102 Nx\TURAL AND CIVIL 



day, but in the night venture into our yards, 

 and barns. These animals are yet in great 

 numbers, in this state ; they destroy many of 

 our sheep, in the night ; and find a safe retreat 

 in our woods, and mountains ; but arc gradual- 

 ly decreasing, as our settlements increase, and 

 extend. The wolf is a very prolific animal. 

 The female is in season in the winter, but the 

 male and female never pair. The time of ges- 

 tation, is about three months and an half ; and 

 the young whelps are found from the begin\jing 

 of May, until the month of July. The hunters 

 have sometimes found in their dens, a male, a 

 female, and a litter of nine young whelps. One 

 of the lai'gest wolves in Vermont, weighed nine- 

 ty two pounds. There is nothing valuable in 

 these animals but their skins, which afford a 

 warm and durable fur. 



The Deer is one of our most com.mon and 

 Valuable animals. In the spring he sheds his 

 hair, and appears of a light red ; this colour 

 gradually grows darker until autumn, when it 

 becomes a pale, or cinerous brown ; and re- 

 mains thus through the winter. His horns arc 

 slender, round, projecting forwards, and bent 

 into a curve ; with branches or shoots on the 

 interior side. These branches do not com- 

 mence, until the deer is three years old ; from 

 which period, a new one rises every year ; and 

 by this circumstance, the hunters compute their 

 age. These l.oms are cast every spring ; the 

 new ones, m the course of a yeai', will grow two' 

 feet in length, and Meigh from two to four 

 pounds. The amorous season with these ani- 

 mals, is in the month of September. From 



