288 THE QUADRUPEDS OF ARIZONA. 
stands foremost among the carnivora, though the family is 
represented by only two species of Wolves, and perhaps 
as many of Foxes. The word “wolf” is seldom heard in 
Arizona, even among the whites, who have completely 
anglicized the Mexican appellations, which are “lobo” for 
the larger species, and “coyoté” for the smaller. The 
Spanish for Fox, “zorro,” is less frequently used. 
Of the many varieties into which the Gray Wolf of 
America (Lupus occidentalis Rich.) runs, I met with but 
one, the griseo-albus, which is perhaps the commonest race 
throughout the greater portion of the West. The re- 
markable variations of color, which, though chiefly local, 
seem to mark races, as they are transmissible from parent 
to offspring, have caused great confusion among writers, 
and great uncertainty as to how many species really exist. 
Wolves may be found from nearly white to pure black, 
through every gradation of gray, rufous, and dusky ; and 
these diverse colors exist in such varying proportion, and 
present such an unbroken chain from one extreme to the 
other, that it seems impossible to consider them as indi- 
eating more than remarkable variations to which a single 
- Species may be subject, arising from differences in food, 
climate, and other circumstances. 
All the large wolves I saw in Arizona were of the 
grizzled grayish-white variety. In winter they are very 
light colored, appearing from a distance almost white; 
but along the middle of the back, and down the shoulders 
and flanks, the light color is mixed with slaty or grayish- 
black. I met with no winter skins showing any brownish 
or tawny. At this season their pelages were thick and 
heavy, and a good many of the animals were killed with 
poison for the sake of the fur, which made very beautiful 
robes. They were common enough about Fort Whipple, 
