In spring and summer wolves are solitary i or in pairs, in the autumn in families and in the winter in packs. The pairing season is in December and January, when the males fight savagely together; those who are fortunate enough to secure a mate remain with her till the young arc well grown. The young arc horn in burrows excavated by the wolves themselves, and during her confinement the female is fed the male. The period of gtstation is 63 days, and from three to nine (usually four to six) cubs are found in a litter; these are blind for 21 days, and are suckled for two months, but at the end of one month are able to eat half-digested flesh disgorged by the mother. They quit the parents in Novem ber or December, but many remain together six or eight months longer; they are full grown in three years, and live from 12 to IS years. Wolves can readily be tamed when taken young, and then exhibit many of the characteristics of domestic dogs.
Notwithstanding the spread of civilization, the wolf is still widely distributed. Excluding thickly populated regions, it extends over al most the whole of Europe; but Russia and Scandinavia are the only parts where it now occurs in any large numbers. In Asia it is spread over all the continent to the borders of India and the plains of China.
Besides the American forms already men tioned many wolves inhabiting Europe and Asia has been described as species more or less dis tinct from C. lute's.. Among these are C. Niger and C. iangifer of Tibet, C. palloes of India, C. hodophylax of Japan and C. me.rirenes of Mexico. The Indian wolf (C. frolliter) is smaller and slighter than the typical form, with little or no under-fur; but undoubted ex amples of C. &tits differ as much from each other as this does from them. It inhabits the plains south of the Himalayas, hut is rare west of the Indus. ft does not hunt in large packs, but in numbers of six or eight at most. The superstition of the people prevents its destruc tion, for they imagine that its blood will dimin ish the fertility of the fields. It is seldom heard, not howling like the European wolf. It
is remarkable even among wolves for speed and endurance.
A second well-marked species of Canis found in North America is the prairie wolf (C'. harems). See Covore In Africa and South America several species of hunting dogs belonging to Canis and re lated genera are known locally as wolves, but the name is not properly applicable. Still less should it be applied to the 'native wolf' of the Tasmanians, which is a true marsupial (Thylacinus rynocephaIns) of carnivorous habits and canine aspect. Consult Mivart, 'Monograph of the Canidwi (London 18110; Merriam, 'Revision of the Coyotes.h 'Proceed ings,' Biological Society of Washington (1897); Audubon and Bachman, 'Quadrupeds of North America' (New York 1847); Seton, 'Northern Mammals' (New York 1909), and books of travel and sport.
Ermanno, Italian com poser: b. Venice, 12 Jan. 1876. He studied under Rhineberger at Munich in 1893-95, and in 1902-09 he was director of the Liceo Bene detto Marcello, Venice. For some years after 1909 he lived at Munich, devoting himself to composition. chiefly operas, and later he lived in Venice. His operas are highly successful and are characterized by excellent technique and much charm of manner. He has composed several piano pieces, a large choral work, violin sonatas, and other works besides his operas, among which are 'La Sulamita' (1898); 'Cen erentola' (1900); 'Le Donne Curiose' (1903); 'Die vier Grobiane) (1906); '11 Segreto di Susanna' (1909); Gioiellj della Madonna,' 'Jewels of the Madonna' (1911) ; 'L'Amore Medico' (1913).
a large voracious (Anarvliichas lupus). allied to the blenny and named from the wolfish appearance given it by its great interlocking front teeth, and from its disposition to fight hard for its life when caught It may attain a length of four or five feet. The color is an green above, marbled with brown on the head especially. The fish feeds on echinoderms, mollusks and crustaceans. The flesh tastes like that of cod. Several other species are known in various parts of the world constituting the family Anarrhichide.