212 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[no. 27. 



wolf, but the animal escaped to the shelter of the woods. While 

 traveling westward along the southern shore of the lake in September, 

 we saw tracks of wolves near Leith Point and near Manito Islands, 

 and while ascending the Mackenzie in October, saw tracks at several 

 points on its banks. 



During the early part of the winter of 1903-4 a band of three or 

 four frequented the region about Fort Simpson. A large black male 

 killed by poison early in December was obtained. It measured : Total 

 length 1,680, tail vertebra? 480, hind foot 320. It is entirely black, 

 with the exception of a few white hairs which underlie the longer 

 black hair about the shoulders, and which can be seen only when the 

 coat is rumpled. Another of the band, said to have been gray in 

 color, was killed, but I was unable to procure it. The individuals of 

 this band lived largely on rabbits, many of which were taken from 

 the snares of the natives. When rabbits are scarce, much large game 

 is destroyed by wolves, and even sledge dogs, indispensable to the 

 northern resident, frequently fall victims. A young wolf, seen in 

 late May in the possession of J. W. Mills, who obtained it from 

 an Indian near Fort Providence, appeared to be 3 or 4 weeks old. 



The Indians of this region are superstitious about wolves and can 

 scarcely be induced to kill them, much less to skin or handle them, 

 for fear of misfortune. They would not skin the one killed at Fort 

 Simpson, but were persuaded to bring the body to the post. The 

 death of a child soon afterwards was supposed to have been the result 

 of this rash act, in which the father had participated. Another child 

 who saw the dead wolf was taken sick, but finally recovered. As a 

 result of this superstition the wolves are said to be increasing in 

 certain localities. 



While descending the Mackenzie in June, 1904, I saw tracks of 

 wolves near the mouth of Nahanni River and at several points below, 

 and saw skins at all the posts visited. Dusky or black wolves, as well 

 as gray ones, are found all along the Mackenzie, but the dark phase 

 seems to occur more frequently in the mountains. 



Skulls in the National Museum from Fort Rae, Fort Simpson, 

 Fort Anderson, and Peel River are larger, and have less rounded 

 audital bullae and larger teeth, than skulls of G. nuhilus from 

 Colorado. 



Richardson figured a dusky specimen killed near Fort Resolution, 

 and states that many black ones were seen on the Mackenzie.^ Allen 

 records skulls from Fort Rae, Fort Simpson, and Peel River.^ 

 Tyrrell gives this species as occurring in the country between Atha- 

 baska Lake and Churchill River, but not plentifully.^ In the early 



« Fauna Boreali-Americana, I, pp. 69, 70, 1829. 



& Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., No. 4, Vol. II, p. 314, 1876. 

 ^Ann. Rept. Can. Geol. Surv., VIII (new ser.), p. 13D, 1896. 



