Degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) has been used to interrogate the nascent mercapto radicals (SH) emerging from photolysis of bulk-gas H 2 S samples at λ d i s s = 266 nm. These experiments reveal a cold non-Boltzmann distribution of SH molecules formed exclusively in vibrationless levels of the X 2 Π ground electronic state, with a non-thermal population of spin-orbit states but no preference for lambda doublet components. Nearly all of the available energy appears as translational motion of the recoiling photofragments. Comparison with previous free-jet studies at λ d i s s = 193 nm shows the SH (υ = 0) rotational distribution to be relatively independent of photolysis wavelength and precursor rotational temperature.