DOG FAMILY 



71 



teen inches, its chest girth twenty-eight and one- 

 half inches, and its weight 102 pounds. A female 

 taken at the same place weighed only seventy- 

 five pounds. As already stated, the color vari- 

 ation among Gray Wolves is very great. The 

 skin of Mr. Seton's New Mexico specimen was 

 generally a dull yellowish-white ; cheeks, chest 

 and inside of hind legs nearly pure white. The 

 outer side of each limb, upper part of the muz- 

 zle, and the crown were tinged with a clear pale 

 sienna. From between the eyes, over the head 

 and back were black-tipped hairs ending on the 

 tail in a black spot. The under fur on the under 

 parts was brownish gray, becoming much darker 

 and browner on the upper parts. Below the 

 spot on the tail there was no under fur, but 

 " evidently a skin odor gland." The claws were 

 of dark horn color. Mr. Seton thinks this speci- 

 men represents the prevalent color. 



Mr. F. R. Burnham gives the following ob- 

 servations on a ^^'olf hunt : " While following 

 the tracks of two Grizzlies, we came upon a 

 bunch of eleven Wolves ; six were black and 

 five were gray. A day or two before they 

 had pulled down a young cow Moose and were 

 making this particular spot their headquarters. 

 Mac and I watched them for over an hour 

 through the glasses. We were probably within 

 400 yards of them. Their actions were similar 

 to a collie dog's. The youngsters would play, 

 run and jump and roll each other as you have 

 seen dogs do many a time. On the other hand, 

 the older Wolves would snarl and snap at each 

 other, and especially if one was disturbed during 

 his slumbers. After watching them for over an 

 hour we made our stalk and arrived within 100 

 yards without their having scented us. Upon 

 doing that, they immediately scattered, and I 

 managed to get five out of the bunch. Four 

 were black and one was gray. Of the four black 

 ones, two were in very good coat and two poor. 

 The gray had the best pelt of all. The two 

 poorer pelts of the blacks were a shade between 

 a blue-black and a snuff color. The front paws 

 were a deep tan ; also, the throats had a tendency 

 to that shade. The smallest of the five weighed 

 ninety-two pounds ; the largest, if I remember 

 correctly, 118 pounds." 



Gray Wolves mate any time between the last 

 week of January and the first week of March ; 

 the colder the region, the later the pairing. The 

 consensus of opinion among those who have had 

 the most favorable opportunities of studying 

 these animals seems to be that Gray Wolves 

 pair and that the partnership is permanent. 

 The den may be a hollow stump of a tree, a hole 



in the ground, dug by the parent Wolves, or 

 some natural cave. Sometimes two or three 

 she-wolves will use the same den together. Some 

 observations of a professional wolfer, given be- 

 low, are informing as to the interior of the den. 

 The gestation period is sixty-three days, and the 

 litters number from three to thirteen pups, six 

 or seven being the usual number. The eyes of 

 the little ones do not open till the ninth day. 

 The she-wolf has the reputation of being an 

 excellent mother, never killing or eating her 

 young as the Prairie Wolf does. She may often 

 be seen turning over rocks to obtain a supply 

 of crickets of which the pups are fond. 



The Bad Lands, alkali deserts, and the Hud- 

 son Bay Barren Grounds still harbor large num- 

 bers of Gray Wolves ; but the W'olf of today is 

 comparatively shy, doubtless due to its experi- 

 ence with modern firearms. Indeed, shooting can 

 no longer be depended upon to restrict its num- 

 bers. Some observers consider the Gray W'olf 

 a more cunning animal than the Fox. It certainly 

 shows great ingenuity in evading traps ; and, 

 although bounties ranging from two dollars to 

 fifteen dollars are offered for its destruction, 

 cattlemen in some States offering as high as fifty 

 dollars for a notorious freebooter, considerable 

 skill and astuteness have to be used to secure one. 



A professional wolfer says : " The time to 

 catch the W'olves is when they are going back 

 to their dens ; if the dam sees you, she will try 

 to lead you away. There's nothing to be afraid 

 of about Wolves, when once you know their 

 peculiar way of acting. Their jaws and teeth 

 are as stout and strong as a pair of sheep shears, 

 and they are powerful biters, but a Wolf won't 

 fight as long as he can hide his head. Gener- 

 ally at the bottom of the den or hole there is a 

 little space or boudoir where they raise the pups, 

 and at one side of this room there is a little 

 hole. When the hunter crawls into the den, the 

 big Wolf will hide her head in this little hole and 

 think she is safe." 



The fur of the Gray Wolf makes a fine robe, 

 and a skin fetches on the London market from 

 seven dollars to fifteen dollars, according to size 

 and quality. 



The Gray Wolf has often been crossed with 

 the domestic dog, and in the North such half- 

 breeds have been utilized in drawing sledge trains. 

 In captivity, according to Dr. Hornaday. they 

 retain all their meanness, treachery, and cruelty. 

 " No matter how well yarded, well fed or com- 

 fortable, a Wolf will watch and coax for hours 

 to induce a neighbor in the next cage to thrust 

 through tail or paw, so that he may instantly 



