Wolves and Wolf-Hotuids. 397 



at bay; yet I think they would have succeeded in the end, 

 had I not interfered. Coyotes are bold and cunning in 

 raiding the settlers' barn-yards for lambs and hens ; and 

 they have an especial liking for tame cats. If there are 

 coyotes in the neighborhood a cat which gets into the 

 habit of wandering from home is surely lost. 



Though, I have never known wolves to attack a man, 

 yet in the wilder portion of the far Northwest I have heard 

 them come around camp very close, growling so savagely 

 as to make one almost reluctant to leave the camp fire and 

 go out into the darkness unarmed. Once I was camped 

 in the fall near a lonely little lake in the mountains, by the 

 edge of quite a broad stream. Soon after nightfall three 

 or four wolves came around camp and kept me awake by 

 their sinister and dismal howling^. Two or three times 

 they came so close to the fire that I could hear them snap 

 their jaws and growl, and at one time I positively thought 

 that they intended to try to get into camp, so excited were 

 they by the smell of the fresh meat. After a while they 

 stopped howling ; and then all was silent for an hour or 

 so. I let the fire go out and was turning into bed when 

 I suddenly heard some animal of considerable size come 

 down to the stream nearly opposite me and begin to splash 

 across, first wading, then swimming. It was pitch dark 

 and I could not possibly see, but I felt sure it was a wolf. 

 However after coming half-way over it changed its mind 

 and swam back to the opposite bank ; nor did I see or 

 hear anything more of the night marauders. 



Five or six times on the plains or on my ranch I have 

 had shots at wolves, always obtained by accident and al- 



