174 
M U 
was roaded. When (he ate, no perfon durft approach 
her. At other times, (lie permitted every freedom, ex¬ 
cept abufe. She careffed all the dogs which came near 
her, till Ihe began to give a preference to her old com¬ 
panion ; after which, (he was enraged at every other. She 
was covered, for the fird time, on the 25th day of March 
lad. Her amours continued fifteen days, with pretty fre¬ 
quent repetitions; and (Ire brought forth her young on 
the 6th day of June, at eight o'clock in the morning. 
Hence the time of her gedation was feventy-three days. 
The young were four in number, and of a blackifh colour. 
Some of them have half of the bread and the paws white. 
Thefe colours are derived from the dog, which is black- 
and-white. From the moment of littering, (he growled 
and attacked all who approached her. She no longer dif- 
tinguiflred her maders; and would even have devoured 
the dog if he had come near her. I add, that (he has 
been chained ever fince (lie made a break at her gallant, 
who had leaped a neighbouring wall in order to come at 
a bitch in feafon ; that die nearly worried her rival; and 
that the coachman feparated them by repeated blows of a 
large bludgeon, and conducted her to her lodge, where, 
imprudently commencing his chadifement, her fury rofe 
to fuch a degree, that die bit him twice in the thigh, and 
the u r ounds confined him fix weeks to his bed. Namur, 
June 9, 1773-” 
In my anl'wer to this letter, I thanked M. de Boifi'y, 
and added fome remarks with a view to remove my 
doubts. The marquis de Spontin, having feen my anl'wer, 
obligingly wrote me in the following terms : “ I read with 
much l'atisfaftion the judicious remarks you tranfmitted 
to M. Surirey de Boifly, whom I had begged to commu¬ 
nicate to you, during my abfence, a faft wdiicli cannot 
be denied, notwithdanding the force of your arguments, 
and the opinion I have always entertained, as well as the 
red of the world, of the excellence of the many learned 
produdtions by which you have enlightened the republic 
of letters. But, whether it was an effect of chance, or 
one of thofe fports of Nature, who, as you remark, fome- 
times departs from her edablilhed laws, the faft is incon- 
tedible ; and you will be convinced of its truth, if you 
give credit to what I have the honour of writing to you, 
which can be atteded by two hundred perfons at lead, 
who were witnefies to it as well as myfelf. This lhe-wolf 
was only three days old when I purchafed it from a pea- 
fant, who liad carried it od’, after killing the mother. 
I fed it with milk till it was able to eat fiefli. I recom¬ 
mended to thofe who had the care of it, to carefs and 
handle it often, with a view to render it as tame as pof- 
fible. At lad, it became fo familiar, that I have taken it 
to hunt in the woods at the didance of a league from my 
houfe, without any danger of lofing it. Sometimes, when 
I was unable to call it back, it returned of its own accord 
in the night. I was always more certain of keeping it 
at home when I had a dog; for it was fond of dogs ; and 
thofe who bad overcome their natural repugnance (ported 
with it, as if they had been animals of the fame lpecies. 
During all this time, it attacked only cats and poultry, 
whom it drangled, but without difeovering any inclination 
to eat them. As foon as (he attained the age of twelve 
months, her ferocity increafed, and I began to perceive 
that (he had a drong defire to attack (heep. I then 
ehained her; becaule (he frequently (prang upon her 
mader, when he attempted to redrain her. She was at 
lead one year old when I introduced her to the acquaint¬ 
ance of the dog which covered her. She had been kept 
in my garden, which is fituated in the centre of the town, 
fince the end of November lad ; and, therefore, no male 
wolf can be fuppofed to have had any communication 
with her. As foon as die came in feafon, die difcovered 
fuch an affedtion for the dog, and the dog for her, that 
each of them howled frightfully when they were not to¬ 
gether. She was fird covered on the 28th of March, and 
twice each day during the two following weeks. They 
continued attached to each other more than a quarter of 
L E. 
