Evening star., 1896-03-07
WOLF CHILDREN.
How They Come to Live I'm the
Jungle.

How They Come to Live I'm the
Jungle.
From the BadmintoE Magazine
A jemadar told me that when he was a
lad he remembered going. with others, to
see a wolf child which had been netted.
Some time after this. while staying at an
up-country place called Shaporeooundie, in
East Bengal 1t was my fortune to meet an
old Angio-lndan gentleman who had been
in the Indian civil service for upward of
thirty years. and had Travelled about during
most of that time, and from him learned
all 1 wanted to know of wolf children, for
he not only knew of several cases, but had
actually seen and examined near Agra a
child which had been recovered from the
wolves. The story of Romulus and Remus,
which all schoolboys and the vast majority
of grown-up people regard as a myth, ap-
pears in a different light when one studies
the question Of wolf children and ascertains
how it comes to pass that boys are found
living on the very best terms with such
treacherous and rapacious animals as
wolves, sleeping with them in their dens.
sharing the raw flesh Of deer and kids
which the she-wolf provides, and. in fact
leading in all essentials the actual life OF a
wolf.
A young she-wolf has litter of cubs and
after time her instinct tells her that they
will require flesh food. She steals out at
night in quest of prey. Soon she espies
weak place in the fence (generally con-
structed of thatching grass and bamboos)
which incloses the compound, or "unguah,"
of a poor villager. She enters, doubtless in
the hope of securing kid; and while prowl-
ing about inside looks into a hut where
woman and infant are soundly sleeping. In
a moment she has pounced on the child,
and is out of reach before it's cries can at
tract the villagers. Arriving safely at her
den under the rocks, she drops the Ettle one
among her cubs. At this critical time the
fate of the child hangs in the balance.
Either it will be Immediately torn to pieces
ard devoured. or In most wonderful way
remain in the cave unharmed. In the event
of escape, the fact may be accounted for in
several ways. Perhaps the cubs are already
gorged when the child Is thrown before
them, or are being supplied with solid food
before their carnivorous instinct is awaken
ed, SO they amuse themselves by simply
licking the sleek oily body (Hindoo moth
native vegetable OLD Of the infant, and thus
it lies in the nest, by degrees getting the
odor of the wolf cubs, after which the
mother wolf will net modest it. In a little
time the infant begins to feel the pangs of
hunger, and, hearing the cubs sucking, soon
follows their example. Now the adoption
is complete, all fear of harm to the child
from wolves has gone, and the foster-moth-
er will guard and protect it as though it
were of her own flesh and blood.
Their mode of progression is on all fours
not, AS rule, on the hands and feet, but
on the knees and elbows. The reason the
knees are used is to he accounted for by the
fact that, owing to the great length of the
human leg and thigh, in proportion to the
length Of the arm, the knee would natural
ly be brought to the ground. and the ilstep
and top of the toes would be used, instead
of the sole and heel Of the almost infiexible
foot. Why the elbow should be employed
instead of the hand is less easy to under
stand but probably it is better suited to
give SlppODt to the head and fore mart IF
the body.
An interesting case of a wolf child was
reported many years ago in Chambers
Journal" In the Etwah district near the
banks of the river Jumna, boy was cap
tured from the wolves. This child was. af-
ter a time, restored to his parents, who
however. found him very difficult 10 man.
age, for he was most fractions and trouble
some-in fact, just Gagged wild beast Of
ten during the night fur hours together he
would give vent to most unearthly yells and
means, destroying the rest and irritating
the tempers of his neighbors, and generally
making night hideous. On one occasion his
people chained him by the waist to a tree
on the outskirts of the village Then a
rather curious incident occurred. 1t was
bright moonlight night, and two wolf cubs
Undoubtedly those in whose companionship
he had been capturedl. attracted by his
cries while on the prowl, came to him. ard
were distinctly seen to gambol round him
with as much familiarity and affection as
If they considered him quite one of them
selves. They only left him on the approach
of morning, when movement and stir again
arose in the village. This boy did not sur
vive long. He never spoke. nor did a single
ray of human intelligence ever shed its re-
filming light over his debased features"
Some o: these poor waits have been re-
covered after spending ten or more years
in the fellowship of wolves, and though
wild and savage at first have in time be-
come tractable in some degree. They are
rarely seen to stand upright, unless to look
around, and they gnaw bones in the man
Eer OF a dog, holding one end between the
forearms and hands, while snarling and
swapping at everybody who approaches too
near The wolf child has little except its
outward form to show that 1t is a human
being with soul. 1t is a fearful and ter
rible thing, and hard to understand. that
the mere fact Of a childs complete isolation
from its own kind should bring 1t to such a
state Of absolute degradation. OF course,
they speak no language, though some, in
tipe, have learned to make known their
wants by few signs. When first taken
they fear the approach of adults. and if
possible, will stink out of sight; but should
a child of their own size. or smaller, come
near. they will growl, and even snap and
bite at it. On the other hand, the close
proximity of ''pariah'' dogs or jackals is
unresented, In some cases welcomed; for L
have heard of them sharing their food with
these animals, and even petting and fon-
ding them. They have in time been
brought on to a cooked-meat diet but
would always prefer raw flesh. Some have
been kept alive after being reclaimed for as
long as two years, but for some reason or
other they all stcken and die, generally long
before that time. One would think, how
ever, that having undoubtedly robust con-
stitutions, they might be saved IL treated
IN scientific manner and properly man
aged.