THE BLACK WOLF. 
Some of my little readers have 
probably heard about the small 
boy who thought it rare fun to 
frighten his friends by crying 
u Wolf! Wolf!" as though he 
were being pursued. They lived 
in a wild part of the country 
where Wolves were frequently 
seen, but in time they grew used 
to Johnnie's little joke, so that 
one day when he cried u Wolf! 
Wolf!" in frantic tones they paid 
no attention to him. Alas! that 
day a Wolf really did sneak out 
of the woods — a hungry Wolf — 
and poor little Johnnie furnished 
him a very satisfactory meal. 
There is a deep meaning at- 
tached to this fable, which you 
had best ask your teacher to 
explain. 
Well, the Black Wolf, whose 
picture we present is a fierce 
looking fellow indeed. We 
have heard so many stories 
about Wolves attacking travelers 
and their horses that we have 
thought them full of ferocity and 
courage, when in fact they are 
the most cowardly of all our 
animals. Unless pressed by 
extreme hunger they never at- 
tack animals larger than them- 
selves, and then only in packs. 
A cur dog, as a rule, can drive 
the largest wolf on the plains. 
Lean, gaunt, and hungry look- 
ing, they are the essence of 
meanness and treachery. Their 
long, bushy tails are carried 
straight out behind, but when 
the animal is frightened, he puts 
his tail between his legs just 
like the common dog. 
There are men who make it a 
business to go Wolf hunting in 
order to secure their " pelts," 
or hides. The bait they use is 
the carcass of some animal, elk, 
deer, or coon, which they impreg- 
nate with poison, and leave in a 
place which will do the most 
good. In the morning some- 
times as many as fifty dead 
Wolves will be found scattered 
about the carcass whose flesh 
they had so ravenously devoured. 
A Wolf skin is worth about one 
dollar and a half, so that it pays 
a hunter very well to u catch " a 
number of these mean animals. 
They are sometimes hunted on 
horseback with hounds, but they 
can run with such speed when 
frightened, that no ordinary dog 
can keep up with them. Among 
the pack are one or more grey- 
hounds, who bring the wolf to 
bay and allow the other dogs to 
come up. 
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