5 o2 THE CARNIVORES 



supplied him by American naturalists, states that at the present day the wolf is found 

 east of the Mississippi and south of Canada only in the still nearly unsettled parts of 

 the country, as the northern portion of New England and New York, portions of the 

 Alleghanies, Southern Florida, and possibly in the sparsely-settled parts of the 

 interior states south of the Ohio. It is only abundant in the remote districts of 

 Maine. West of the Mississippi its numbers are very small in comparison with its 

 former abundance, while over vast areas it has been wholly extirpated. 



Wolves inhabit both open country and forests ; and although generally found 

 in pairs, or solitary, they at times, and more especially in winter, associate in large 

 numbers. They wander abroad both in the daytime and at night. Although 

 usually cowardly, the wolf becomes bolder and more daring, stealing its prey by 

 night, when driven by hunger, or when hunting together. Stories of the attacks of 

 wolves, when in packs, upon travelers in Russia are so numerous, and have been so 

 frequently quoted that it will be unnecessary to repeat any of them here ; but it may 

 be mentioned that in the year 1875 no less than one hundred and sixty-one persons 

 fell victims to these animals in Russia. Writing of the wolf of the Adirondack re- 

 gion, Dr. Merriam observes that during the deep snows a small pack of wolves will 

 sometimes kill hundreds of deer, taking here and there a bite, but leaving the greater 

 number untouched. In the earlier days of American farming, a couple of these ma- 

 rauders have been known to kill fifteen or sixteen sheep in a single night, simply 

 tearing open their throats without otherwise damaging the carcasses. When the bison 

 existed in countless thousands on the prairies of North America, wolves were in the 

 habit of prowling around the herds for the purpose of preying on sick or wounded 

 individuals and such calves as strayed from the protection of their elders. Fre- 

 quently, it is stated, wolves might be seen wandering in the midst of a herd of bull 

 bison without attracting the least attention. In general, almost any kind of prey is 

 acceptable to the wolf, which does not by any means disdain a meal of carrion. The 

 larger Mammals, such as cattle, horses, and the bigger kinds of deer, are generally 

 only attacked when several wolves are associated together ; but it is stated that in 

 Canada a single wolf will kill the largest male reindeer. Birds always form an 

 acceptable portion of the wolf's diet. When hard pressed by hunger, wolves will 

 eat almost anything they come across, down to mice and frogs, and, it is said, even 

 buds of trees and lichens. 



The lair of the wolf is formed either in a rocky cavern, within the hollow of a 

 fallen trunk, beneath the roots of an overthrown tree, or more rarely in holes in the 

 ground ; such burrows being sometimes dug by the animal itself. A dense thicket 

 will also not unfrequently serve as a hiding place. In these lairs the cubs are born, 

 the number in a litter generally varying from six to ten. The cubs, which are 

 born in the spring, usually remain with their parents till the end of November or 

 December, but may sometimes continue with them for a much longer period. The 

 ordinary cry of the wolf is a loud and prolonged howl. The amount of noise, writes 

 Dr. Merriam, that a single wolf is capable of producing is simply astonishing ; and 

 many amusing episodes of camp lore owe their origin to this fact. More than one 

 lone traveler has hastily taken to a tree, and remained in the inhospitable shelter of 

 its branches for an entire night, believing himself surrounded by a pack of at least 



