66 MAMMALIA— ORDER IV.—CARNIVORA. 



or eight weeks are nourished by the mother, but when only a month old they 

 leave the den for short distances, and play about with one another like 

 puppies. The she-wolf is a good mother, and as long as her young are small 

 she never goes any great distance from them, and tliey remain with her till 

 the pairing- season comes round again, when they themselves are capable of 

 procreation. At first they are dark coloured, the end of the tail being black, 

 but after they have got to be about a couple of feet in length they are of a 

 yellowish-grey, of a darker shape on the back, and have a black muzzle. 



"During the summer months wolves are partial to extensive woodland 

 solitudes, especially those interspersed with mossy tarns and streams. In 

 winter, on the other hand, especially during severe cold and rough weather, 

 they tend towards the more inhabited and open districts. Wolves always 

 make their excursions at night, and between sunset and sunrise they 

 frequently cover great distances ; while during the day they rest in clo.se 

 covert. When pressed by hunger, in extreme cold, when they leave or are 

 returning to their young, or when they have been deprived of these, they 

 send forth long-drawn and melancholy howls. In woods, and generally speak- 

 ing, in narrow surroundings, wolves are cowardly and cunning ; while on ex- 

 tensive plains or tracts of ice, where they can see about them, they are much 

 more courageous, especially when in company ; but even under such circum- 

 stances they rarely assume the otfensive towards man. In districts frequented 

 by these animals they have certain paths which they almost invariably follow, 

 and so closely do they keep in one another's tracks it is difficult to say that 

 more than one has passed. In going to and from the i)Iace where the young 

 are concealed they invariably follow the same route, and so a regular beaten 

 track is formed. Only when in droves will they attack the larger animals, 

 such as the elk; at first they steal as near their victim as possible, and 

 endeavour to seize it by making long bounds ; failing in this, they set 

 about running it down, two or three following the hunted beast closely, the 

 rest trying to cut it off, or by lying in n'ait and springing at its throat. If 

 captured when quite young, wolves remain comparatively tame for some time, 

 but their savage nature generally breaks out ere long, and they cannot be 

 depended on." 



Of other species, the North American coyote (C lairans) is a smaller form, 

 with very long hair, which appears to connect the true wolves with the 

 jackals. The latter animals are really nothing more than small wolves, and 

 usually have the bushy tail equal to about one-third the length of the head 

 and body. The common jackal (C. avrevs) extends from Burma and India 

 through South-Western Asia to South-Eastern Europe and North Africa ; 

 but is replaced in Africa south of the Sahara by several allied forms, such as 

 the side-striped jackal (C. adustus) and the handsome black-backed jackal 

 (C. mesomelas). The dingo (0. dingo) of Australia is generally reckoned as a 

 domesticated species, but there is considerable evidence that it existed in 

 Australia previous to the advent of men. 



Most sportsmen who have shot in India, whether in the plains or in the 

 hills, are probably more or less familiar with those animals commonly known 

 as wild dogs. Although they are not often seen actually hunting their prey, 

 yet they may not unfrequently be met with when shooting in or near forests ; 

 while in the hills the frightened and disturbed condition of ibex and other 

 large game will often indicate their presence in a district where it would 

 otherwise be unsuspected. Like many of the colloquial names applied to 

 animals, the term wild dogs by which these creatures are generally known is 



