SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 637 



wolf, we are informed, in one of the London Menageries, 

 was in use to manifest unbounded joy whenever a young 

 lady, who sometimes visited the collection, made her appear- 

 ance within.* What chords of feeling had been touched we 

 know not : probably the mere expression of kindness, as evin- 

 ced by looks and gentle words, had sufficed to win the gra- 

 titude of the captive. And such examples are the more to 

 be noted, as they occur when the animal is subjected to 

 conditions of life far foreign to his habits, and fretted by 

 hopeless captivity. It is known that even the gentlest dog 

 may be rendered vicious by being deprived of liberty ; and 

 that the mastiff, continually chained, becomes too furious 

 to be approached. In those menageries, where the young 

 wolves are reared with some care, and accustomed to be ap- 

 proached like common dogs, they seem to receive the utmost 

 delight from being touched and patted. They will rub them- 

 selves on the legs of the person who notices them, lie down, 

 and, looking fondly in his face, implore him, as it were, to 

 continue his caresses. M. Frederick Cuvier mentions the 

 case of a she-wolf in the Parisian Menagerie, which evinced 

 more of sensibility than the most faithful dog would have 

 done. At the least word expressed with kindness, at the 

 least sign of encouragement, she would press against you, 

 turn in all manner of ways as if to touch you better, and 

 send forth a soft and plaintive cry expressive of the pleasure 

 she felt. 



Should the Wolf, instead of being enslaved and imprisoned, 

 be reared up from infancy like the dogs of the household, he 

 becomes as tame and familiar as they do. He attaches him- 

 self to his more immediate master, as if he knew to whom 

 his gratitude was most due, and manifests towards him that 

 affectionate regard which has been held to be the characteris- 

 tic virtue of the Dog. M. Cuvier mentions a case, which has 

 again and again been cited, but which will scarcely tire by 



' k Naturalist's Library. 



