WOLVES. 13 



itant of the plains and mountains west of the Missouri, and is found 

 from the British Possessions south into Mexico, from the inhab- 

 itants of which it has derived its common name, Coyote. In the 

 southern portion of its range it is a miserable cur scarcely larger 

 than the common fox. These two species, C. lupus and C. latrans, 

 are plenty generally throughout the west and the southwest, but 

 are most numerous in a buffalo country. They subsist on any 

 refuse they can pick up, and are always found on the outskirts 

 of settlements or forts slinking here and there, eking out what sub- 

 sistence they may by snatching any stray morsels of food that come 

 in their way. A band of wolves will follow a party of hunters, and 

 at any time half an hour after breaking camp in the morning, the 

 scavengers may be seen prowling around the still smoking fires, and 

 quarrelling over the debris of the morning meal. Very young buffalo 

 calves, and decrepid bulls or badly wounded animals are attacked 

 by these creatures in packs and torn to pieces. They will follow 

 a v/ounded bison for miles, waiting and watching for the animal to 

 lie down, when they will assail it from all quarters. Wolves breed 

 freely with the dog and in any Indian camp the traveller will see 

 dogs, so called, that cannot be distinguished from their wild cousins. 

 The young are brought forth in May and number from five to nine. 

 As often as the winter season sets in the hunters who make a 

 business of it start out on a wolfing expedition. The stock in trade 

 of a party engaged in " wolfing "consists in flour, bacon and strych- 

 nine, the first two articles named for their own consumption, the 

 last for the wolves. The first thing to be done is to procure a bait. 

 Generally a buffalo is used, but if it happens to be out of a buffalo 

 range, then an elk, deer, coon, or other animal is made to answer 

 the purpose. The carcass is then impregnated with the poison 

 and placed where it will do the most good. Sometimes as high as 

 fifty wolves will be found of a morning scattered about at intervals 

 of a few yards from the carcass that they ate so ravenously of the 

 , night before. 



The " wolfers " proceed to gather up animals slain, carry them 

 to camp, fix up another bait if necessary, and then commences the 

 labor of skinning and stretching. It is no uncommon thing fbjr a 

 party of three men to come down in the spring with fQW thousand 

 pelts, and as they will average about one dollar arxci ^ half apiece 