an hour at every embrace, during which time the wolf 
complained, and leemed to fufter pain; but the dog was 
perfe&ly at his eafe. Three weeks after, her pregnancy 
was perceptible. On the 6th of June, (he brought forth 
four young, whom (he dill fuckles, though they are five 
weeks old, and have pretty long diarp teeth. They have 
a perfedt refemblance to puppies, having long pendulous 
ears. One of them is black, with a white bread, which 
was the colour of the dog. The others will probably be 
of the colour of the mother. The hair of each of them 
is coarfer than that of ordinary dogs. There is but one 
female, with a very diort tail, like the dog, who had 
fcarcely any tail. They promife to be large, drong, and 
very ferocious. The mother is extremely felicitous con¬ 
cerning their welfare. I doubt whether I lhall keep her 
any longer, having been chagrined by an accident that 
befel my coachman, whom (he bit fo cruelly, that he has 
been confined to his bed thefe fix weeks pad. But will 
engage, that, if preferred, (he will again have puppies by 
the fame dog, who is white, with large black fpots on the 
back. I hope, fir, that what I have (aid will anfwer for a 
reply to your remarks, and that you will no longer hefitate 
concerning the truth of this lingular event. Namur , 
July 14, 1773-” 
My doubts, continues M. de Bufion, are entirely re¬ 
moved, and I am happy to embrace this opportunity of 
expreding my thanks. The edablifhment of a rare fadt 
in natural liidory is a great acquilition. The means of 
obtaining fuch fadts are always difficult, and often, as we 
have feen, very dangerous. It was for this laft reafon 
that I fequedered my wolf and dog from all fociety. I 
had formerly reared a young wolf, who, till the age of 
twelve months, did no mifehief, and followed his mader 
like a dog. But, in the fecond year, he committed fo 
many excefles that it was necefiary to kill him. I learned, 
by experience, that thefe animals, though foftened by 
education, refume with age their natural ferocity. Wil¬ 
ling to prevent thefe inconveniences, I kept my (he-wolf 
always confined along with the dog ; and I acknowledge 
that this method of procuring an union between them 
was ill imagined ; for, in this date of flavery and difgud, 
the difpofitions of the wolf, indead of being foftened, 
were foured to fuch a degree, that (lie was more ferocious 
than if (lie had been at full liberty 5 and the dog, having 
been early detached from his equals, and from the fociety 
of men, had aflumed a favage and cruei character, which 
the bad humour of the wolf ferved only to augment; fo 
that, during the two lad years, their antipathy arofe to 
fuch a degree, that they defired nothing fo much as to 
devour each other. In the experiment made by the mar¬ 
quis de Spontin, every circumdance was reverled. The 
dog was in his ordinary condition : he had all the mild- 
nefs and other qualities which this docile animal acquires 
by his intercourle with man. The wolf was likewife 
reared in perfedt freedom and familiarity along with the 
dog, which, by being under no redraint, had lod his 
repugnance to her; and (he, by the fame mild manage¬ 
ment, became fufceptible of attachment to him. Befides, 
the proper moment for this unnatural union was leized. 
The wolf felt the impreffion of love for the fird time. 
She was only in the fecond year of her age; and, of courfe, 
had not entirely refumed her natural ferocity. 
A fimilar fadl has been announced by M. Bourgelat, 
in a letter, dated April 15, 1775: “ Lord Pembroke,” 
fays he, “ informed me, that, within thefe few days, he 
faw a large madid’ copulate with a (he-wolf; that the 
wolf is tame; that (he is always in her mailer’s chamber, 
and confequently under his eye; that (he never goes out 
alone ; and that (he follows her mader with all the fidelity 
of a dog. He adds, that an animal-merchant has had, 
at four different times, mules produced by the wolf and 
dog. He alleges, that the wolf is only a wild dog; and 
in this opinion he is joined by the celebrated anatomift 
Mr. Hunter. He thinks differently with regard to the 
fox. He tells me, that a bitch, who was a daughter of a 
wolf. 
