340 
THE STORY OF THE WOLF . 
the midst of a herd of bull bison without attracting the least attention. In 
general almost any kind of prey is acceptable to the wolf, which does not 
by any means disdain a meal of carrion. The larger mammals, such as cattle, 
horses, and the bigger kinds of deer, are generally only attacked when several 
wolves are associated together; but in Canada a single wolf will kill the largest 
male reindeer. Birds always form an acceptable portion of a wolf’s diet. 
When hard pressed by hunger, wolves will eat almost anything they come 
across, down to mice and frogs, and, it is said, even buds of trees and lichens. 
The lair of the wolf is formed either in a rocky cavern, within the hollow 
of a fallen trunk, beneath the roots of an overthrown tree, or more rarely in 
holes in the ground; such burrows being sometimes dug by the animal itself. 
A dense thicket will also not unfrequently serve as a hiding-place. The 
ordinary cry of the wolf is a loud and prolonged howl. The amount of noise 
that a single wolf is capable of producing is simply astonishing; and many 
amusing episodes of camp lore owe their origin to this fact. More than 
one lone traveler has hastily taken to a tree, and remained in the inhospitable 
shelter of its branches for an entire night, believing himself surrounded by 
a pack of at least fifty fierce and hungry wolves, when in reality there was 
but one, and (as its tracks afterwards proved) that was on the further side 
of a lake, a couple of miles away. 
The endurance of the wolf’s gallop has become proverbial. When pursued 
by wolves, deer make for the nearest water, in which they have a chance 
to escape, being able to swim much faster than their enemies. Should the 
river or lake be narrow, the deer generally swim either up or down, seldom 
straight across; frequently landing, after a detour, on the same side in which 
they entered the water. By this means the wolves are puzzled and put off f 
the scent. If there are thick weeds or bush along the shore, the deer frequently 
sinks his body under water, so that no part will appear above the surface but 
his head, and by this means is enabled to evade the cunning of his pursuers. 
The wolf displays remarkable caution in avoiding all kinds of traps set for 
his destruction; and when he is caught will frequently feign death in tbs hcge 
of being able to escape. 
