90 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
the tail; and having determined that that of the dog 
was uniformly curved upwards, he attributed to that of 
the Wolf a completely opposite direction, that is to say, 
a curvature inwards; assigning, at the same time, a 
straight or a deflected position to those of all the other 
animals of the group. The deflected, or down-pointing, 
direction is, however, equally common in the Wolf with 
the incurved ; and this petty distinction, which has little 
to do with structure, and still less with habits, is hardly 
deserving of serious attention. More obvious and more 
essential differences will be found in the cast of his 
countenance, which derives a peculiar expression from 
the obliquity of his eyes; in the breadth of his head, 
suddenly contracting into a slender and pointed muzzle ; 
in the size and power of his teeth, which are compara- 
tively greater than those of any dog of equal stature; in 
the stiffness and want of pliability of his limbs; in his 
uniformly straight and pointed ears ; and in a black stripe 
which almost constantly, and in nearly every variety of 
the species, occupies the front of the fore leg of the adult. 
His fur, which differs considerably in texture and colour, 
from the influence of climate and of seasons, is com- 
monly of a grayish yellow, the shades of which are 
variously intermingled ; as he advances in age it becomes 
lighter, and in high northern latitudes frequently turns 
completely white, a change which also takes place in 
many other animals inhabiting the polar regions. 
Entirely dependent upon rapine for his subsistence, 
the nose of the Wolf is fully equal to that of the sharp- 
est-scented hound. The size and speed of the elk and 
of the stag are insufficient to protect them from his 
violence; he pursues them with equal swiftness and 
