MAMMALIA. 63 
Missouri. There bands of them hang on the skirts of the buffalo herds, and prey 
upon the sick and straggling calves. They do not, under ordinary circumstances, 
venture to attack the full-grown animal: for the hunters informed me that they 
often see wolves walking through a herd of bylls without exciting the least’ alarm ; 
and the marksmen, when they crawl towards a buffalo for the purpose of shooting it, 
occasionally wear a cap with two ears in imitation of the head of a wolf, knowing 
from experience that they will be suffered to approach nearer in that guise. On 
the Barren-grounds through which the Coppermine River flows, I had more than 
once an opportunity of seeing a single wolf in close pursuit of a rein-deer; and I 
witnessed a chace on Point Lake when covered with ice, which terminated in a fine 
buck rein-deer being overtaken by a large white wolf, and disabled by a bite in 
the flank. An Indian, who was concealed on the borders of the lake, ran in and 
cut the deer’s throat with his knife, the wolf at once relinquishing his prey, and 
sneaking off. In the chase the poor deer urged its flight by great bounds, which for 
a time exceeded the speed of the wolf; but it stopped so frequently to gaze on its 
relentless enemy, that the latter, toiling on at a “long gallop,’* with its tongue 
lolling out of its mouth, gradually came up. After each hasty look, the poor deer 
redoubled its efforts to escape ; but either exhausted by fatigue, or enervated by fear, 
it became, just before it was overtaken, scarcely able to keep its feet. The Wolves 
destroy many foxes, which they easily run down if they perceive them on a plain at 
any distance from their hiding places. In January, 1827, a wolf was seen to 
eatch an Arctic fox within sight of Fort Franklin, and although immediately pursued 
by hunters on snow-shoes, it bore off its prey in its mouth without any apparent 
diminution of its speed{. The buffalo-hunters would be unable to preserve the 
* Lord Byron’s description of a chase by Wolves is.so characteristic, that no apology is requisite for the insertion of 
the passage from whence this expression is borrowed :— 
** We rustled through the leaves like wind, 
Left shrubs and trees and wolves behind ; 
By night I heard them on the track, 
Their troop came hard upon our back, 
With their long gallop which can tire 
The hound’s deep note and hunter’s fire: 
Where’er we flew they followed on, 
Nor left us with the morning sun ; 
Behind I saw them scarce a rood, 
At day-break winding through the wood ; 
And through the night had heard their feet, 
Their stealing, rustling step repeat.” 
MazeEprra. 
+ The same wolf continued for some days to prow] in the vicinity of the Fort, and even stole fish froma sledge, 
which two dogs were accustomed to draw home from the nets without a driver. As this kind of depredation could not 
be permitted to go on, the wolf was waylaid and killed. It proved to be a female, which accounted for the sledge-dogs 
not haying been molested. ; : 
