Wolves and Wolf Nature 



litter of young puppies leaves them in their 

 home usually a hole dug in some cut bank 

 or ravine and, sallying out to the prey, eats 

 freely of its flesh, and then returning to the 

 mouth of the hole, disgorges the contents of 

 her stomach, on which the puppies feed. As 

 they are abundantly supplied, and do not con- 

 sume all that is brought to them, the imme- 

 diate vicinity of the den is often very offensive 

 from the odor of the decaying flesh. We are 

 told that wolves change their abiding place 

 several times during the growth of a litter of 

 puppies. 



The young wolves are born probably in 

 April, over most of the plains country. I 

 have seen them in July half grown, big and 

 strong, but as clumsy as pups at the same 

 age. I remember that once, many years ago, 

 as I rode down the valley of the Birdwood, 

 toward the North Platte, in company with 

 Major North and a dozen young fellows, 

 white and Indian, we startled from beneath a 

 bush an old she wolf and five half-grown pup- 

 pies. There were two or three miles of level 

 bottom all about us, and our fresh horses 

 were eager for the race, which we were glad 

 to give them. We scattered out, and for a 



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