THE WOLF. 



471 



the Wolf, for a time this kind of hunting taxes all the 

 energies of the hounds. The speed of the Wolf, neverthe- 

 less, when contrasted with the lightning performances of 

 the telephone of the prairies— the jack-rabbit, or great hare 

 of the plains — is comparatively trifling. 



It has been affirmed by the earlier naturalists that the 

 aborigines of North America, before the advent of white 

 men, had domesticated Wolves instead of dogs. This 

 account can readily be credited by anyone acquainted with 

 the character and appearance of the Indian dog of even 

 the present day. While smaller in size--a condition super- 

 induced by ages of starvation— the Indian dog of the pres- 

 ent is peculiarly and positively wolfish in appearance. 



It is a notable fact that an irreconcilable antipathy has 

 always existed between our domestic dog and the tamed 

 Wolf of the Indians. In their constant combats and quar- 

 rels with each other, the former are always the aggressors. 

 The Indian dogs always act upon the defensive, usually 

 trying to avoid a conflict with their more courageous 

 kinsmen. 



During the period when the lordly Bison frequented and 

 ornamented, with the grandeur of his magnitude^ the lim- 

 itless prairies of the Great Northwest in countless millions, 

 the Wolf was his persistent and perpetual enemy; tracking 

 the calves, the old, the wounded, and the helpless, until an 

 opportunity presented itself lor a safe attack. Wolves 

 never dared to attack a herd, or even a full-grown animal in 

 full vigor, but waited patiently for a chance to fall upon 

 the disabled. A single White Arctic Wolf will run down 

 a Barren-ground Caribou, and by one savage bite in the 

 flank disable the largest buck. Sir John Richardson — a 

 celebrated Arctic explorer, who has contributed many 

 interesting and valuable facts pertaining to the fauna of 

 Northern America to the general fund of natural history — 

 tells us that the Wolves of that region run down and capt- 

 ure Foxes whenever they find them on the open plains at 

 a distance from their underground dens. A large White 

 Wolf has sufficient strength to carry off an Arctic Fox in 



