ON THE MAMMALIA OF THIS DISTRICT. 207 



every now and then stand still and listen, his 

 long ears all the while moving backwards and 

 forwards, but he was quite unconscious of the 

 danger which menaced him in front. He seemed 

 all at once to change his mind, and instead of 

 coming into the open, kept on in the forest, and 

 I soon lost sight of him. The meadow made a 

 bend beyond me, and I could only just see the 

 shooter next to me, at about 400 yards' distance. 

 I now felt certain that the elk, if he crossed the 

 meadow, would do so at the extreme point to my 

 right, where a double gun was planted, and it was 

 with no little anxiety that I waited for its report. 

 The elk, however, seemed in no hurry, and a 

 quarter of an hour elapsed before a double shot, 

 quickly followed by a single one, and a loud shout 

 to "Pass up" (lookout), told me that he had 

 turned and was coming down the meadow back 

 again upon us. He was soon in sight, and came 

 on at a shambling trot, evidently wounded. He 

 dashed at the brook above, in the very face of the 

 next gun ; but the fellow was far too excited to 

 take a steady aim, and missed him. He now 

 turned straight down to me. The track in which 

 I was standing (for I had moved a little way up 

 into the wood) was so narrow that the elk had to 

 force his way through it ; but in far less time than 

 I can take to write it, he was down upon me, 



