THE GREY WOLF 
which they make is quite distinct from the melancholy howling one hears 
so often about the camp when the hunter has killed some animal. Young 
wolves are easily tamed, and in some instances they become interesting 
and affectionate pets. A friend of mine, Mr H. Dennis, possessed a pair 
from the same litter, the male of which was always savage and the female 
gentle and affectionate. He used to take her out for walks in the country, 
but the sight of a sheep was always too much for her, and he had great 
difficulty in holding her in. Another friend, Mr Meade-Waldo, had a very 
large male from the same litter of timber wolves. He used to take it out 
pheasant shooting. It was a good retriever, and would bring birds to hand, 
often, however, terribly crushed. 
The Alaskan and Labrador sled -dogs are merely domesticated wolves, 
or largely mixed with wild wolf blood, and it is well known that they 
must be kept in obedience with a very severe hand, otherwise they 
are dangerous to strangers and even to their own master should he 
happen to stumble and fall. There are many instances of these savage 
dogs killing and devouring men, women and children, and they are never 
to be trusted. 
The young of the wolf number three to thirteen, but usually six or seven. 
They are born blind and almost naked, and their eyes are not opened until 
the ninth day. The time of birth is usually either in March or April. The 
young follow their mother at about three months old, and until that time 
both the father and mother bring fresh game to the den. At this time almost 
their only enemy is the golden eagle, which often picks up the pups as they 
play round the entrance to the den. 
In the autumn and winter men formerly killed enormous numbers of 
wolves in the west, by trap and poison; but of recent years wolves have 
become extraordinarily cunning, and have learnt how to detect and defy 
both of these devices to slay them. It is not easy to prove how they have 
done this, yet it is a well-known fact that in the civilized parts of North 
America wolves now seldom get into a steel trap. Any human possession 
such as a horse shoe, a spur, or part of a man’s dress, is sufficient to protect 
the carcass of a deer. Wolves, too, will hardly ever take a strychnine bait, 
and, if they do, they eject it at once. There is no doubt that the nature of 
the wolf has, in recent times, undergone considerable change. Its subtle 
mind has grasped the fact that man and all his contrivances must be left 
alone. A hundred years ago man was still considered a fair prey, to be 
chased and eaten in times of scarcity, for the toll of human beings annually 
401 
FFF 
