MAMMALS OF UTAH ll5 



doing considerable damage, it being estimated that it killed 

 twenty-five head of cattle during the past year. (Clinton 

 Milne.) It IS estimated by A. W. Jensen that there are 

 30 wolves in the Uinta forest. 



A gray wolf was killed in the limits of Salt Lake City 

 in July, 1918. According to William M. Anderson of Vernal 

 the gray wolf is very scarce in that country. Occasionally 

 one is taken by a trapper, but wolves do not remain long in 

 that vicinity. C. A. Mattsson of Salina says : "A few years 

 ago there were a number of gray wolves on the East Desert 

 and on the Thousand Lake Mountain. These wolves killed 

 a number of cattle on the desert each winter and took at 

 least 50 per cent of the calf crop during the summer. The 

 large bounties offered by stockmen induced two trappers 

 to spend part of two winters in the desert. They killed 

 two large wolves and eleven pups. There are a few remain- 

 ing in that vicinity." 



S. B. Locke says that wolves occur on the east side of 

 the La Sal mountains, in Dry Valley and both north and 

 south of Blue mountains. They do considerable damage in 

 Hart Draw and in the region south of Elk mountains. 



Habits — When buffaloes roamed in countless numbers 

 over the American plains, thousands of gray wolves stalked 

 in their wake, devouring the lagging weak and tearing the 

 eyes out of the old bulls, which were too strong to be van- 

 quished save by hours of torture and laceration. As the 

 herds of majestic buffaloes succumbed to the encroachment 

 of man, the gray wolves for a time faced extinction; but 

 cattle ranges and an acquired wariness of man at last placed 

 them on a permanent basis once again. 



Probably no other animal has so wide an individual 

 range, for being a swift footed flesh eater the gray wolf 

 necessarily covers a big field in his wanderings. Wolves 

 are the most sociable of beasts of prey; packs of dozens 

 sometimes being seen engaged in the same hunt. 



The wolf mating season begins the last week of Janu- 

 ary and lasts until the first week of March; it is probable 

 that pairs are formed for life as it is certain that the male 

 assists in raising the cubs. Two old wolves, never more, 

 hover about a single den. 



The den is usually a natural cave, a hollow log or 

 stump, or a hole in the ground dug out by the parents. 

 A badger hole may be enlarged, but in any case the bed is 

 placed close to the surface and is never lined even though 

 hay and other suitable material be plentiful. Lining har- 



