318 



ANIMALS OF 



tail, also, in this animal, is long and bushy; and 

 he carries it rather more between his hind legs 

 than the clog is seen to do. The colour of the 

 eye-balls in the wolf are of a fiery green, and 

 give his visage a fierce and formidable air, 

 which his natural disposition does by no 

 means contradict.* 



The wolf is one of those animals whose ap- 

 petite for animal food is the most vehement ; 

 and whose means of satisfying this appetite 

 are the most various. Nature has furnished 

 him with strength, cunning, agility, and all 

 those requisites which fit an animal for pursu- 

 ing, overtaking, and conquering its prey ; and 

 yet, with all these, the wolf most frequently 

 dies of hunger, for he is the declared enemy of 

 man. Being long proscribed, and a reward 

 offered for his head, he is obliged to fly from 

 human habitations, and to live in the forest, 

 where the few wild animals to be found there 

 escape him either by their swiftness or their 

 art ; or are supplied in too small a proportion 

 to satisfy his rapacity. He is naturally dull 

 and cowardly ; but frequently disappointed, 

 and, as often reduced to the verge of famine, he 

 becomes ingenious from want, and courageous 

 from necessity. When pressed with hunger, 

 he braves danger, and comes to attack those 

 animals which are under the protection of 

 man, particularly such as he can readily carry 

 away, lambs, sheep, or even dogs themselves, 

 for all animal food becomes then equally agree- 

 able. When this excursion has succeeded, he 

 often returns to the charge, until having been 

 wounded, or hard pressed by the dogs or the 

 shepherds, he hides himself by day in the 

 thickest coverts, and only ventures out at 

 night ; he then sallies forth over the country, 

 keeps peering round the villages, carries off 

 such animals as are not under protection, at- 

 tacks the sheepfolds, scratches up and under- 

 mines the thresholds of doors where they 

 are housed, enters furiously, and destroys all 

 before he begins to fix upon and carry off his 

 prey. When these sallies do not succeed, he 

 then returns to the thickest part of the forest, 

 content to pursue those smaller animals, which, 

 even when taken, afford him but a scanty 

 supply. He there goes regularly to work, 



a The rest of this history of the wolf is taken from Mr. 

 Buffon ; and I look upon it as a complete model for na- 

 tural history. If I add or differ, I mark it as usual. 



follows by the scent, opens to the view, still 

 keeps following, hopeless himself of overtaking 

 the prey, but expecting that some other wolf 

 will corne in to his assistance, and then con- 

 tent to share the spoil. At last, when his ne- 

 cessities are very urgent, he boldly faces cer- 

 tain destruction ; he attacks women and chil- 

 dren, and sometimes ventures even to fall upon 

 men, becomes furious by his continual agita- 

 tions, and ends his life in madness. 



The wolf, as well externally as internally, 

 so nearly resembles the dog, that he seems 

 modelled upon the same plan ; and yet he only 

 offers the reverse of the model. If his form be 

 like, his nature is so different, that he only pre- 

 serves the ill qualities of the dog, without any 

 of his good ones. Indeed, they are so different 

 in their dispositions, that no two animals can 

 have a more perfect antipathy to each other. 

 A young dog shudders at the sight of a wolf; 

 he even shuns his scent, which, though un- 

 known, is so repugnant to his nature, that he 

 comes trembling to take protection near his 

 master. A dog who is stronger, and who 

 knows his strength, bristles up at the sight, 

 testifies his animosity, attacks him with cou- 

 rage, endeavours to put him to flight, and does 

 all in his power to rid himself of a presence 

 that is hateful to him. They never meet 

 without either flying or fighting ; fighting for 

 life and death, and without mercy on either 

 side. If the wolf is the stronger, he tears and 

 and devours his prey : the dog, on the contra- 

 ry, is more generous, and contents himself 

 with his victory ; he does not seem to think 

 that the body of a dead enemy smells ivell ; he 

 leaves him where he falls, to serve as food for 

 birds of prey, or for other wolves, since they 

 devour each other ; and when one wolf hap- 

 pens to be desperately wounded, the rest track 

 him by his blood, and are sure to show him 

 no mercy. 



The dog, even in his savage state, is not 

 cruel ; he is easily tamed, and continues firmly 

 attached to his master. The wolf, when taken 

 young, becomes tame, but never has an at- 

 tachment : Nature is stronger in him than 

 education ; he resumes with age his natural 

 dispositions, and returns as soon as he can to 

 the woods from whence he was taken. Dogs, 

 even of the dullest kinds, seek the company of 

 other animals ; they are naturally disposed to 

 follow and accompany other creatures besides 



