THE BLACK WOLF. 



Some of my little readers have 

 probably heard about the small 

 boy who thought it rare fun to 

 frighten his friends by crying 

 ''Wolf! Wolf!" as though he 

 were being pursued. They lived 

 in a wild part of the country 

 where Wolves were frequently 

 seen, but in time they grew used 

 to Johnnie's little joke, so that 

 one day when he cried ''Wolf! 

 Wolf!" in frantic tones they paid 

 no attention to him. Alas! that 

 day a Wolf really did sneak out 

 of the woods — a hungry Wolf — 

 and poor little Johnnie furnished 

 him a very satisfactory meal. 

 There is a deep meaning at- 

 tached to this fable, which you 

 had best ask your teacher to 

 explain. 



Well, the Black Wolf, whose 

 picture we present is a fierce 

 looking fellow indeed. We 

 have heard so many stories 

 about Wolves attacking travelers 

 and their horses that we have 

 thought them full of ferocity and 

 courage, when in fact they are 

 the most cowardly of all our 

 animals. Unless pressed by 

 extreme hunger they never at- 

 tack animals larger than them- 

 selves, and then only in packs. 

 A cur dog, as a rule, can drive 



the largest wolf on the plains. 

 Lean, gaunt, and hungry look- 

 ing, they are the essence of 

 meanness and treachery. Their 

 long, bushy tails are carried 

 straight out behind, but when 

 the animal is frightened, he puts 

 his tail between his legs just 

 like the common dog. 



There are men who make it a 

 business to go Wolf hunting in 

 order to secure their " pelts," 

 or hides. The bait they use is 

 the carcass of some animal, elk, 

 deer, or coon, which they impreg- 

 nate with poison, and leave in a 

 place which will do the most 

 good. In the morning some- 

 times as many as fifty dead 

 Wolves will be found scattered 

 about the carcass whose flesh 

 they had so ravenously devoured. 

 A Wolf skin is worth about one 

 dollar and a half, so that it pays 

 a hunter very well to " catch " a 

 number of these mean animals. 



They are sometimes hunted on 

 horseback with hounds, but they 

 can run with such speed when 

 frightened, that no ordinary dog 

 can keep up with them. Among 

 the pack are one or more grey- 

 hounds, who bring the wolf to 

 bay and allow the other dogs to 

 come up. 



