1 4(>' ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



was one night awakened by a noise in his hog-pen. 

 On looking out he saw what he supposed to be a fox 

 on the low, sloping roof of the sty. He went out, but 

 found that the animal was a grey wolf, which instead 

 of making off, fiercely attacked him, rushing down the 

 roof towards him ; and before the man had time to 

 move back, the wolf had bitten his arm three times, 

 with his quick and repeated snaps, lacerating it from 

 the elbow to the wrist. Then, however, he leaped from 

 the roof to the ground, and by so doing lost his ad- 

 vantage ; for the man succeeded in seizing him on 

 each side of tne neck with his hands, and held him 

 firmly in that position till his wife, whom he called out, 

 came up with a large butcher's knife, and cut the 

 beast's throat. It was three months before the man's 

 arm was healed ; every incision, it was said, piercing to 

 the bone. 1 



A white wolf always attends the bull, called buffalo, 

 of Western America ; besides which, the same country 

 affords other varieties. Among them are the Coyotes, 

 or Medicine Wolves, of the Indians, who show them 

 great reverence. They are small, sagacious, and cun- 

 ning ; assemble in packs, and hunt in troops of from 

 three to thirty along the runs of deer and antelopes, 

 and run down their quarry. When game has been 

 killed by hunters, they sit patiently at a short dis- 

 tance, while larger wolves prowl around, pouncing on 

 the pieces thrown to them by the men, and which the 

 small ones drop instantly. They keep watch round 

 a camp at night, and gnaw the skin ropes of horses 

 and cattle. 



When the Coyotes, or small white wolves, of Mexico 



1 Grosse's Canadian Naturalist- 



