Wolf

(See Cawnrs.) This animal, although not now to be found amongst us, was once a very destructive native of the country, and all po ible means were adopted to rid it of so rapacious a despoiler. King Butz attempted to effect it in England, by remitting the punishment of certain crimes on producing a certain number of wolves’ tongues: and in ‘Wales, the tax of gold and silver was commuted for an annual tribute of their heads. Some centuriés aftet they had again increased so numerously as,once more to become an object of royal attention, and great rewards were again held forth for their destruction. Edward the First i ued his royal mandate to Peter Corbet, to superintend and a ist in the destruction of them in the several counties of Gloucester, Worcester, Here ford, Salop, and Stafford. In other counties, certain persons held their lands upon condition of hunting, taking, and destroying a number of wolves annually, in proportion to the quantity of land so held. ‘They were so numerous in Scotland about the middle of the fifteenth century, that they completely overrun the country, to the destruction of the flocks, and immense lo es to the community; nor were they, with every exertion of the natives, totally extirpated til the year 1680, when the fast wolf is recorded to have fallen by the hand of the famons sir Ewen Cameron. Ireland in those times suffered by their immense numbers in an equal degree with England, Scotland, and Wales; and she suffered for a much longer time, as they were not perfectly annihilated in that country till the earlier part of the last ecntury. WotrF voc. See Cants. Wotr FisH. See ANARHICAS.