454 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



of AVolves that I have killed, and I am confident that I am 

 under rather than over the actual size and height of the 

 Gray Wolf. 



There are several varieties of American Wolves, differ- 

 ing so much from each other, chiefly in color, as to lead some 

 naturalists to the conclusion that they are different in spe- 

 cies, and that they do not originate from the same primeval 

 stock. They are all about the same size, and band together 

 in the same pack; the white, gray, and red varieties being 

 specifically identical. 



In size and other peculiarities, all the larger Wolves dif- 

 fer from the Prairie Wolf and the Coyote; both of these 

 smaller varieties burrow in the earth, are much less savage 

 and destructive, and much more docile and affectionate in 

 a state of domestication, than are those of any variety of 

 the larger species. According to the best zoological author- 

 ities, all the larger Wolves are dwellers upon the surface 

 of the earth — sleeping in the open air, or making their dens 

 in caves or crevices of rocks. 



The most valuable skins are obtained from the White 

 Arctic Wolf; the next, in thickness of fur and costliness, 

 is the skin of the Gray Wolf of Northern America; and so 

 on down to the pelt of the black variety, which, being a 

 southern animal, ranging in a warmer habitat, carries the 

 thinnest and coarsest coat of the entire genus, and conse- 

 quently is of the least value. 



The Gray Wolf, the variety most common in Canada, 

 bears a very striking resemblance to the European Wolf. 

 There are, however, differences between them, which at one 

 time .appeared to be distinct and permanent. Naturalists 

 of late years appear to be unanimous in the conclusion that 

 the larger Wolves of the Old and New World all belong to 

 one species. The American Wolf, notably the Canadian 

 variety, is at least equal in size to that of any other 

 country. 



Billings tells us that "the body of the American Wolf 

 is long and gaunt; muzzle elongated, and somewhat thicker 

 than that of the Pyrenean Wolf; head thick, nose long, 



