Part 18 (1/2)
They are met with from Cape Horn to the farthest point northward that man has reached They are common in the tropical forests of Mexico and South Areat prairies of the temperate zones of both divisions of the continent, and in the colder regions of the Hudson's Bay territory they are a the best known of wild aniallop over the plains, they skulk through the valleys, they dwell everywhere--everywhere the wolf seems equally at home
In North America two very different kinds are known One is the ”prairie” or ”barking” wolf, which we have already met with and described The other species is the ”co naturalists that there are not several distinct species of the latter At all events, there are several _varieties_ of it--distinguished from each other in size, colour, and even to some extent in form The habits of all, however, appear to be similar, and it is a question, whether any of these varieties be _permanent_ or only _accidental_ Some of the in colour have been found in the same litter--but late explorers, of the countries around and beyond the Rocky Mountains, have discovered one or two kinds that appear to be specifically distinct from the co er
This last is said to resemble the wolf of Europe more than the other American wolves do--for there is a considerable difference between the wolves of the two continents Those of the Northern regions of America have shorter ears, a broader snout and forehead, and are of a stouter make, than the European wolves Their fur, too, is finer, denser, and longer; their tails more bushy and fox-like; and their feet broader The European wolf, on the contrary, is characterized by a gaunt appearance, a pointed snout, long jaws, high ears, long legs, and feet very narrow
It is possible, nothwithstanding these points of difference, that bothfrom a want of similitude in the circumstances by which they are surrounded
For instance, the dense wool of the Hudson's Bay wolf may be accounted for by the fact of its colder habitat, and its broader feetto run much upon the surface of the snow The writer of this little book believes that this peculiar adaptation of Nature--which doms--may explain the difference that exists between the wolves of the Northern parts of America and those of the South of Europe He believes, moreover, that those of the Southern parts of the American continent approximate more nearly to the Pyrenean wolves, as he has seen in the tropical forest of Mexico so” aspect that characterize the latter
It would be interesting to inquire whether the wolves of Siberia and Lapland, inhabitating a similar climate to that of the Northern parts of America, do not possess the same peculiarities as the North American kind--a point which naturalists have not yet considered, and which you, my boy reader, may so for yourself
With regard to colour the wolves of both continents exhibit many varieties In North America there aredifferent narey wolf,” the ”white,” the ”brown,” the ”dusky,” the ”pied,” and the ”black” These trivial nah idea of the colours of each kind, but there are even varieties in their s ”Yelloolves, too, have been seen, and ”red” ones, and sorey wolf is the most common, and is _par excellence the wolf_; but there are districts in which individuals of other colours predominate Wolves purely black are plenty in e packs
Even those of the same colour differ in size, and that to a considerable extent And what is also strange, large wolves will be found in one district of country, while much smaller ones _of the saest in size of Ath, the tail included; and about three feet in height,fur The tail is usually about one-third of the whole length
The habits of the American wolf are pretty much like those of his European cousin He is a beast of prey, devouring all the smaller animals he can lay hold of He pursues and overtakes the deer, and often runs down the fox and h these are so near his own species that the one is often taken for the other But this is not all, for he will even eat his own kind, on a pinch He is as cunning as the fox hier, he becomes bolder, and has been known to attack man Instances of this kind, however, are rare
The American wolves burrow, and, like the fox, have several entrances to their holes A litter of young wolves nuht are often produced at one birth
During their journey through the Barren Grounds our voyageurs had frequently observed wolves They werethrough a district where the very largest kind is found At tiether; and these appeared to be following upon their trail--as each night, when they canised so been seen before They made no attempt to shoot any of them--partly because they did not want either their skins or flesh, and partly because their ammunition had been reduced to a small quantity, and they did not wish to spend it unnecessarily
The wolves, therefore, were allowed to approach very near the camp, and howl as hout the livelong night What they found to allure them after our travellers, the latter could not make out; as they had not shot an ani the lake, and scarcely a scrap of anything was ever left behind the upon hope_
One evening our travellers had e--which they had just crossed--and under the shelter of sohbourhood ith to make a fire; but they had scraped the snow from the place over which their tent was pitched, and under it their skins were spread upon the ground As the tent was a very ss, was always left outside close by the opening Marengo himself slept there, and that was considered sufficient to secure all these things fro about
On the evening in question, the sledge was in its usual place--the dog having been taken froeurs had not yet had their supper, the pe open There was a se--soone down to it to get water One of them took the axe to break the ice with, while the other carried a vessel On arriving near the bank of the rivulet, the attention of the boys was attracted to a singular appearance upon the snow A fresh shower had fallen that , and the surface was still soft, and very smooth Upon this they observed double lines of little dots, running in different directions, which, upon close inspection, appeared to be the tracks of some animal
At first, Basil and Francois could hardly believe them to be such, the tracks were so very small They had never seen so s quite double the size But when they looked uish the marks of five little toes with claws upon the creature, and that a very diminutive one, must have passed over the spot Indeed, had the snow not been both fine-grained and soft, the feet of such a creature could not have made any impression upon it
The boys stopped and looked around, thinking they ht see the animal itself There was a wide circle of snow around them, and its surface was smooth and level; but not a speck upon it betrayed the presence of any creature
”Perhaps it was a bird,” said Francois, ”and has taken flight”
”I think not,” rejoined Basil ”They are not the tracks of a bird It is soone under the snow, I fancy”
”But I see no hole,” said Francois, ”where even a beetle could have gone down Let us look for one”
At Francois' suggestion, they walked on following one of the dotted lines Presently they cah the snow--its seedless panicle just appearing above the surface Round this stalk a little hole had been for of the snow, and partly by the action of the wind upon the panicle--and into this hole the tracks led It was evident that the anirass inits descent from the surface of the snow!
They now observed another track going _from_ the hole in an opposite direction, which showed that the creature had cliht have been, the boys hailed Lucien and Noro, soon arrived upon the spot When Lucien saw the tracks, he pronounced them at once to be those of the little shrew-mouse, the smallest of all the quadrupeds of America Several of them had evidently been out upon the snow--as there were other dotted lines--and the tops of rass were seen above the surface, each of which had formed a little hole around it, by which the et up and down
Norman, who had seen these little animals before, cautioned his coht come to the surface They all stopped therefore, and stood so to one another Presently, a little head notup, and then a body follohich in size did not exceed that of a large gooseberry! To this a tail was suspended, just one inch in length, of a square shape, and tapering from root to point, like that of any other mouse The little creature was covered with a close smooth fur, of a clove-brown colour above, but more yellowish upon the belly and sides; and was certainly, as it sat upon the even surface of the snow, thequadruped that any of the party had ever beheld
They were just whispering to one another what o, who quiet, all at once uttered a loud bay; and, springing out of the hands of his alloped off towards the ca what had started the dog; but his strange behaviour was at once explained, and to their consternation Around the tent, and close to its entrance, several large wolves were seen They were leaping about hurriedly, and worrying soround What these objects as too plain They were _the bags of pemmican_! Part of their contents was seen strewed over the snow, and part was already in the stomachs of the wolves
The boys uttered a sio was by this ti the wolves, and had set fiercely upon one of them Had his masters not been at hand, the fierce brutes would soon have settled the account with Marengo But the for them, ran off; but, to the consternation of the boys, each of the of the pehtness and speed as if nothing encumbered them!
[Illustration: THE WOLVES AND THE PEMMICAN BAGS]