3^0 THE PHILOSOPHY 



during the day, to his den. In the night he again iffues forth, tra- 

 verfes the country, roams round the cottages, kills all the animals 

 which have been left without, digs the earth under the doors, enters 

 with a terrible ferocity, and puts every living creature to death, be- 

 fore he choofes to depart, and carry oflF his prey. When thefe in- 

 roads happen to be fruitlefs, he returns to the woods, fearches about 

 with avidity, follows the track and the fcent of wild beafts, and pur- 

 fues them till they fall a prey to his rapacity. In a word, when his 

 hunger is extreme, he lofes all idea of fear, attacks women and chil- 

 dren, and fometimes men ; at laft he becomes perfedly furious by 

 exceflive exertions, and generally falls a facrifice to pure rage and 

 diftradion. When feveral wolves appear together, it is not an aflb- 

 ciation of peace, but of war. It is attended with tumult and dread- 

 ful growlings, and indicates an attack upon fome of the larger ani- 

 mals, as a flag, an ox, or a formidable maftive. This depredatory 

 expedition is no fooner ended than they feparate, and every indivi- 

 dual returns in filence to his folitude. Wolves are fond of human 

 flefli. They have been known to follow armies, to come in troops 

 to the field of battle, where bodies are carelefsly interred, to tear 

 them up, and to devour them with an infatiable avidity : And, when 

 once accuftomed to human flefh, thefe wolves ever after attack men, 

 prefer the Ihepherd to the flock, devour women, and carry off chil- 

 dren. Whole countiies are fometimes obliged to arm, in order to 

 deftroy the wolves. It is a fortunate circumftance that thefe dange- 

 rous and deftruQive animals have been long totally extirpated from 

 Great Britain and her iflands. 



Neither arc ihe feathered tribes exempted from the general law of 

 devaftation. But the number of birds of prey, properly fo called, 

 is much lefs in proportion than that of carnivorous quadrupeds. 

 Birds of prey are likewife weaker ; and, of courfe, the deftrudion 

 of animal life they occafion is much more limited than the immenfe 



devaftations 



