The next animal to which we would refer 1is the wolf. He is not absolutely the next in the series, but we manifestly cannot deal with the whole three hundred, so we pick out here and there divers quaint examples of what we may be allowed to term this unnatural history. We are told that "the wolf is a very ravenous creature, and as dangerous to meet with, when . hungry, as any beast whatever, but when his stomach is full, he is to men and beasts as meek as a lamb. When he falls upon a hog or a goat, or such small beasts, he does not immediately kill them, but leads them by the ear, with all the speed he can, to a crew of ravenous wolves, who instantly tear them to pieces." We should have thought that the reverse had been more probable, that the wolves that had nothing would have come with all the speed they could upon their more successful companion ; but if the old writer's story be true, it opens out a fine trait of unselfishness in the character of this maligned communard. It was an old belief, a fancy that we find in the pages of Pliny, Theocritus, Virgil, and others, that a man be-comes dumb if he meets a wolf and the wolf sees him first. A mediaeval writer explains this as follows :-" The ground or occasionall originall hereof was probably the amazement and sudden silence the unexpected appearance of Wolves doe often pout upon travellers, not by a supposed vapour or venemous emanation, but a vehement fear which naturally produceth obmutescence and sometimes irrecoverable silence. Thus birds are silent in presence of an Hawk, and Pliny saith that
Dogges are mute in the shadow of an Hya1na, but thus could not the mouths of worthy Martyrs be stopped, who being exposed not only unto the eyes but the mercilesse teeth of Wolves, gave loud expressions of their faith, and their holy clamours were heard as high as heaven." Scott refers to the old belief in his " Quentin Durward." In the eighteenth chapter our readers will find as follows : -" Our young companion has seen a wolf,' said Lady Hameline, ' and has lost his tongue in consequence.'
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