WOLF. 
while the whole form of it is longer : the tail also, 
which in the Dog is pretty uniformly turned a 
little towards one side (generally the left), in the 
Wolf has an inward direction; it is rather long and 
bushy: the rictus or opening of the mouth seems 
somewhat shorter in proportion than that of the 
dog, yet the jaws are far stronger, and the teeth 
larger: the eyes are also more obliquely placed 
than in the Dog. 
The Wolf is a native of almost all the tempe- 
rate and cold regions of the globe. It is found 
in most countries of Europe, but has been totally 
extirpated from our own island, as well as from 
Ireland. How numerous these pernicious ani- 
mals must have once been in Britain, may be 
guessed from the celebrated laws of King Edgar, 
who attempted the extirpation of these animals 
by commuting the punishments for certain crimes 
into the acceptance of a number of Wolves' 
tongues from each criminal: in Wales by con- 
verting the tax of gold and silver into an annual 
tribute of three hundred Wolves' heads. In suc- 
ceeding reigns, their destruction was promoted 
by proper rewards ; and the lands of certain per- 
sons were held, according to our historian Camb- 
den, on condition of destroying the wolves which 
infested those parts of the kingdom. 
The general colour of the Wolf is a pale grey, 
with a cast of yellowish, but it varies much as to 
the shades or gradations of colour in different 
parts of the world. Those of Africa are said to 
be larger than those of Europe; while, on the 
