re
killed, or, rather twice the number of scalps were brought in--one wolf
often furnishing two pates--a curious feature in Natural History.

Many petty frauds of this kind have been brought to light; amongst
other cases, that of a magistrate, not a hundred miles from the county
town, who forged seventeen wolf certificates, and succeeded in getting
the money for them; and, most likely, emboldened by his success, would
have continued to drive a flourishing trade, had not his career been
suddenly stopped in the following manner.

One of the persons, whose name had been made use of in one or more of
the certificates, was congratulated on his recent success. He, however,
denied that he had either shot or trapped a wolf during the last year,
and declared, "that there must certainly be some mistake." An inquiry
was accordingly made, whereupon the whole nefarious transaction was
brought to light.

Our magistrate was not long in availing himself of the proximity of the
United States; for the next day saw him an inhabitant of the good city
of Rochester, in the State of New York, where, I make no doubt, over
gin-cocktail, or mint-julep, he entertains the free and enlightened
citizens with an account of his adroit manner of "sloping" the British
Government. Luckily for Rochester, there are no wolves in that
neighbourhood.

A celebrated wolf-trapper, in the township of Smith, once caught a fine
she-wolf, big with young. Her fore-paw broken below the knee, was the
only injury she had sustained. So he thought, if he could but keep her
alive till after her accouchement, he should be able to demand the
bounty for every scalp; for he considered that as there was no mention
made in the act respecting the size the wolves must be, he might as
well have the benefit of that oversight. He put his scheme,
accordingly, into effect, and it proved quite successful. Her wolfship
in a few days was safely delivered of five fine whelps, whose scalps,
with that of their mother, were duly presented to the magistrate. At
first he demurred respecting the certificate, but upon referring to the
statute, he found there was no provision to meet a case of this kind.
He, however, satisfied his moral justice by the reflection, "that if
the dam had remained at large a few days longer, and whelped in the
Bush, it would have amounted to the same thing, and that, perhaps, many
sheep had been saved from the greedy fangs of the growing family, by
the ingenious p