The Black Wolf is a name given to a variety which is most frequent in Southern Europe, and particularly in the Pyrenees and to the south of those mountains, where they are more common than the ordinary or last-mentioned wolf, which the Black Wolf equals in stature, and, if anything, exceeds in strength. envier says that it is found, but very rarely, in France. Colonel Hamilton Smith relates an anecdote illustrative of its great size and weight. One of these wolves at a battue in the mountains near Madrid came bounding towards an English gentleman who was present at the Tort, through the high grass and bushes, so largo that the sportsman took it for a donkey. Seven were slain ; and this gentleman, though active and In the flower of life, could not lift one entirely from the ground. The specimen figured by the Colonel came from the banks of the Tagus, and he describes it as equal to the largest mastiff, of a very dark brown colour, with ears larger and the muzzle thicker than the Common Wolf, but withal resembling a very large and shaggy Wolf-Dog.
"The Spanish Wolves," says Colonel Smith, "congregated formerly in the passes of the Pyrenees in large troops, and even now the Lobo will accompany strings of mules as soon as it becomes dusky. They are seen bounding from bush to bush by tho side of travellers, and keeping parallel with them as they proceed, waiting an opportunity to select a victim ; and often succeeding unless the muleteers can reach some place of safety before dark, and have no dangerous passes to traverse. Black wolves occur again in the mountains of Friuli and about Cattaro." Tho Vckvoturian Mountain-Wolf of Russia, described by Pallas, belongs to the black variety. Colonel Smith thinks that the Rosso mak of the Leoaa in Siberia, with shining black valuable fur, is pro bably the same.
The female of the Common Wolf produces four or five at a litter; and although it is said that until the young eau see, the female care fully hides them from the male, for fear he should devour them, it is certain that he hunts for them and brings them food, consisting for the most part of the smaller quadrupeds, partridges, moor-game, &c., after they have the use of their eyes, and that both parents take their offspring out to teach them to hunt as soon as they are strong enough.
Several varieties or species of Wolf are met with in Asia. The Landgah, or Indian Wolf, is the Canis pallipes of Sykes, and the Sac calius Indicus of Hodgson. It is an inhabitant of Nepaul.
The wolves of Asia Minor are fulvous, but the colour is more pre dominant and has more red in it than that of the Italian wolves.
Of the Indian wolves, one, the Beriah, is described as being of a light fox-colour inclining to dun, not larger than a greyhound, slen derly made, but bony; the head and ears long, like those of a Jackal, and the tail long, but not very hairy; the other, which is smaller, Colonel Smith refers to his Lyciacan group. The last-named zoologist
refers the black Derboun of the mountains of Arabia and the south of Syria to the Wolf.
The wolf, or the lupine forms of the genus Canis, are found in America. Sir John Richardson, in the 'Fauna Boreali-Americana,' observes that the Common Wolves of the Old and New World have been generally supposed to be the same species—the Canis Lupus of Linnaeus. The American naturalists have indeed, he remarks, described some of the northern kinds of wolf as distinct; but it never seems to have been doubted that a wolf possessing all the characters of the European Wolf exists within the limits of the United States. He then goes on to point out that the wolf to which these characters have been ascribed seems to be the Large Brown Wolf of Lewis and Clark ; and, according to them, it inhabits not only the Atlantic countries, but also the borders of the Pacific and the moun tains wilich approach the Columbia River, between the great falls and rapids, 'but is not found on the Missouri to the westward of the Platte. Richardson remarks that he had seen none of these Brown Wolves.
In the ' New Description of Virginia' (1649) wolves are mentioned among the beasts found there ; and Lawson notices the Wolf of Caro lina and thus describes him :—" The Wolf of Carolina is the dog of the woods. The Indians had no other curs before the Christians came amongst them. They are made domestic. When wild they are neither so large nor fierce as the European Wolf. They are not man-slayers, neither is any creature in Carolina unless wounded. They go in great droves in the night to hunt deer, which they do as well as the best pack of hounds : nay, one of these will hunt down a deer. They are often so poor that they can hardly run. When they catch no prey they go to a swamp, and fill their belly full of mud; if afterwards they chance to get anything of flesh, they will disgorge the mud and eat the other. When they hunt in the night, and there is a great many together, they make the moat hideous and frightful noise that ever was heard. The fur makes good muffs. The skin, dressed to a parchment, makes the best drum-heads, and if tanned makes the best sort of shoes for the summer-countries." Catesby says :—" The wolves in America are like those of Europe in shape and colour, but are somewhat smaller. They are more timor ous, and not so voracious as those of Europe. A drove of them will fly from a single man, yet in very severe weather there have been some instances to the contrary. Wolves were domestic with the Indiana, who had no other dogs before those of Europe were introduced, since which the breed of wolves and European dogs are mixed and become prolific. It is remarkable that the European dogs that have no mixture