144. | WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
At that time the gray wolf was commonly 
known as the buffalo wolf, and he is still often 
spoken of by that name. The wolves were 
watchful to pounce upon any stray, weak, or 
injured animal. 
Well-authenticated accounts tell us that often 
a number of buffaloes would convoy a calf or a 
wounded buffalo to a place of safety. What 
a strange thing it must have been, out on the 
plains, to see a pack of wolves, fierce and fiend- 
ish, endeavouring to break through the buffalo 
line of defense that surrounded a retreating 
calf! Except while migrating, buffalo bulls 
appeared to have the habit of standing guard 
over a sick or injured buffalo until the weak one 
got well or died. 
Wolves prey extensively on cattle and sheep; 
and to a less extent on horses, pigs, and chickens. 
Many stockmen think that a single pair of 
wolves may damage cattle herds to the value of 
a thousand dollars a year. A single wolf has 
been charged with killing eighty head of cattle 
in a year, or even ten head of stock in a month. 
Occasionally a pair of wolves may kill a number 
of animals in a day. In Texas the red wolf 
feeds on cattle, colts, sheep, and goats—the gray 
mostly on cattle; while the black shows a fond- 
ness for pork of a better grade than razorback. 
The cattle-raising country has a wolf popu- 
