NATURAL HISTORY. THE WOLF. THE essential character of the common wolf consists in, a straight tail; the hide of a greyish yellow, with a black oblique stripe on the fore-legs of those which are full grown; the eyes oblique. The average height of the wolf is about two feet six inches before, and two feet four inches behind; and the length of the body, from the tip of the muzzle to the beginning of the tail, three feet eight inches. The wolf is peculiarly an inhabitant of Europe, and he still continues so in the more northern regions, and in those countries where dense forests are not yet cleared. They once abounded in England; and it is manifest that the terror which they produced was not a rare circumstance, but spread itself throughout all the land, and became a part of the habitual thoughts of the people. The month which corresponds with our January was at one period called by the Anglo-Saxons, "Wolf-monat;" and the reason for this is thus explained by an old writer on British antiquities. "The moneth which we now call January they called Wolf-monat,' to wit, Wolf moneth, because people are wont always in that moneth to be more in danger to be devoured of wolves, than in any season els of the yeare; for that, through the extremity of cold and snow, these ravenous creatures could not find of other beasts sufficient to feed upon.' In the southern and temperate countries of Europe wolves are now rarely found. In severe winters they still make their appearance occasionally in France and Germany; several were seen in the forests near Boulogne, in 1818. In Spain, the dogs that watch the flocks wear spiked collars, to protect them from the occasional incursions of their enemy. Wolves are, in those northern regions, very formidable Verstegan's "Restitution of decayed Intelligence in Antiquities concerning the most noble and renowned English Nation."-Antwerp, 1606. creatures, sometimes measuring six feet from the muzzle to the end of the tail. Their prevailing color is light, with a silvery, black stripe, extending from the upper part of the neck along the back. In the Zoological Appendix, by Mr. Sabine, to Captain Franklin's "Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea," mention is made of a white wolf, whose length is four feet two inches; length of tail, nineteen inches; and height, two feet ten inches. Mr. Sabine considers it probable, that the loss of color in the white wolves, in the vicinity of the Arctic Seas, is occasioned by the severity of the winter season; though the change does not occur in all cases. The Clouded Wolf; Canis nubilus, SAY. A black wolf was taken in the Missouri territory, by a party engaged in Major Long's expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains; and Mr. Say, who accompanied that expedition, has described it under the name of Canis nubilus, or Clouded Wolf. In the Menagerie of the Tower of London, there is, at present, a Broke's Travels pair of wolves, taken in America, and presented by the Hudson's Bay Company, whose hair is of that mottled or clouded color, formed of various shades of black, gray, or white, which determined Mr. Say in his choice of a name for the variety. These animals are larger and stronger than the common wolf; of a fierce aspect, but, in a considerable degree, without that peculiar expression-that sinister look of apprehension, united with ferocity-which usually characterizes the wolf species. Their tail is shorter than that of the common wolf, and their ears are remarkably short. These individual animals are extremely voracious; and their natural fierceness has not been in the slightest degree changed by confinement. The head of the American wolf, generally, is larger than that of the European; the muzzle is rounder; and his expression has less of that character which is expressed by the common word slinking. During the arduous journeys of Captain Franklin to the shores of the Polar Sea, he and his companions were often obliged to dispute their scanty food with the prowling wolves of those inclement regions. On one occasion, when they had captured a moose-deer, and had buried a part of the body, the wolves absolutely dug it out from their very feet, and devoured it, while the weary men were sleeping. On another occasion, when the travellers had killed a deer, they saw, by the flashes of the Aurora Borealis, eight wolves waiting around for their share of the prey; and the intense howling of the ferocious animals, and the cracking of the ice by which they were surrounded, prevented them from sleeping, even if they had dared. But the wolves were sometimes caterers for the hungry wanderers in these dreary regions. When a group of wolves and a flight of crows were discovered, the travellers knew that there was a carcass to be divided; and they sometimes succeeded in obtaining a share of the prey, if it had been recently killed. Even the wolves have a fear of man; and they would fly before the little band, without attempting resistance. The following anecdote is full of interest:-" Dr. Richardson, having the first watch, had gone to the summit of the hill, and remained seated, contemplating the river that washed the precipice under his feet, long after dusk had hid distant objects from his view. His thoughts were, perhaps, far distant from the surrounding scenery, when he was aroused by an indistinct noise behind him; and, on looking round, perceived that nine white wolves had ranged themselves in form of a crescent, and were advancing, apparently with the intention of driving him into the river. On his rising up they halted; and when he advanced, they made way for his passage down to the tents." This circumstance happened when the weather was sultry. The formation of a crescent is the mode generally adopted by a pack of wolves to prevent the escape of any animal which they chase. The following passage, from the same interesting work, shows the extreme cunning of the wolves in the pursuit of a creature of superior speed:- "So much snow had fallen on the night of the 24th, that the track we intended to follow was completely covered; and our march to-day was very fatiguing. We passed the remains of two red deer, lying at the bases of perpendicu lar cliffs, from the summits of which they had probably been forced by the wolves. These voracious animals, who are inferior in speed to the moose, or red deer, are said frequently to have recourse to this expedient, in places where extensive plains are bounded by precipitous cliffs. Whilst the deer are quietly grazing, the wolves assemble in great numbers; and, forming a crescent, creep slowly towards the herd, so as not to alarm them much at first; but when they perceive that they have fairly hemmed in the unsuspecting creatures, and cut off their retreat across the plain, they move more quickly, and with hideous yells terrify their prey, and urge them to flight by the only open way, which is towards the precipice; appearing to know that, when the herd is once at full speed, it is easily driven over the cliff-the rearmost urging on those that are before. The wolves then descend at their leisure, and feast on the mangled carcasses.' |