144 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



At that time the gray wolf was commonly 

 known as the buffalo wolf, and he is still often 

 spoken of by that name. The wolves were 

 watchful to pounce upon any stray, weak, or 

 injured animal. 



Well-authenticated accounts tell us that often 

 a number of buffaloes would convoy a calf or a 

 wounded buffalo to a place of safety. What 

 a strange thing it must have been, out on the 

 plains, to see a pack of wolves, fierce and fiend- 

 ish, endeavouring to break through the buffalo 

 line of defense that surrounded a retreating 

 calf! Except while migrating, buffalo bulls 

 appeared to have the habit of standing guard 

 over a sick or injured buffalo until the weak one 

 got well or died. 



Wolves prey extensively on cattle and sheep; 

 and to a less extent on horses, pigs, and chickens. 

 Many stockmen think that a single pair of 

 wolves may damage cattle herds to the value of 

 a thousand dollars a year. - A single wolf has 

 been charged with killing eighty head of cattle 

 in a year, or even ten head of stock in a month. 

 Occasionally a pair of wolves may kill a number 

 of animals in a day. In Texas the red wolf 

 feeds on cattle, colts, sheep, and goats the gray 

 mostly on cattle; while the black shows a fond- 

 ness for pork of a better grade than razorback. 



The cattle-raising country has a wolf popu- 



