286 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



are. Our common wolf is as big as a large dog. Its color 

 is chiefly gray, but in Florida wolves are black, in Texas 

 red, on the prairies, dusky. Wolves eat any animal they can 

 catch and kill ; they rarely attack man unless they are driven 

 to it by hunger. They are exceedingly wary and are still 

 not rare in many well-settled regions. 



The black bear stands about three feet high, attains a 

 length of about six feet, and weighs from two hundred to 

 four hundred pounds. Bears live on the animals they can 

 catch, but are also fond of acorns, wild cherries, and all 

 kinds of berries ; they also eat insects and rob the nests of 

 wild bees' honey. A black bear very seldom attacks a man, 

 unless a hunter wounds him, or a she-bear believes her cubs 

 to be in danger. 



72. Review of the Mammals. 



The young of mammals are born alive ; they are not 

 hatched from eggs. Their first food is the milk of their 

 mother. This way of feeding young animals is a decided 

 improvement upon the way in which birds feed their young. 

 The mother can generally procure her food without much 

 difnculty ; and her milk furnishes food and drink at all 

 times available for the young animal. The young of small 

 mammals are always well concealed; those of the larger 

 herbivores, like deer, cattle, and sheep, can run about a few 

 hours after birth, and are protected and defended by their 

 mothers ; while the young of the large flesh-eaters have, 

 probably, no enemies, except man. The eggs of birds are 

 exposed to many dangers for a long period; but these 

 dangers are avoided in the world of mammals. All animals 

 whose young are born alive and are fed on the milk of 

 the mother are mammals. Seals, dolphins, and whales are 

 mammals, although the last two look very much like fishes. 



Most mammals have a covering of hair, which is shed 



