WOLF-PUPPIES.

Otago Witness, 25 January 1900, Page 65

WOLF-PUPPIES.

(Woods Htltctiinson', in the Contemporary Review. Like ourselves, all animals are beautiful at lca&t once in their live* — '.n infancy. And this is true of even such unpromising specimens as the wolf, the pig, and the donkey. All these in their infancy are simply irresistible. They have the same bewitching air of fluff}" innocence, dignified by the wisdom of all the ages, which puts a halo around every babj- head. You cannot analyse the chaim. but it is there, and appeals to "every eye, though the taste, like all others, has its vagaries But, alas ! innocence has a way of f3ding, and wolf-cubs are no exception to the rule. Every week you see, with regret, the nose bscorning longer and more pointed as the jaws- grow more " punishing,'' the head natter, and the round eyes more watchful and slit-like. In a few months your furry cherub is metamorphosed into that polite but unprincipled gentleman adventurer, the wolf. He is still friendly wuu his acquaintances, including all the dogs of the household, who have rollicked with him like any other puppy. But he is becoming curiously suspicious of strangers, and bolts into his coiner, and shows his •teeth in a mo&t uncanine way and tone of voice when the yapproach. Chickens develop an irrcstible fascination for him, and he hatches deep-laid and surprising designs upon them, as they come foraging round the kennel in search of food-scraps. Before he is six months old he has learned to leave a tempting bite of his dinner out in front of his kennel and lie down a fewfeet away in pretended .slumber until some silly pullet is indiscreet enough to try and capture the bait, when there is a sudden awakening for both parties. Strange impulses arc awakening in him, his keen ivory needles of teeth are thirsting for something to bury themselves in. The most uncanine thing about a wolf-puppy is the astonishing width of his gape. A dog can open hi"- jaws till they form a fairly obtuse auglo, but a wolfs yawn opens into a glittcuns descent, almost a straight line, j'nd yai think his mouth is opening through iv tlio back of his neck. Then

he brings his teetb together with a ringing snap, like a steel trap, and the piece of enemy that comes between them is cut through as clean as if a guillotine had descended upon it. He seldom hangs -on, bulldog fashion. There is little need to — one tearing snap in the right place :s: s enough for most dogs, and it takes four or five good hounds to stop a wolf ten pounds lighter than any one of them. Out wolf-puymes always became unpopular, sooner or later, with their canine playfellows. They would bite too haul even in sport. My father was one day watching a half-grown wolf-cub playing with a great black greyhound belonging to our pack. After a time the big fellow tired of the romp, and, wallting away a few paces, stood looking across the garden with his back to the cub. The little chap at once stole quietly up behind him, leaped upon his hindquarters, and, opening his fci«.3ors-lilie stretch of jaws, embraced the full widih of the small of his back in their gape, and snapped viciously. The greyhound fairly yelped with pain, rage, and astonishment, and inside of three seconds Master CVo was down on his back in the dust, yelping out apologies and explanations which Pedro was distinctly loth to accept.