One example could be that Buck shows his skills when he observes the other dogs around him and uses their techniques to move him along. Since Buck is a bigger dog, he needs more food. Buck "...watched and learned. When he saw Pike, one of the new dogs, a clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk." (pg14) This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. "It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death." (pg 14)