Wolves and Wolf-Hounds 225 



The wolf was just old enough to begin to 

 feel vicious and bloodthirsty, and to show 

 symptoms of attacking the deer. On the oc- 

 casion in question he got loose and ran to- 

 ward it, but it turned, and began to hit him 

 with its forefeet, seemingly in sport; whereat 

 he rolled over on his back before it, and acted 

 like a puppy at play. Soon it turned and 

 walked off; immediately the wolf, with brist- 

 ling hair, crawled after, and with a pounce 

 seized it by the haunch, and would doubtless 

 have murdered the bleating, struggling crea- 

 ture, had not the bystanders interfered. 



Where there are no domestic animals, 

 wolves feed on almost anything from a mouse 

 to an elk. They are redoubted enemies of 

 foxes. They are easily able to overtake them 

 in fair chase, and kill numbers. If the fox 

 can get into the underbrush, however, he can 

 dodge around much faster than the wolf, and 

 so escape pursuit. Sometimes one wolf will 

 try to put a fox out of a cover while another 

 waits outside to snap him up. Moreover, 

 the wolf kills even closer kinsfolk than the 

 fox. When pressed by hunger it will un- 

 doubtedly sometimes seize a coyote, tear it 

 in pieces and devour it, although during most 

 of the year the two animals live in perfect 



