Two FELLOW MAMMALS MEET. 165 



partly matured. Suddenly he inhaled a whiff 

 of some strange odor, and rising on his 

 haunches, sat erect and stared at me. Into 

 each other's eyes we gazed for a minute or so, 

 curiosity perhaps gleaming from mine, fear 

 from his. His fear allayed, my curiosity in 

 part satisfied, he resumed his accustomed atti- 

 tude and slowly and sedately climbed the slope 

 to the opening of his burrow, pausing many 

 times on the way to nibble and browse. Two 

 fellow mammals thus met for the first time, 

 both denizens of a common earth, both evolved 

 from a common source, each with the same or- 

 gans ; his senses of smell and hearing far more 

 acute than mine, my power of reason many 

 fold more potent than his; an insuperable gulf 

 between us, yet back, back through the ages, 

 our pathways converging until they meet and 

 mingle. 



Moving a few paces to one side of the boul- 

 ders to escape the sun's rays which were sifting 

 through the branches of the oak, something 

 snapped like a toy pistol or fire-cracker be- 

 neath my feet. It was too late for the noise 



