THE ANTARCTIC WOLF. 



The influence of environment upon the size of 

 animals explains many difficult problems of varia- 

 tion. Per contra, from the mere external characters 

 and dimensions of an adult of any species one can 

 approximately guess its habits. Thus many of the 

 cetacea have developed huge proportions {e.g., the 

 sperm whale), because the water in which they live 

 adequately supports the weight of a huge frame. On 

 the other hand, animals whose avoirdupois must not 

 exceed the strength of the boughs about which they 

 climb are never of excessive size : monkeys and sloths 

 for example. Even the gorilla and orang outang are 

 relatively small as compared with elephants and 

 rhinoceroses. Again, beasts inhabiting mountains 

 (chamois, hyrax, Cape zebra) attain but compara- 

 tively small dimensions ; for large animals (indeed 

 those with broad feet merely) would be unable to 

 secure any hold on the edges of beetling precipices. 

 Lastly, island forms are of small size, especially 

 if restricted to a very limited distributional area : 

 example, the Antarctic wolf. 



The Antarctic wolf (Cams antarcticits) is now 

 wholly exterminated. It inhabited the South Falk- 

 land Islands in the South Atlantic, stood about 15 

 inches at the shoulder, and in general outlines 

 resembled a small coyote or prairie wolf. From the 



