56 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



General description. 



CHAP. II. 



" By wintry famine rous'd, from all the tcact 

 Of horrid mountains which the shining Alps 

 And wavy Appenines and Pyrenees 

 Branch out stupendous into distant lands, 

 Cruel as death ! and hungry as the grave ! 

 Burning for bloud ! bony, and gaunt, and grim ! 

 Assembling wolves, in raging troops, descend - 9 

 And, pouring o'er the country, bear along, 

 Keen as the north wind sweeps the glossy snow : 

 Ail b their prize.'* 



THOMBOJf. 



THE WOLF. 



THIS animal is considerably larger and more 

 muscular than the dog ; his body frequently mea- 

 suring three feet and a half in length, while that 

 of the largest mastiff is seldom known to exceed 

 three feet. The colour of his coat is generally a 

 mixture of black, brown, and iron-grey; though 

 in Canada it is black, and in some parts almost 

 entirely white. The head is long, with a pointed 

 nose, formidable teeth, and sharp erect ears ; the 

 eyes slant upwards, and are of a fiery green colour, 

 and the aspect is marked with extreme ferocity. 



