Audubon's Mammals/MAMMALS1_3.BIN/dp/0012/00128.txt

Text File | 1992-08-25 | 18KB | 289 lines

$Unique_ID{QAD00128}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{White American Wolf     (Gray Wolf)}
$Subject{White American Wolf     (Gray Wolf); Canis; Lupus; audio}
$Journal{Quadrupeds of America:  Volume II}
$Volume{Vol. 2:156-162}
$Genus{Canis}
$Species{Lupus}
$Common_Name{White American Wolf}
$Log{
Plate LXXII*00128P1.scf,39100029.aud
Audio*39100029.aud
Genus*00120.txt}

               (C) (P) Library of Natural Sounds 1990-91, 1992,
                              All rights reserved.
       Portions copyright (c) Creative Multimedia Corp., 1990-91, 1992

                       A U D U B O N ' S   M A M M A L S

                    By John James Audubon, F. R. S., &c. &c.

                                      AND

                     The Rev. John Bachman, D. D., &c. &c.

                  -------------------------------------------
                                   VOL.  II.
                        --------------------------------


                       CANIS LUPUS.--Linn.--(VAR. ALBUS.)


                              WHITE AMERICAN WOLF.
                     [Gray Wolf (color phase).  ENDANGERED]

                               PLATE LXXII--MALE.


     C. magnitudine formaque C. lupi; vellere flavido-albo; naso canescente.


                                  CHARACTERS.

     Size and shape of the grey wolf, fur over the whole body of a
yellowish-white colour, with a slight tinge of grey on the nose.


                                   SYNONYMES.

     WHITE WOLF, Lewis and Clark, vol. i., p. 107, vol. iii., p. 263.
     CANIS LUPUS, Albus, Sabine, Frank. Journ., p. 652.
     WHITE WOLF, Frank. Journal, p. 312.
     WHITE WOLF, Lyon's Private Journal, p. 279.
     LUPUS ALBUS VAR. B. WHITE WOLF, Richardson, F. B. A., p. 68.


                                  DESCRIPTION.

     In shape, this Wolf resembles all the other varieties of large North
American Wolves.  (The prairie or barking Wolf, a distinct and different
species, excepted.)  It is large, stout, and compactly built; the canine teeth
are long; others stout, large, rather short.  Eyes, small.  Ears, short and
triangular.  Feet, stout.  Nails, strong and trenchant.  Tail, long and bushy.
Hairs on the body, of two kinds; the under coat composed of short, soft and
woolly hair, interspersed with longer coarse hair five inches in length.  The
hairs on the head and legs are short and smooth, having none of the woolly
appearance of those on other portions of the body.


                                    COLOUR.

     The short fur beneath the long white coat, yellowish white, the whole outer
surface white, there is a slight tinge of greyish on the nose.  Nails black;
teeth white.
     Another Specimen.--Snow-white on every part of the body except the tail,
which is slightly tipped with black.
     Another.--Light grey on the sides legs and tail; a dark brown stripe on the
back, through which many white hairs protrude, giving it the appearance of being
spotted with brown and white.  This variety resembles the young Wolf noticed by
RICHARDSON, (p. 68) which he denominates the pied Wolf.


                                  DIMENSIONS.

                                                             Feet.   Inches.
     From point of nose to root of tail, .  .  .  .  .  .  .  4        6
     From tail, vertebrae,.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1        2
     From tail, end of hair, .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1        8
     Height of ear, .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .           3 1/2


                                    HABITS.

     The White Wolf is far the most common variety of the Wolf tribe to be met
with around Fort Union, on the prairies, and on the plains bordering the Yellow
Stone river.  When we first reached Fort Union we found Wolves in great
abundance, of several different colours, white, grey, and brindled.  A good many
were shot from the walls during our residence there, by EDWARD HARRIS, Esq., and
Mr. J. G. BELL.  We arrived at this post on the 12th of June, and although it
might be supposed at that season the Wolves could procure food with ease, they
seemed to be enticed to the vicinity of the Fort by the cravings of hunger.  One
day soon after our arrival, Mr. CULBERTSON told us that if a Wolf made its
appearance on the prairie, near the Fort, he would give chase to it on
horseback, and bring it to us alive or dead.  Shortly after, a Wolf coming in
view, he had his horse saddled and brought up, but in the meantime the Wolf
became frightened and began to make off, and we thought Mr. CULBERTSON would
never succeed in capturing him.  We waited, however, with our companions on the
platform inside the walls, with our heads only projecting above the pickets, to
observe the result.  In a few moments we saw Mr. CULBERTSON on his prancing
steed as he rode out of the gate of the Fort with gun in hand, attired only in
his shirt, breeches and boots.  He put spurs to his horse and went off with the
swiftness of a jockey bent upon winning a race.  The Wolf trotted on and every
now and then stopped to gaze at the horse and his rider, but soon finding that
be could no longer indulge his curiosity with safety, he suddenly gallopped off
with all his speed, but he was too late in taking the alarm, and the gallant
steed soon began to gain on the poor cur, as we saw the horse rapidly shorten
the distance between the Wolf and his enemy.  Mr. CULBERTSON fired off his gun
as a signal to us that he felt sure of bringing in the beast, and although the
hills were gained by the fugitive, he had not time to make for the broken ground
and deep ravines, which he would have reached in few minutes, when we heard the
crack of the gun again, and Mr. CULBERTSON galloping along dexterously picked up
the slain Wolf without dismounting from his horse, threw him across the pummel
of his saddle, wheeled round and rode back to the Fort, as fast as he had gone
forth, a hard shower of rain being an additional motive for quickening his pace,
and triumphantly placed the trophy of his chase at our disposal.  The time
occupied, from the start of the hunter, until his return with his prize did not
exceed twenty minutes.  The jaws of the animal had become fixed, and it was
quite dead.  Its teeth had scarified one of Mr. CULBERTSON's fingers
considerably, but we were assured that this was of no importance, and that such
feats as the capture of this wolf were so very common, that no one considered it
worthy of being called an exploit.
     Immediately after this real wolf hunt, a sham Buffalo chase took place, a
prize of a suit of clothes being provided for the rider who should load and
shoot the greatest number of times in a given distance.  The horses were
mounted, and the riders started with their guns empty--loaded in a trice, while
at speed, and fired first on one side and then on the other, as if after
Buffaloes.  Mr. CULBERTSON fired eleven times in less than half a mile's run,
the others fired less rapidly, and one of them snapped several times, but as a
snap never brings down a Buffalo, these mishaps did not count.  We were all well
pleased to see these feats performed with much ease and grace.  None of the
riders were thrown, although they suffered their bridles to drop on their horses
necks, and plied the whip all the time.  Mr. CULBERTSON's mare, which was of the
full, black foot Indian breed, about five years old, was highly valued by that
gentleman, and could not have been purchased of him for less than four hundred
dollars.
     To return to the wolves.--These animals were in the habit of coming at
almost every hour of the night, to feed in the troughs where the offal from the
Fort was deposited for the hogs.  On one occasion, a wolf killed by our party
was devoured during the night, probably by other prowlers of the same species.
     The white wolves are generally fond of sitting on the tops of the
eminences, or small hills in the prairies, from which points of vantage they can
easily discover any passing object on the plain at a considerab