THE GRAY AND BLACK WOLVES. 25 1 



THE AMERICAN WOLF. 



The Gray Wolf, Cants occidentalis (Plate XVII), is covered with long 

 and fine fur; its form is more robust than the European, its muzzle thicker 

 and more obtuse, its head larger and rounder, its forehead more arched, 

 its ears shorter and wider. In the Eurojjean Wolf the fur is coarser, with 

 less of soft wool under the long hair, and its tail is more thinly clothed 

 with fur. 



The body of the Gray American Wolf is long and gaunt, muzzle 

 elongat.ed, head thick, nose long, ears erect and conical, the eyes oblique, 

 the pupil circular, the tail straight and bushy. 



In Gray's classification it represents the genus Urocyon. 



The LOBO, Canis occidentalis, var. gigas, is regarded by Audubon as 

 identical with the Common Gray Wolf. He relates that some hunter? 

 with a pack of half a dozen fox-hounds struck the trail of a Giant Wolf 

 near Fort Gibson. He dashed boldly into the prairie, making a straight 

 course for the hills on the other side, a distance of three miles. Here he 

 took cover, and when dislodged again took to the plain. In this way he 

 made bold dashes from cover to cover, till at the end of five hours he 

 was brought to bay 



A desperate fight then ensued, dog after dog recoiled more or less 

 injured till, when all the combatants were exhausted, and the hunters 

 could at last distinguish in the crowd which was dog and which was 

 wolf, the latter was knocked on the head with a heavy club. 



Col. McCall says the striking marks of distinction in this variety are 

 the size and breadth of the head, and the smallness of the tail ; the former 

 forms nearly an equilateral triangle, the latter is short and scant of hair. 



The Black Wolf, Canis occidentalis, var. a/^r (Plate XVII), is found 

 chiefly in Florida at present ; but Audubon saw it in considerable num- 

 bers during his residence in Kentucky. At one time he was with a 

 planter who had taken three wf)lves in a pit, and was astonished to see 

 his friend coolly jump down and hamstring the beasts, which were then 

 dragged out and given to the dogs. On another occasion he saw a 

 beautiful black wolf following its owner, who assured the naturalist that 

 no dog could trail deer better. He tells, however, a story of an attack 

 by black wolves on negroes. Both fought bravely, but soon one of the 

 negroes ceased to move, and the other, despairing of aiding his comrade, 



