THE GRIM WOLF OF THE TAR PITS 



47 



undecided whether to leap aside from the 

 near presence of the (hmgerous sabre- 

 tooth tiger, or to (hish in on it if its 

 entanglement has rendered it helpless. 



In the trotting step two feet are lifted 

 from the ground together, right fore and 

 left hind alternating with the opposite 

 couple. The body is pitched forward 

 from the spring of the right fore and left 

 hind Imibs, the alternate couple have 

 reached forward to the next step, the 

 neck and head are stretched rather 

 stiffly forward, while a faint curvature 

 from side to side in the backbone is 

 caused by the slight twist of the pelvis 



and the alternating pull of the shoulder 

 and liip muscles on the back. All these 

 details if correctly represented serve to 

 give a lifelike appearance to the niomited 

 skeleton, so that it is not difhcult to 

 sketch in mentally the outlines of the 

 great wolf pursuing his distant prey over 

 hill and valley with unwearied perti- 

 nacity. For the grim wolf of the tar 

 pits was a veteran of the chase, and must 

 have had a long career of successful hunt- 

 ing before he rashly adventured upon 

 the treacherous surface of the asphalt 

 spring and came to an inglorious and 

 miserable end in its sticky depths. 



It is not difficult to sketch in mentally the outlines of the great wolf pursuing his distant prey over hill and 

 valley with unwearied pertinacity. Restoration by Mr. Erwin Christman 



