98 



PIVISION I. VEr.TEr.TJAL AXUrALR. — CLASS I. IVFAiMMALIA. 



It is p,t tliis time tliat families of wolves aro often seen in eonipany skirt- 

 ing the \icini! V of lialjitations. By degrees, however, the young acquire 

 strength, ami ere the autumn ends the male h^s forsaken the troop, and 

 taken to his solitary haljits, the mother remaining with her litter, and often 

 keeping together through the next winter and spring season ; it appearing, 

 cither in Europe or America, that wolves by no means pair every 

 autumn. 



Tiiiaii j\Ioi)E OF Attack. — -Wolves, when attacking cattle or horses, 

 are said to take them by the throat or by the nose, till they pull them down. 

 A French farmer, howe^-er, related that :i horse of his, killed by a wolf the 

 preceding night, had been scizeil by the tail and dragged o^er till it fell upon 

 the side ; and on visiting the remains of it the fact was verified, no wound 

 ap[)caring in i'ront — the ham had been strung, and the wolf had fed cxclu- 

 si\-e!v on the solid parts of the buttock. A similar mode of attack appeared 

 t ) ha\c been adopted, where a cow was the victim of an American 

 woll', vihich came under our jicrsonal inspection. Sheep and lambs they 

 actnallv carrv off at a roiuid pace, contriving to throw a part of their weight 

 upon tlnir shoulders. Cajitain Williamson descriijcs a case that came under 

 his own eves, and where he, being on horseback, attempted to interpose ; but 

 tiie v.-olf laid down his Ijurdcn, and gave signs of assailing the captain's 

 horse ; and he, being unarmed, i'elt the prudence of allowing him to esca.pc 

 with his prize. According to accounts received from the Don Cossacks, 

 flieir horses, bred wild on the stcp2)es, resist the attacks of Avholc troops of 

 wohes. The marcs form circles round the foals, and the stallions, remain- 

 ing outside, resolutely charge them, and generally rcjicl the attack, killing 

 one or more of the enemy. tSinglc horses fight a wolf by strikiug with the 

 fore i'eel. 



DlsLlICH ]\IlT,sif'. — It is well known that domestic dogs dislike nuisic, 

 but the antipathy ajijicars to be much stronger in the wolf. Dogs become 

 familiar 'with it, and Ikhc learned to endure it; but to the wolf it is intoler- 

 able. It Would lie well Ibr those who live in countries infested by wolves 

 to arm themselves with some loud-sounding musical instrument, as the 

 following anecdote would suggest : — 



A Scotch liag{)iper was travelling in Ireland one evening, mIicu he sud- 

 dcidy encountered a wolf, which seemed to be very ravenous. The poor 

 man could think of no other expedient to sa\c his life than to ojien his wal- 

 let and try the effect of hospitality. lie did so, and the savage beast 

 swallowed all that was thrown to him with such voracity that it seemed as 

 if his appetite was not in the least degree satisfied. The whole stock of 

 provision was of course soon spent, and now the man's only resource vras 

 in the virtues of his bagpipe. This the monster no sooner hcai-d than ho 



