Wolves and IV olf -Hounds. 393 



houses. They even venture into the hamlet of Medora 

 itself at night as the coyotes sometimes do by day. In 

 the spring of '92 we put on some eastern two-year-old 

 steers ; they arrived, and were turned loose from the stock- 

 yards, in a snowstorm, though it was in early May. Next 

 morning we found that one had been seized, slain, and 

 partially devoured by a big wolf at the very gate of the 

 stockyard ; probably the beast had seen it standing near 

 the yard after nightfall, feeling miserable after its journey, 

 in the storm and its unaccustomed surroundings, and 

 had been emboldened to make the assault so near town 

 by the evident helplessness of the prey. 



The big timber wolves of the northern Rocky Moun- 

 tains attack every four-footed beast to be found where 

 they live. They are far from contenting themselves with 

 hunting deer and snapping up the pigs and sheep of the 

 farm. When the weather gets cold and food scarce they 

 band together in small parties, perhaps of four or five in- 

 dividuals, and then assail anything, even a bear or a 

 panther. A bull elk or bull moose, when on its guard, 

 makes a most dangerous fight ; but a single wolf will 

 frequently master the cow of either animal, as well as 

 domestic cattle and horses. In attacking such large game, 

 however, the wolves like to act in concert, one springing 

 at the animal's head, and attracting its attention, while the 

 other hamstrings it. Nevertheless, one such big wolf will 

 kill an ordinary horse. A man I knew, who was engaged 

 in packing into the Coeur d'Alenes, once witnessed such 

 a feat on the part of a wolf. He was taking his pack 

 train down into a valley when he saw a horse grazing 



