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CANIS 



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C. ocArojm*, the Coyotl, Vulptt Iiulifti of Hernandez (' Hist. Qundr. 

 Nona Hup.,' a xiii.), appears to be the C'aygotte of the Mexican 

 Spaniards, and U " molt probably," the Lycitcu Cayollit of Smith. 

 This appear* to be the animal mentioned by Mr. bullock, in hu ' Six 

 Month* in Mexico.' "Near Rio Frio," aayi that traveller and 

 aaaiduoui collector, " we shot several handsome bird", and saw a 

 cayjotte or wild dog, which in size nearly approached the wolf. He 

 stood looking at us at a short distance from the road, and it wan not 

 till a gun was fired at him that he deliberately moved off." 



Hernandez describes the Coyotl to be an animal unknown to the 

 Old World, with a wolfs head, vivid large and pallid eyes, small and 

 nhorj> ears, a long black and not thick muzzle, muscular leg*, crooked 

 and thick dawn, a very rough and thick tail, a noxious bite, approaching 

 in form to the Fox, to which genus it is perhaps to be referred, and 

 intermediate between it and the Wolf in size ; for it is twice the size 

 of the fox and less than the wolf, wherefore it is said to attack and 

 kill not only sheep and similar animals, but stags, and sometimes even 

 men. It is covered with brown and white long hair, is sagacious in 

 hunting and vulpine in its manners, and HO pertinacious an avenger 

 of wrongs, and so mindful of the abstraction of its prey, that it will 

 recognise the robber after many days, will follow him, and sometimes 

 set upon him with others of its own kind, 4e. It i however grateful 

 to its benefactors. It lives in many places of New Spain, and 

 especially in those which are colder. It feeds upon the weaker 

 animals, maize and other frumentaceous vegetables, and sugar-cane. 



The Aguara Guazu of D'Azara is the Canit jubatut of Curier, the 

 Loup Rouge of the French, the Canit campettrit <>t the I'l iuoe de 

 Wied, and the Maned Aguara, Chrytocyon jubatut, of Smith. 



D'Azara thus describes this Red Wolf, to which the Payaguas 

 Indians give the name of Paraepaga, and the Chilians that of Culpeu. 

 In Moxos, he says, the animal goes by the appellation of Ocorome. 



Length of an adult male exactly 5 feet, that of the tail 19 inches, 

 the hairs being 4 inches long. Height in front 2 feet 104 inches, 

 behind 2 feet 1 1 inches ; circumference close to the fore legs wanting 

 half an inch of 2 feet, of the middle of the neck 1 foot ; and of the 

 head, before the ears, 1 foot 3 inches ; the ears 6 inches high, in their 

 broadest part 4 inches, erect, but not exactly sharp, and very thick. 

 From the tip of the muzzle to the ears 9] inches, and to the inner 

 angle of the eye 5 inches; the whiskers 2J inches long, and black. 

 The upper jaw projecting 1 inch; the canine teeth 10 lines long, 

 although they were very much worn ; eye small and somewhat sunk ; 

 from the eye forwards the muzzle of almost equal thickness to the 

 tip. Under the head a great white spot ; long hair within the ears, 

 and extreme half of tail white also. Fore and hind feet to the claws, 

 lower jaw from the corner of the mouth forwards, and extremity of 

 upper jaw, black ; rest of the coat clear yellowish-red. Mane com- 

 mencing at the occiput and continuing erect till beyond the shoulder, 

 5] inches long, red in the first half of each hair, and black in the 

 remainder towards the tip. Hair all over the body, including the 

 belly, except the lower part of the fore legs, very long, and on the 

 extremity of the spine 4J inches. D'Azara observes that it is neither 

 completely flattened nor very rough, and would make good carpets. 

 Hair of the tail rather bushy and of the same length as on the body. 



D'Azara caught four males at different times which were identical, 

 the smallest towards the end of September, which appeared to him 

 to have been whelped at the end of July or the beginning of August. 

 D'Azara's friend Noseda caught another about two months old, and 

 in the hope of domesticating it, fed it on raw beef, which it was unable 

 to digest, and which caused its death. D'Azara and Noseda caught 

 another afterwards, about three mouths old, and gave it raw beef 

 but seldom ; when it was given however the animal threw it up, and 

 to prevent this its meat was cooked, but still it was not digested. 

 This Aguara got loose from its chain and escaped. During its short 

 captivity, if anybody approached, it growled and barked like a dog, 

 but more vehemently and confusedly. It drank by lapping, and when 

 feeding trod on the flesh, which it tore to pieces with its teeth. This 

 animal was fond of rats, sugar-cane, oranges, eggs, and small birds ; 

 but did not appear to be attracted by the poultry, which sometimes 

 passed within its reach without its attempting to pounce upon them. 



