THE GROUP OF THE WOLVES, 



139 



powerful bulls, ■ the auerochs, the half-wild 

 horses of the steppes, "tarpans, and boars can 

 withstand their onsets. On account of these 

 depredations the wolf is implacably pursued 

 by man. All methods seem good which help 

 towards his extermination. Poison, firearms, 

 snares and traps, and battues with well-trained 



dogs are all resorted to for the purpose. 

 Wolf-hunting formerly stood, and in some 

 countries still stands, in high honour. 



The female wolf gives birth in spring to 

 from four to six young, which remain blind 

 for three weeks and are suckled for a pretty 

 long time. Wolfs are easily tamed while 



Fig. 58. — The Mailed W'oV {Cauls jiibati(s) 



young, but must be well looked after and 

 kept isolated when they attain the age of 

 puberty, for they become wild again when 

 they hear other wolves howl. In spite of the 

 rooted hatred between dogs and wolves these 

 animals often unite and produce hybrids, 

 which are mutually fertile. In many districts 

 the race of the wolf-hounds is even said to be 

 recruited by this process of bastardizing. 



Fig. 57 gives a representation of the 

 African Wolf [Canis htpaster), which ranges 

 over the whole of the north and the centre 

 of the continent, and is distinguished from the 

 European wolf by its inferior size and strength, 

 its larger straight ears, a tolerably bushy tail, 

 and a brownish colour. The ancient Egyptians 



have represented this wolf on their monu- 

 ments. It sometimes commits considerable 

 devastation among sheep and goats, but 

 mostly lives on smaller prey and on carrion, 

 which it prefers to any other kind of food. 



The Maned Wolf (C. jubatus), fig. 58, of 

 South America is of the size of our wolf, but 

 weaker, and has lonQer les^s. The ears are 



o o 



larger, the tail shorter, the anal glands more 

 developed than in other wolves. It is of a 

 cinnamon-brown colour, but has a black face 

 and black paws, and a white spot on the 

 throat. A mane of stiff hair covers the nape 

 of the neck and the back. It lives chiefly .on 

 agoutis and guinea-pigs, but eats also much 

 fruit; it attacks sheep but rarely. This ex- 



