THE WOLF 



(Cams lupus) 



S the lion or the tiger forms the supreme development of the feline stock, so 

 the wolf constitutes the culminating branch of the canine line. Each of 

 these animals represents indeed the acme of perfection of which its 

 particular type is capable ; but in regard to specialisation the members of the cat 

 tribe stand on a much higher plane than those of the dog family. In the cats we 

 find the face much shortened and. rounded, the number of cheek-teeth reduced both 

 at the front and the back of the series, the pair of cutting-teeth in each jaw consisting 

 almost entirely of scissor-like blades, and the claws retractile and protected by 

 large horny sheaths. 



In the dog tribe, on the other hand, the long face and numerous cheek-teeth 

 of the more primitive extinct Carnivora are retained, the pair of cutting-teeth are by 

 no means wholly blade, and the claws are non-retractile and devoid of sheaths. 



Equally marked differences in the matter of habits are likewise characteristic 

 of the two groups. Cats, as a rule, hunt their prey singly or in couples, stalking 

 it stealthily by the aid of sight, and then making a sudden rush or spring upon the 

 victim. Most members of the Canidce, on the contrary, associate in large packs, 

 which hunt their victims by scent, and pull them down by their combined strength. 



Apart from the brown bear, which is of a less active and less carnivorous 

 disposition, the wolf is the largest member of the Carnivora which has been 

 indigenous to central and northern Europe during the historic period ; and it plays 

 in the folk-lore of that portion of the continent a part very similar to that taken by 

 the tiger in the legends and mythology of the natives of India. The superstition 

 of the "werwolf" and the familiar story of Little Red Ridinghood bear striking 

 testimony to the prominent position held by the wolf in folk-lore. 



The wolf, which is in fact the ancestor of many domesticated breeds of dogs, is 

 the largest representative of the Canidcs, although the typical wolf of northern 

 Europe is much exceeded in point of size by those of certain other countries, the 

 largest of all being the huge black wolf {Cams hiftus ftambasileus) of Alaska, which 

 is almost as tall as an ordinary bear, and has a head of enormous proportions. 

 Although many modern naturalists divide it into distinct species, the wolf has a 

 circumpolar distribution, and in Asia ranges as far south as the Himalaya and the 

 north-western frontier of India. From Great Britain, Denmark, and Holland the 

 wolf has long since disappeared, and it has likewise been exterminated in northern 

 and central Germany. But wolves still remain in Spain, in the districts of France 

 adjacent to Germany, and in Poland and Russia, as well as in other parts of 



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