288 
THE WOLE. 
wolf has his excellences as well as his 
cousin the dog,—though I admit that they 
are neither so various nor so shining. 
Wolves in captivity have often shown 
great affection for those who have been in 
the habit of feeding or caressing them. 
Mr. Gosse tells a story, which he asserts to 
be perfectly w T ell authenticated, of a pack 
of seventeen wolves who were seen upon 
the ice of a Canadian lake and pursued. 
Most of them immediately dispersed; but 
seven or eight remained together around 
one, to which they seemed to act as a sort 
of body-guard. After a w T hile these also 
scattered,—all but two, who still remained 
faithful to their comrade, urging her for¬ 
ward, and turning from time to time upon 
their pursuers until they were shot down 
and the object of their solicitude captured 
It proved to be a she-wolf, very old and 
completely blind. She was quite helpless 
\vithout her guides, and only cried piteously 
when she was taken, without attempting 
any resistance. The den was found not very 
far oft*; and, from appearances, it deemed as 
though all the wolves in the neighbourhood 
