THE GREY WOLF 
rabbit. These it disturbs from their forms and quickly runs down by a series 
of immense leaps, performed at a great speed. I have often seen these little 
forest tragedies so clearly written on the snow that it is easy to reconstruct 
the scene by following the footprints. Here the lynx has started the hare, 
here are the scurrying footsteps of the rodent, and here the wide bounds 
of the lynx. The rushes seldom exceeded thirty yards, when the scattered 
snow and dirt mixed with a little blood indicate the death of the hare. 
Sometimes the lynx drags his prey a short distance, but he generally 
devours it on the spot. 
The lynx can climb trees with ease and robs the nests of birds and 
squirrels. This animal is rarely tamed in confinement, for even the smallest 
kittens betray an indomitable ferocity possessed by few young creatures; 
yet I have seen one which was as quiet and good natured as any household 
cat, and would follow a man about and permit caresses with pleasure. 
The young are born about May and deposited by the mother under 
some thickets or logs until they are able to follow her and be taught the 
business of hunting. 
In the long Canadian winter the lynx is often hard put to it to make a 
living, for hares are migratory and the lynx not so to any great extent. 
In the snow it ekes out a precarious livelihood by catching grouse, for at 
this time most of the small mammals are hibernating and in secure 
retreats. It is not averse to any old carrion it can find, and so comes out 
of the winter in a miserably thin condition. Yet what must be taken into 
consideration is the long period which carnivores are able to go without 
touching food. Cats and wolves can go for weeks without food, whilst seals, 
especially the sea lions and the fur seals, often live in good health for 
months without touching fish. The lynx cannot be considered a high-class 
animal of the chase, for, like the cougar and the wolf, it possesses a nature 
of extreme caution, whilst, if spied first by man — a rare thing indeed — it 
is of so restless a nature that a stalk is impossible. Sometimes just a chance 
snap-shot is obtained in the forest, or as the animal crosses a river or some 
opening. The value of the fur of the lynx is of small account, two to three 
dollars being generally paid for good skins in Canada and Newfoundland. 
THE GREY WOLF 
The grey wolf ( Canis occidentals), also called the timber wolf, is often 
met with by the hunter, especially the large black wolf found in Northern 
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