The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-02

much the same statements may be made as
those which were offered concerning It's Euro.
pean ally. Although in conformation and
color this creature, from the Arctic circle To the
Gulf oil Mexico, and from one ocean 10 the other
closely resembles the European wolf those diff.
ferences which arc exhibited on the Eastern
Continent are repeated here. On the Upper
Missouri the animal Is white, or nearly so;
lower down the valley of the same river IL Ii
lead eolorci in Florida IL In black, aud In
Texas and Mexico yellow As a rule, the
American variety or species Is smaller than
tho wolf Of Central and Western Europe, while
its general structure assimilates more nearly to
that of the coyote, than does that Of the Sean.
dinavian or other transatlantic forms TO that
OF It's inferior members Of their group.
Leaving now the geological department Of
this subject, let us inquire into the character
Of the animal in question. In song and In N.Y.
tholOgy, as In folk lore and tradition the wolf
stands foremost among wild beasts amid the
nations Of tho Celtic aud Teutonic races. His
fierce visage looks out from the gloom OF all of
their darker superstitions. aud the echo of his
nnearthly cry fingers IN the saddest of all their
surviving expressions Of dread, forbOding and
despair Hans Sachs might call wolves "tbe
hunting dogs Of the Lord" but the conccption
Is nearly unique, for everywhere from Greece
To Norway, the wolf has been an object OF
horror and hate the incarnation Of evil, aud
AhS pHiplAhi VI HE9DCiAbS Vi LlDsH powers III
which terror Incorporated the unknown and
destructive agencies Of nature.
Dripping with blood, CANT gray wolves
bore the spirits OF death upon the Northern
battleGclds. Geri aud Frcki, the wolves of
Wooden, fattcned upon tho fallen in Valhaia
On earth aud in heaven the VOLTS form was
that around which fearful fancy grouped its
most tragic conceptions and IL was believed
that, chained in hell, the Fcnris wolf awaited
the day when the demons of the under.
world should be Io0sed aud when with tho
bursting Of the vault of heaven" the "tWi-
light Of the gods" should come.
Nothing good has ever been said about the
wolf anywhere or at any time. Ills Teputa.
ton Is solely aud completely evil, aud yet II
one c0nsnlts the existing literature upon the
subject IL would be difficult to find more than
Il justification Of Cnyier's assertion that wolves
were the most mischievous OF the carniyora of
Europe" and this would scarcely account for
tho animals pre'eminence among all that was
terrible, mysterious and fatal, both in this world
aud the other. He may have been the victim
oil circumstances TO great extent; but, nj
thongh anyone VINO has read much about him
can, us Bacon remarks, "Opine probably and
prcttily" on this point, it is impossible TO
know anything about Ii for certain, and we
will, therefore, dismiss speculation, and turn
TO those records which purport TO display the
character Of wolves rs they arc.
Before presenting any details it may BIO said
that the wolf has, OF course suffered like other
wild animals at the hands Of his annalsts. lie
has been generaized upon from insufficient
evidence, msinterpreted by means of preeon-
ceptions arising from prejudice, and misludged
by reason of superstitions in science; so that
doctrines the most immature and contradictory
gather about him to nearly as great an extent
as they do around the tiger the lion or the
elephant. The only accusation that has never
been made against this much exeerated erca-
ture is that he is stupid. This no one has
said, so far as the knowledge Of the writer