294 ATTRACTIVE BAIT. 



unceasingly. The loon was uttering its prolonged 

 weird note, and the large white owl (Surnia 

 nictea), possibly regretting the termination of 

 such splendid weather for its nocturnal rambles, 

 vented its disappointment in dolorous notes of 

 grief. But all these heralds of coming storm 

 failed to keep me awake when I wrapped myself 

 in my dirty blanket, for I immediately glided 

 unconsciously into dreamland, from which I was 

 not recalled until the sun had shown his face over 

 the eastern horizon. 



Being again short of food, I paid a visit to the 

 neighbouring stream, on the margin of which I cut 

 a wand for a rod. For some time I hunted in vain 

 for bait, but at length in turning over a large stone 

 ousted out a small lizard. Hoping that this would 

 prove an attractive lure, I impaled the unfortunate 

 on my hook, and soon had several sparkling, many- 

 hued beauties struggling at my feet. My bait first 

 lost its tail, and soon afterwards its hind-quarters, 

 but even thus disfigured it proved so attractive that 

 I believe I could have continued to take with it, so 

 long as a fragment remained upon the hook. 



While eating our morning meal, a full-grown 

 wolf showed itself, evidently attracted by the odour 

 that arose from our cooking operations, and, with an 

 amount of assurance with which I should have 

 credited only the man about town living on his wits, 

 sat down within easy shooting distance, and sur- 

 veyed our preparations. The cool impudence of 



