98 JOYOUS EXCITEMENT 
was so great that by-and-by the boy began to get 
frightened, and his father thought it best to take 
him away. As he did so, the wolves rushed to the 
end of the cage, and standing up and pressing against 
it, gazed longingly after the boy. An hour later they 
returned to see if the animals had recovered from 
their excitement, but the moment they appeared 
all three wolves were up again, as excited about the 
boy as before. 
What did it mean? my friend asked me. Did 
they want to devour the boy? 
I thought not. My answer was that, according to 
his own account, the animals seemed to have been 
in a joyful and affectionate rather than a savage, 
devouring mood, but what it was in the one boy that 
put them in such a state was a mystery to me. 
Years later, and not long ago, I witnessed a similar 
demonstration on the part of two wolves in a cage, 
one, if not both, the Canadian timber wolf, the 
biggest of all the wolves. They became extremely 
excited at the presence of a child who came close to 
the bars, their tongues lolling out, and straining as if 
to get out and caress the child with their tongues. 
Here is an account of a similar incident from 
Australia : 
The writer went with his wife and two little children, aged two 
and four, to the Royal Park at Melbourne, where the wild animals 
are kept. There they came upon a cage with four wolves lying 
stretched on the ground. These took no notice of the writer, his 
wife and elder child; but the moment the younger one toddled 
up they Sprang simultaneously to their feet and made for the 
corner of the cage nearest her. Not content with this, two of the 
largest stood on their hind feet and pressed themselves hard 
