160 
WHITE AMERICAN WOLF. 
up to their sides, and cool themselves while lapping the water, pre- 
cisely in the manner of a dog. They do not cry out or howl when 
wounded or when suddenly surprised, but snarl, and snap their jaws to- 
gether furiously. It is said when suffering for want of food, the strongest 
will fall upon the young or weak ones, and kill and eat them. Whilst 
prowling over the prairies jand we had niany opportunities ol seeing them 
at such times) they travel slowly', look around them cautiously, and will 
not disdain even a chance bone that may fall in their way' ; they bite 
so voraciously at the bones thus left by the hunter that in many cases 
their teeth are broken off short, and we have seen a number of speci- 
mens in which the jaws showed several teeth to have been fractured 
in this way. 
After a hearty meal, the wolf always lies down when he supposes 
himself in a place of safety. W^e were told that occasionally when 
they had gorged themselves, they slept so soundly that they could be 
approached and knocked on the head. 
The common wolf is not unfrequently met with in company with 
the Prairie wolf {Ganis latrans.) On the afternoon of the 13th of July, 
as Mr. Bell and ourselves were returning to Fort Union, we counted 
eighteen wolves in one gang, which had been satiating themselves on 
the carcass of a Buffalo on the river’s bank, and were returning to 
the hills to spend the night. Some of them had their stomachs dis- 
tended with food and appeared rather lazy. 
We w^ere assured at Fort Union that wolves had not been known 
to attack men or horses in that vicinity, but they will pursue and kill 
mules and colts even near a trading post, always selecting the fattest. The 
number of tracks or rather paths made by the wolves from among 
and around the hills to that station, are almost beyond credibility, and 
it is curious to observe their sagacity in choosing the shortest course 
and the most favourable ground in travelling. 
W^e saw hybrids, the offspring of the wolf and the cur dog, and 
also their mixed broods ; some of which resemble the wolf, and others 
the dog. Many of the Assiniboin Indians who visited Fort Union 
during our stay there, had' both wolves and their crosses with the 
common dog in their trains, and their dog carts (if they may be so 
called) were drawn alike by both. 
The natural gait of the American Wolf resembles that of the New- 
foundland dog, as it ambles, moving two of its legs on the same side 
at a time. When there is any appearance of danger, the wolf trots 
off, and generally makes for unfrequented hilly grounds, and if pursued, 
gallops at a quick pace, almost equal to that of a good horse, as the 
