(_Canis lupus_)
As the lion or the tiger forms the supreme development of the feline
stock, so the wolf constitutes the culminating branch of the canine
line. Each of these animals represents indeed the acme of perfection of
which its particular type is capable; but in regard to specialisation
the members of the cat tribe stand on a much higher plane than those
of the dog family. In the cats we find the face much shortened and
rounded, the number of cheek-teeth reduced both at the front and the
back of the series, the pair of cutting-teeth in each jaw consisting
almost entirely of scissor-like blades, and the claws retractile and
protected by large horny sheaths.
In the dog tribe, on the other hand, the long face and numerous
cheek-teeth of the more primitive extinct Carnivora are retained, the
pair of cutting-teeth are by no means wholly blade, and the claws are
non-retractile and devoid of sheaths.
Equally marked differences in the matter of habits are likewise
characteristic of the two groups. Cats, as a rule, hunt their prey
singly or in couples, stalking it stealthily by the aid of sight, and
then making a sudden rush or spring upon the victim. Most members of
the _Canidæ_, on the contrary, associate in large packs, which hunt
their victims by scent, and pull them down by their combined strength.
Apart from the brown bear, which is of a less active and less
carnivorous disposition, the wolf is the largest member of the
Carnivora which has been indigenous to central and northern Europe
during the historic period; and it plays in the folk-lore of that
portion of the continent a part very similar to that taken by the tiger
in the legends and mythology of the natives of India. The superstition
of the “werwolf” and the familiar story of _Little Red Ridinghood_
bear striking testimony to the prominent position held by the wolf in
folk-lore.
The wolf, which is in fact the ancestor of many domesticated breeds
of dogs, is the largest representative of the _Canidæ_, although the
typical wolf of northern Europe is much exceeded in point of size by
those of certain other countries, the largest of all being the huge
black wolf (_Canis lupus pambasileus_) of Alaska, which is almost as
tall as an ordinary bear, and has a head of enormous proportions.
Although many modern naturalists divide it into distinct species, the
wolf has a circumpolar distribution, and in Asia ranges as far south
as the Himalaya and the north-western frontier of India. From Great
Britain, Denmark, and Holland the wolf has long since disappeared, and
it has likewise been exterminated in northern and central Germany.
But wolves still remain in Spain, in the districts of France adjacent
to Germany, and in Poland and Russia, as well as in other parts of
eastern Europe, while they are abundant throughout central and northern
Asia. In the colder parts of their habitat, as in Tibet, where a black
phase is common, these fierce Carnivora develop a thick under-coat
of fur. With such an extensive range in the Old World, it would be
only natural to expect that wolves should present considerable local
variation in colour and size; and as a matter of fact this is actually
the case, although the various local races are still imperfectly known.
[Illustration]
In North America the species is represented by the grey, or timber,
wolf (_C. lupus occidentalis_), as well as by the aforesaid black
Alaskan race. As regards colour, the ordinary American wolf is dark
grey, becoming almost black on the back, with dusky patches on the
shoulders and hips; but there is also a more rufous phase. The coyote,
or prairie-wolf, is a distinct species, _C. latrans_.
In Europe the favourite haunts of the wolf are wild and retired
situations both in the plains and mountains; during spring and summer
wolves go about for the most part singly or in pairs, but in winter
they collect in parties or large packs, and when driven to desperation
by hunger are the terror of the peasantry or the traveller, not only in
Russia but even in some districts of France and Germany.
The food of the wolf includes all animals that it can capture and
overpower, as well as carrion, and even vegetable substances. Large
game and domesticated animals form its chief victims, but in cases of
necessity, rats, mice, frogs, and even cockchafers are not disdained.
In pursuit of their prey wolves are practically untiring. The female
gives birth during the spring, in some sequestered situation in the
forest, to from three to nine cubs, which she nurses and tends with
wonderful affection and care.