On the Little Missouri 



It is suggested that two points in Mr. Grinnell's article 

 are open to criticism. It is known that to-day hungry 

 wolves will readily kill foxes, and Mr. Grinnell himself 

 gives examples of what he believes to be attempts by 

 coyotes to kill badgers. Therefore, the account quoted 

 from Mr. Kipp, of a pair of hungry wolves mingled with 

 coyotes and kit foxes, waiting near a buffalo carcass, 

 seems almost incredible. The wolves should have eaten 

 the kit foxes, and, perhaps, even the coyotes. 



The answer to this is simple. At the time to which 

 the event here quoted refers, wolves were never hungry. 

 We are accustomed in a conventional way to speak of 

 wolves as lean and hungry beasts, but in the buffalo days 

 they were seldom or never lean, and seldom or never 

 really hungry, because they always had plenty of buffalo 

 meat. Therefore, it was that wolves, coyotes, badgers 

 and kit foxes associated on terms of more or less equal- 

 ity, and very seldom, so far as known, interfered with 

 each other. Of course, at a feast the big wolves served 

 themselves first, and the other animals came after them 

 in order of size, unless there was enough for all, which 

 was usually the case. To-day the big wolves are glad to 

 eat any animal smaller than themselves. Coyotes try to 

 catch and eat badgers and kit foxes, and it is possible 

 that occasionally in some way the badger may be able to 

 capture and eat a kit fox. For all these animals food 

 Aow is very scarce. For all of them, food in the old 

 *imes was extremely abundant. 



It is further suggested that the statement that wolves 

 regarded the Indians as friends, is putting it a little too 

 Strongly, since it is also stated that many tribes assidu- 

 >usly hunted them for their fur. It is true that the 



221 



