THE DOG KIND. 



321 



to have a very good starter to put up the 

 wolf; and it is even convenient to use every 

 art to encourage him in his pursuit; for all 

 dogs have a natural repugnance against this 

 animal, and are but cold in their endeavours. 

 When the wolf is once put up, it is then prp- 

 'per to have grayhounds to let fly at him, in 

 leashes, one after the other. The first leash 

 is sent after him in the beginning, seconded 

 by a man on horseback ; the second are let 

 loose about half a mile farther, and the third 

 wh n the rest of the dogs come up with, and j 

 begin to bait him. He for a long time keeps 

 them off, stands his ground, threatens them 

 on all sides, and often gets away ; but usually 

 the hunters arriving, come in aid of the dogs, 

 and help to despatch him with their cutlass- 

 es. When the animal is killed, the dogs tes- 

 tify no appetite to enjoy their victory, but 

 leave him where he falls, a frightful specta- 

 cle, and even in death hideous. 



The wolf is sometimes also hunted with 

 harriers ; but as he always goes straight for- 

 ward, and often holds his speed for a. whole 

 day together, this kind of chase is tedious 

 and disagreeable, at least if the harriers are 

 not assisted by grayhounds, who may harass 

 him at every view. Several other arts have 

 been also used to take and destroy this nox- 

 ious animal. He is surrounded and wounded 

 by men and large house-dogs; he is secured 

 in traps ; he is poisoned by carcasses, pre- 

 pared and placed for that purpose, arid is 

 caught in pit-falls. " Gesner tell us of a friar, 

 a woman, and a wolf, being taken in one of 

 these, all in the same night. The woman lost 

 her senses with the fright, the friar his repu- 

 tation, and the wolf his life." All these dis- 

 asters, however, do not prevent this animal's 

 multiplying in great numbers, particularly 

 in countries where the woods are plenty. 

 France, Spain, and Italy, are greatly infested 

 with them ; but England, Ireland, and Scot- 

 land, are happily set free. 



King Edgar is said to be the first who at- 

 tempted to rid this kingdom of such disa- 

 greeable inmates, by commuting the punish- 

 ment of certain crimes into the acceptance 

 of a number of wolves' tongues for each cri- 

 minal. 8 However, some centuries after, these 



* British Zoology, p. 62. 



animals were again increased to such a de- 

 gree, as to become the object of royal atten- 

 tion ; accordingly Edward the First issued 

 out his mandate to one Peter Corbet to su- 

 perintend and assist in the destruction of 

 them. They are said to have infested Ire- 

 land long after they were extirpated in Eng- 

 land ; however, the oldest men in that coun- 

 try remember nothing of these animals ; and 

 it is probable that there have been none 

 there for more than a century past. Scot- 

 land also is totally free. 



The colour of this animal differs according 

 to the different climates where it is bred, and 

 often changes even in the same country. Be- 

 side the common wolves, which are found in 

 France and Germany, there are others with 

 thicker hair, inclining to yellow. These are 

 more savage and less noxious than the for- 

 mer, neither approaching the flocks nor ha- 

 bitations, and living rather by the chase than 

 rapine. In the northern climates there are 

 found some quite black, and some white all 

 over. The former are larger and stronger 

 than those of any other kinds. 



The species is very much diffused in every 

 part of the world, being found in Asia, Africa, 

 and in America, as well as Europe. The 

 wolves of Senegal resemble those of France, 

 except that they are larger and much fiercer 

 than those of Europe. Those of Egypt are 

 smaller than those of Greece. In the east, 

 the wolf is trained up for a show, being 

 taught to dance and play tricks ; and one of 

 these thus educated often sells for four or 

 five hundred crowns. " It is said that in Lap- 

 land the wolf will never attack a rein-deer 

 that is seen haltered ; for this wary animal, 

 being well acquainted with the nature of a 

 trap, suspects one whenever it perceives a 

 rope. However, when he sees the deer en- 

 tirely at liberty, he seldom fails to destroy it. 

 " The wolf of North America is blacker 

 and much less than those in other parts of 

 the world, and approaches nearer in form to 

 the dog than those of the ordinary kind. b In 

 fact, they were made use of as such by the 

 savages till the Europeans introduced others; 

 and even now, on the remoter shores, or the 

 more inland parts of the country, the sa- 

 fe Brooke's Natural History, vol. i. p. 198. 



