IN THE FAR WEST. 113 



CHAPTER V. 



THE GRAY WOLF. 



The gray wolf Number of species of wolves Difference in colours The 

 size of the largest variety Its courage A pack kills two of our dogs 

 Retaliation Indians eat the wolf Sagacity of the animal in hunt- 

 ing How a pack drives deer Stratagems resorted to Satellites of 

 herds of buffaloes and antelopes What wolves live on Useful sca- 

 vengers Their harmless character to man Famishing wolves attack 

 an Indian Result Afraid of a child Yelps when wounded Their 

 si/e and character when food is plentiful How they are killed 

 "Wolfers," and their mode of work Their general character Sudden 

 wealth and poverty A lucky " wolfer " A hunt with a "wolfer" 

 His peculiar breed of dogs Their speed and stubbornness Six cubs 

 captured, and two wolves killed Pursuit of a coyote Affection of a 

 mother for her young How wolves run when pursued Different 

 breeds of dogs fit for wolf-hunting How it is hunted in portions 

 of the West A spirited wolf-chase How wolves act when trapped 

 The future of wolf-hunting in the West. 



WOLVES are unusually numerous throughout the whole of 

 North-Western America, and they seem to be equally at home 

 on the prairie or in the forest, on the mountains or on the 

 treeless plateaus, where shelter is often so scarce that they are 

 compelled to form burrows for themselves under banks, or 

 content themselves with a lair amidst crags. 



There are in reality only two species in the country, the 

 gray, timber, or prairie wolf (Can is lupus rar Occident alls] ^ and 

 the coyote or prairie wolf (Canis latrans], but there are others 

 which are classified as varieties, on account of their distinctions 

 in colour. The difference in hue seems to be the result of 

 climate and habitat, yet I have seen cubs of various hues in one 

 litter. This might be the result of the association of differently 

 marked animals; but, in some instances, this could not be the 

 case, as only one variety frequented the country in which they 

 were found. 



There are five marked colours among them in the North- 



