f 



On the Little Missouri 



an<^*i the cunning beasts had evidently acted in 

 concert. While one attracted the steer's at- 

 tention, the other, according to the invariable 

 wolf habit, attacked him from behind, ham- 

 stringing him and tearing out his flanks. His 

 body was still warm when I came up, but his 

 murderers had slunk off, either seeing or 

 smelling me. Their handiwork was unmis- 

 takable, however, for, unlike bears and cougars, 

 wolves invariably attack their victim at the 

 hindquarters, and begin their feast on the 

 hams or flanks if the animal is of any size. 



It will be noticed that in some points my 

 observations about wolves are in seeming con- 

 flict with those of Mr. Grinnell ; but I think 

 the conflict is more seeming than real ; and in 

 any event I have concluded to let the article 

 stand just as it is. The great book of Nature 

 contains many passages which are hard to 

 read, and at times conscientious students may 

 well draw up different interpretations of the 

 obscurer and least known texts. It may not 

 be that either observer is at fault ; but what is 

 true of an animal in one locality may not be 

 true of the same animal in another, and even 

 in the same locality two individuals of a spe- 

 cies may widely differ in their habits. On the 



219 



