The following varieties of the North American Wolf are enumerated by Sir John Richardson :— Variety a. Common Gray Wolf, Lupus griseus, the Mahaygan of the Cree Indians, and the Amarok of the Esquimau'.
Variety b. The White Wolf, Lupus albus.
Variety c. The Pied Wolf, Lupus sticte.
Variety d. The Dusky Wolf, Lupus nubilus, Canis nuldlus of Say.
- Variety e. The Black American Wolf, Lupus ater, Canis Lycaon of Harlan.
C. &grans (Say), the Prairie Wolf, Lyciscus latrans of Smith.
The animals which are thus distinguished have been long known to voyagers on the Missouri and Saskatchewan, as distinct from the Common Wolf. They are the Small Wolves of Du Pratz ; the Prairie Wolf of Gams ; the Prairie Wolf and Burrowing Dog of Lewis and Clark, and of Schoolcraft ; the Cased Wolves of the Hudson's Bay Company's lista ; and the Meesteh-chaggoneesh of the Cree Indians.
Sir John Richardson states that the northern range of the Prairie Wolf is about the 55th degree of latitude, and that it probably extends southward to Mexico. It associates, according to him, in greater numbers than the Gray Wolf of the same districts; it hunts in packs, and brings forth its young in burrows on the open plain remote from the woods. On the banks of the Saskatchewan these animals start from the earth in great numbers on hearing the report of a gun, and gather round the hunter expectant of the offal of the animal which he has slain. They are much more fleet than the Common Wolves. Sir John Richardson was informed by an experienced limiter who had resided for forty years on the Saskat• chewan, that the only animal on the plains which he could not over take, when mounted on a good horse, was the Prong-llorned Antelope, and that the Prairie Wolf was the next in speed.
C. ochrepus, the Coyotl, Vulpes Indica of Hernandez (` Hist. Quedr. Norm Hiep.,' c. xiii.), appears to be the Caygotte of the Mexican Spaniards, and le "most probably," the Lyciscus Cagottis of Smith.
This appears to be the animal mentioned by Mr. Bullock, in his ' Six Months in Mexico.' "Near Rio Frio," says that traveller and assiduous collector, " we shot several handsome birds, and saw a cayjotto or wild dog, which in size nearly approached the wolf. lie stood looking at us at a short distance from the road, and it was not till a gun was fired at him that he deliberately moved off." Hernandez describes the Coyotl to be an animal unknown to the Old World, with a wolfa head, vivid large and pallid eyes, small and sharp ears, a long black and not thick muzzle, muscular legs, crooked and thick claws, a very rough and thick tail, a noxious bite, approaching in form to the Fox, to which genus it is perhaps to be referred, and intermediate between it and the Wolf in size; for it is twice the size of the fox and less than the wolf, wherefore it is said to attack and kill not only sheep and similar animals, but stags, and sometimes even men. It is covered with brown and white long hair, is sagacious in
hunting and vulpine in its manners, and so pertinacious an avenger of wrongs, and so mindful of the abstraction of its prey, that it will recognise the robber after many days, will follow him, and sometimes set upon him with others of its own kind, die, It is however grateful to its benefactors. It lives iu many places of New Spain, and especially in those which are colder. It feeds upon the weaker animals, maize and other frumentaceons vegetables, and sugar-cane.
The Aguarn Guazu of D'Azara is the Canis jubai us of Currier, the Loup Rouge of the French, the Canis campestris of the Prince de Wied, and the Maned Aguara, Chrysocyon jubatus, of Smith.
D'Azara thus describes this Red Wolf, to which the Payaguaa Indians give the name of Paraepaga, and the Chilians that of Culpeu. In Moses, he says, the animal goes by the appellation of Ocorome.
Length of an adult male exactly 5 feet, that of the tail 19 inches, the hairs being 4 Inches long. Height in front 2 feet 104 inches, behind 2 feet 11 inches; circumference close to the fore legs wanting half an inch of 2 feet, of the middle of the neck 1 foot ; and of the head, before the ears, 1 foot 8 inches; the cars 6 inches high, in their broadest part 4 inches, erect, but not exactly sharp, and very thick. From the tip of the muzzle to the ears 9/ inches, and to the inner angle of the eye 5 inches; the whiskers 24 inches long, and black. The upper jaw projecting 1 inch ; the canine teeth 10 lines long, although they were very much worn • eye small and somewhat sunk ; from the eye forwards the muzzle of almost equal thickness to the tip. Under the head a great white spot ; long hair within the ears, and extreme half of tail white also. Fore and hind feet to the claws, lower jaw from the corner of the mouth forwards, and extremity of upper jaw, black ; rest of the coat clear yellowish-red. Mane com mencing at the occiput and continuing erect till beyond the shoulder, 51 inches long, red in the first half of each hair, and black in the remainder towards the tip. Hair all over the body, including the belly, except the lower part of the fore legs, very long, and on the extremity of the spine 44 inches. D'Azara observes that it is neither completely flattened nor very rough, and would make good carpets. Hair of the tail rather bushy and of the same length as on the body.