20 THE WOLF. 



tions ; it was given great quantities of hay, and grass, which 

 it chiefly prefers ; its drink was water, which it took in 

 great quantities. It was of gentle disposition, and permitted 

 itself to be touched and handled by all visitors, never 

 attempting mischief, except when abused, or when hungry ; 

 in such a case, there was no method of appeasing its fury, 

 but by giving it something to eat. When angry it would 

 jump up against the walls of its room, with great violence ; 

 it made many efforts to escape, but seldom attempted to 

 attack its keeper, and was always submissive to his threats. 

 It had a peculiar cry, somewhat a mixture between the 

 grunting of a hog, and the bellowing of a calf. 



The age of these animals is not well known : it is said, 

 by some, that they bring forth at three years old ; and, if 

 we may reason from analogy, it is probable they seldom live 

 above twenty. 



THE WOLF. t 



THIS animal is nearly allied to the canine family, and 

 indeed, in a few instances, has been known to intermix 

 with it, and to produce a spurious breed. The wolf has a 

 longhead, a pointed nose, sharp erect ears, a long bushy 

 tail, long legs, and longish hair ; he has formidable teeth, 

 and is taller than any greyhound ; the colour is generally 

 a pale brown, tinged with yellow, though it is sometimes 

 found white, and in Canada, black. The eyes slant 

 upwards, and are of a fiery green ; and the whole visage is 

 ferocious, forming a just index of the disposition. 



The Wolf is, in reality, one of those animals whose 

 carnivorous appetite is the most vehement, and whose 

 means of satisfying it are the most various. Nature has 

 furnished him with strength, cunning, and agility, and all 

 the requisites necessary for pursuit or conquest ; yet, 

 with all those advantages, it is his fate frequently to die 

 of hunger. Proscribed by man, he is compelled to seek 

 the most sequestered retreats, and it is only when he is 

 impelled by the most pressing hunger, that he ventures to 

 make incursions near the villages and towns. His depre- 

 dations, however, are terrible, whenever his raging appetites 

 get the better of his fear ; on these occasions, he tears, and 

 destroys with wanton barbarity ; and neither men nor 

 animals are secure from his attacks. 



