322 



ANIMALS OF 



vages'still make use of these animals in hunt- 

 ing. They are very tame and gentle ; and 

 those of this kind that are wild, are neither so 

 large nor so fierce as an European wolf, nor 

 do they ever attack mankind. They go to- 

 gether in large packs by night to hunt the 

 deer, which they do as well as any dogs in 

 England ; and it is confidently asserted that 

 one of them is sufficient to run down a deer.* 

 Whenever they are seen along the banks of 

 those rivers near which the wandering na- 

 tives pitch their huts, it is taken for granted 

 that the bison or the deer are not far off: and 

 the savages affirm that the wolves come with 

 the tidings, in order to have the garbage, 

 after the animal has been killed by the hun- 

 ters. Catesby adds a circumstance relative 

 to these animals, which, if true, invalidates 

 many of Mr. Button's observations in the fore- 

 going history. He asserts, that these being 

 the only dogs used by the Americans, before 

 the arrival of .he Europeans among them, 

 they have since engendered together, and 

 that their breed has become prolific ; which 

 proves the dog and the wolf to be of the same 

 species. It were to be wished that this fact 

 were better ascertained ; we should then 

 know to a certainty in what degree the dog 

 and wolf resemble each other, as Avell in na- 

 ture as in conformation ; we might then, per- 

 haps, be enabled to improve the breed of our 

 dogs, by bringing them back to their native 

 forms and instincts ; we might, by crossing 

 the strain, restore that race of those bold 

 animals, which the ancients assure us were 

 more than a match for the lion." 



However this animal may be useful in 

 North America, the wolf of Europe is a very 

 noxious animal, and scarce any thing belong- 

 ing to him is good, except his skin. Of this 

 the furriers make a covering that is warm and 

 durable, though coarse and unsightly. His 

 flesh is very indifferent, and seems to be dis- 

 liked by all other animals, no other creature 

 being known to eat wolf's flesh except the 

 wolf himself. He breathes a most fetid va- 

 pour from his jaws, as his food is indiscrimi- 

 nate, often putrid, and seldom cleanly. In 

 short, every way offensive, a savage aspect, 

 a frightful howl, an unsupportable odour, a 



Dictionaire Raisonee. Loup. 



perverse disposition, fierce habits, he is hate 

 ful when living, and useless when dead. 



THE FOX. 



THE Fox very exactly resembles the wolf 

 and the dog internally ; and although he dif- 

 fers greatly from both in size and carriage, 

 yet when we come to examine his shapes mi- 

 nutely, there will appear to be very little dif- 

 ference in the description. Were, for in- 

 stance, a painter to draw from a natural his- 

 torian's exactest description the figure of a 

 dog, a wolf, and a fox, without having ever 

 seen either, he would be very apt to con- 

 found all these animals together; or rather 

 he would be unable to catch those peculiar 

 outlines that no description can supply. 

 Words will never give any "person an exact 

 idea of forms any way irregular ; for although 

 they be extremely just and precise, yet the 

 numberless discriminations to be attended to 

 will cqnfound each other, and we shall no 

 more conceive the precise form, than we 

 should be able to tell when one pebble more 

 was added or taken away from a thousand. 

 To conceive, therefore, how the fox differs 

 in form from the wolf or the dog, it is neces- 

 sary to see all three, or at least to supply the 

 defects of description by examining the dif- 

 ference in a print. 



The fox is of a slenderer make than the 

 wolf, and not near so large ; for as the former 

 is above three feet and a half long, so the 

 other i? not above two feet three inches. 

 The tail of the fox also is longer in propor- 

 tion and more bushy ; its nose is smaller and 

 approaching more nearly to that of the gray- 

 hound, and its hair softer. On the other 

 hand, it differs from the dog in having its eyes 

 obliquely situated, like those of the wolf; its 

 ears are directed also in the same manner as 

 those of the wolf, and its head is equally large 

 in proportion to its size. It differs still more 

 from the dog in its strong offensive smell, 

 which is peculiar to the species, and often 

 the cause of their death. However, some are 

 ignorantly of opinion that it will keep off' in- 

 fectious diseases, and they preserve this ani- 

 mal near their habitations for that very pur- 

 pose. 



