disgorge the mud 

 and eat the other. When they hunt in the night, and there are a great many 

 together, they make the most hideous and frightful noise that ever was heard. 

 The fur makes good mufls. The skin, dressed to a parchment, makes the 

 best drum-heads, and if tanned makes the best sort of shoes for the summer 

 countries." 



" Catesby says : — " The wolves in America are like those of Europe 

 in shape and colour, but are somewhat smaller. They are more timorous, 

 and not so voracious as those of Europe. A drove of them will fly from a 

 single man, yet in very severe weather there have been some instances to the 

 contrary. Wolves were domestic with the Indians, who had no other doga 

 before those of Europe were introduced, since which the breed of wolves and 



