12 
JOUKNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
which was afloat but apparently anchored in the stream. For a few 
moments I stood intently gazing at this unexpected sight before it 
became clear to me that the animal was feeding upon something. 
Thereupon, with eyes still fixed upon the wolf I proceeded as cautiously 
and as speedily as possible to deposit my traps upon the ground, but 
before I was able to free myself entirely of the encumbrance a shght 
clank of the metal sounded and, instantly pricking up its ears, the 
wolf ceased its exertions and started for the shore, swimming towards 
me, obliquely to my left. This shore for the wolf was not more than 
about ten feet distant. Hastily but with the utmost confidence I 
took aim through the swaying leafy branches and fired just as the wolf 
was about to disappear behind a large boulder at the edge of the water. 
My next move was to run quickly out upon a drift-log in the only 
immediately accessible part of the river in order to have the animal in 
view and to get in another shot if necessary. When I reached the log 
I saw the wolf standing motionless on the shore, its head and shoulders 
concealed behind some bushes, facing diagonally away from me. 
Steadying myself with as much alacrity as the uncertain footing would 
permit I fired at the exposed body only to see the wolf flinch and dis- 
appear in the thick woods, to be seen or heard no more. 
Upon my return after 'an attempt to track the beast I inquired into 
the failure of my first shot and discovered that the bullet had struck 
the projecting edge of a rock concealed by the foliage. The wolf when 
it landed was therefore untouched. Its hesitation on the bank, while 
it seemed the height of cool nerve and presence of mind, was no doubt 
due merely to a momentary bewilderment and uncertainty as to the 
direction in which the danger lay. The noise from the rapids together 
with the high wind clearly rendered it difficult to tell the direction of the 
shot as well as of the lesser disturbance caused by myself in rushing 
out from the bushes and onto the drift-log. The animal was further- 
more entirely dependent upon the sense of hearing in this instance, for 
it seemed certain from all appearances that the wolf had not had even a 
glimpse of my person during the entire time up to the moment when 
my second shot was fired, and possibly not then. That it swam to my 
side of the river instead of retreating to the opposite bank was probably 
also due to its inability to accurately locate the source of the first dis- 
turbance; but on the other hand this shore was the nearer, the other 
being fully three times as far away. In looking over the situation later 
I found that at no time had the wolf been more than about forty 
feet distant from me and that when the first shot was fired it was 
