WHITE AMERICAN WOLF. 
159 
These animals are extremely abundant on the Missouri river, and 
in the adjacent country. On our way up that extraordinary stream, 
we first heard of wolves being troublesome to the farmers who own 
sheep, calves, young colts, or any other stock on which these ravenous 
beasts feed, at Jefferson city, the seat of goverment of the State of 
Missouri ; but to our great surprise, while there not a black wolf 
was seen. 
Wolves are said to feed at times, when very hard pressed by hun- 
ger, on certain roots which they dig out of the earth with their fore- 
paws, scratching like a common dog in the ground. When they have 
killed a Buffalo or other large animal, they drag the remains of the 
carcass to a concealed spot if at hand, then scrape out the loose 
soil and bury it, and often lie down on the top of the grave they have 
thus made for their victim, until urged again by hunger, they exume 
the body and feast upon it. Along the banks of the river, where oc- 
casionally many Buffaloes perish, their weight and bulk preventing them 
from ascending where the shore is precipitous, wolves are to be seen 
in considerable numbers feeding upon the drowned Bisons. 
Although extremely cunning in hiding themselves, at the report of 
a gun wolves soon come forth from different quarters, and when the 
alarm is over, you have only to conceal yourself, and you will soon 
see them advancing towards you, giving you a fair chance of shooting 
them, sometimes at not more than thirty yards distance. It is said 
that although they frequently pursue Buffalo, &c., to the river, they 
seldom if ever follow them after they take to the water. Their gait and 
movements are precisely the same as those of the common dog, and their 
mode of copulating, and the number of young brought forth at a litter 
is about the same. The diversity of their size and colour is quite re- 
markable, no two being quite alike. 
Some days while ascending the river, we saw from twelve to twenty- 
five wolves ; on one occasion we observed one apparently bent on cross- 
ing the river, it swam toward our boat and was fired at, upon which it 
wheeled round and soon made to the shore from which it had started. 
At another time we saw a wolf attempting to climb a very steep 
and high bank of clay, when, after falling back thrice, it at last reached 
the top and disappeared at once. On the opposite shore another was 
seen lying down on a sand bar like a dog, and any one might have sup- 
posed it to be one of those attendants on man. Mr. Bell .shot at it, 
but too low, and the fellow scampered off to the margin of the woods, 
there stopped to take a last lingering look, and then vanished. 
In hot weather when wolves go to the river, they usually walk in 
