Ranching in the Bad Lands. 2 3 



fond of trying to catch young foals, but do not often suc- 

 ceed, for the mares and foals keep together in a kind of 

 straggling band, and the foal is early able to run at good 

 speed for a short distance. When attacked, the mare and 

 foal dash off towards the rest of the band, which gathers 

 together at once, the foals pressing into the middle and 

 the mares remaining on the outside, not in a ring with 

 their heels out, but moving in and out, and forming a solid 

 mass into which the wolves do not venture. Full-grown 

 horses are rarely molested, while a stallion becomes him- 

 self the assailant. 



In early spring when the cows begin to calve the 

 wolves sometimes wait upon the herds as they did of old 

 on the buffalo, and snap up any calf that strays away from 

 its mother. When hard pressed by hunger they will kill 

 a steer or a heifer, choosing the bitterest and coldest 

 night to make the attack. The prey is invariably seized 

 by the haunch or flank, and its entrails afterwards torn 

 out ; while a cougar, on the contrary, grasps the neck or 

 throat. Wolves have very strong teeth and jaws and 

 inflict a most severe bite. They will in winter come up 

 to the yards and carry away a sheep, pig, or dog without 

 much difficulty ; I have known one which had tried to 

 seize a sheep and been prevented by the sheep dogs to 

 canter off with one of the latter instead. But a spirited 

 dog will always attack a wolf. On the ranch next below 

 mine there was a plucky bull terrier, weighing about 

 twenty-five pounds, who lost his life owing to his bravery. 

 On one moonlight night three wolves came round the 

 stable, and the terrier sallied out promptly. He made 