D'Azara further states that in a wild state they do not commit 

 havoc on the herds or smaller flocks ; and as they inhabit only the 

 extensive lowlands and marshes of Paraguay as far as the river Plata 

 and near its mouth, he has no doubt that they feed on rats, guinea- 

 pigs, small birds, and certain vegetables, if these fall in their way; but 

 chiefly on snails, toads, frogs, atid other reptiles, and on the land- 

 crabs, which are abundant in the plains and sand-banks. They walk 

 with very long paces, run much, and are, D'Azara adds, great plun- 

 derers, although they always fly from man, and even from dogs. Tiny 

 young in burrows on the open plain , are solitary in their habits, and are said to swim well ; and in their 



by hunger to prowl amongst th Indian huts which were erected in 

 the immediate vicinity of Fort Franklin, but not being successful in 

 picking up aught to eat, it was found a few days afterwards lying 

 dead on the snow near the fort IU extreme emaciation and the 

 emptineas of iU intestines showed clearly that it died from inanition." 



We learn from the same excellent authority that the American 

 Wolf burrow*, and bring* forth its young in earths with several 

 outlets, like those of a fox. Sir John Richardson aaw some of their 

 burrows on the plains of the Saskatchewan, and also on the banks of 

 the Coppermine River. The number in a litter he states to vary from 

 four or five to eight or nine. After referring to the irortonfif 

 recorded in the narratives of Captain Parry and Captain Franklin of 

 the association of the female wolves with the domestic dog, he relates 

 that he was informed that the Indians endeavour to improve their 

 ledge-dogs by crossing the breed with wolves, and he adds, that the 

 resemblance between the northern wolves and the domestic dog of 

 the Indians is so great, that the size and strength of the wolf seem to 

 be the only difference. " I have more than once," says he, " mistaken 

 a band of wolves for the dogs of a party of Indians ; and the howl 

 of the animals of both species is prolonged so exactly in the same 

 key, that even the practised ear of an Indian fails at times to discri- 

 minate them." 



Captain Lyon gives the following account of the Esquimaux wolf- 

 trap. It is made of strong slabs of ice, long and narrow, so that a 

 fox can with difficulty turn himself in it, but a wolf must actually 

 remain in the position in which he is taken. The door is a heavy 

 portcullis of ice, sliding in two well-secured grooves of the same 

 substance, and is kept up by a line, which, passing over the top of the 

 trap, is carried through a bole at the furthest extremity ; to the end of 

 the line is fastened a small hoop of whalebone, and to this any kind 

 of flesh-bait is attached. From the slab which terminates the trap, a 

 projection of ice, or a peg of wood or bone, points inwards near the 

 bottom, and under this the hoop is lightly hooked ; the slightest pull 

 at the bait liberates it, the door falls in an instant, and the wolf is 

 speared where he lies. 



The following varieties of the North American Wolf are enumerated 

 by Sir John Richardson : 



Variety a. Common Gray Wolf, Lupiu griteui, the Mahaygan of the 

 Cree Indians, and the Amarok of the Esquimaux. 



Variety b. The White Wolf, L]u albui. 



Variety c. The Pied Wolf, Luput ttictc. 



Variety </. The Dusky Wolf, Luput nubUua, C'anit nulnliu of Say. 



The Dusky Wolf (Lapia nuliilui). 



Variety e. The Black American Wolf, Luput ater, Canit Lyceum of 

 Harlan. 



C. Intrant (Say), the Prairie Wolf, Li/citrut Intrant of Smith. 



The animals which are thus distinguished hare been long known to 

 voyagers on the Missouri and Saskatchewan, as distinct from the 

 Common Wolf. They are the Small Wolves of Du Pratz ; the Prairie 

 Wolf of Gaits ; the Prairie Wolf and Burrowing Dog of Lewis and 

 Clark, and of Schoolcraft ; the Cased Wolves of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company's list* ; and the Meesteh-chaggoneesh of the Cree Indians. 



Sir John Richardson states that the northern range of the Prairie 

 Wolf is about the 55th degree of latitude, and Unit it probably 

 extends southward to Mexico. It associates, according to him, in 

 greater numbers than the Gray Wolf of the same districts ; it hunts 

 in packs, and bring* forth its 



remote from the woods. On the banks of the Saskatchewan these | wild state to utter no sound but ' gouaa,' which they often and loudly 

 animals start from the earth in great numbers on hearing the report repeat BO as to be heard at a great distance. The sexes have no very 

 of a gun, and gather round the hunter expectant of the offal of the ' marked difference, 

 animal which he has slain. They are much more fleet than the I The Aguara Dogs (Duticyon of Smith) are a distinct race ; and so 



Common Wolves. Kir John Richardson was informed by an 

 experienced hunter who hail resided for forty years on the Saskat- 

 chewan, that the only animal on the plains which he could not over- 

 take, win ii mounted on a good horse, was the Prong-Horned Antelope, 

 and that the Prairie Wolf was the next in speed. 



are the Aguara Foxes (Cerdofyon of the same author). 



C. aurtut (Linnttus), the Jackal, or Tschakkal, Chacal or Loup DonS 

 of the French, Adive of Buffon. 



