Penjyhania, Philadelphia* 223 



THEY have two forts of Wohes here, which 

 however feem to be of the fame fpecies. For 

 fome of them are yellowifh, or almoft pale 

 grey, and others are black or dark brown. All 

 the old Swedes related, that during their child- 

 hood, and ftill more at the arrival of their fa- 

 thers, there were exceffive numbers of wolves 

 in the country, and that their howling and 

 yelping might be heard all night. They like- 

 wife frequently tore in pieces, fheep, hogs, 

 and other young and fmall cattle. About that 

 time or foon after, when the Swedes and the 

 Englljh were quite fettled here, the Indians 

 were attacked by the fmall pox : this difeafe 

 they got from the Europeans* for th^y knew 

 nothing of it before : it killed many hundreds of 

 them and moft of the Indians* of the country, 

 then called New Sweden, died of it. The wolves 

 then came, attracted by the ftench of fo many 

 corpfes, in fuch great numbers that they de- 

 voured them all, and even attacked the poor 

 fick Indians in their huts, fo that the few 

 healthy ones had enough to flo, to drive them 

 away. But fince that time they have difap- 

 peared, fo that they are now feldom feen, and 

 it is very rarely that they commit any diforders. 

 This is attributed to the greater cultivation of 

 the country, and to their being killed in great 

 numbers. But further up the country, where 

 it is not yet fo much inhabited, they are ftill 

 very abundant. On the coafts of Penfyhania 

 and New Jerfey, the (heep ftay all night in the 

 fields, without the people's fearing the wolves : 

 however, to prevent their multiplying too much, 



there 



