86 BIRDS IN LEGEND 



Indians dwelling along the southwestern shore of Hudson 

 Bay that "a small bird, one of the Fringillidae, performs 

 its northward migration in spring on the back of the 

 Canada goose. These geese reach Hudson Bay about the 

 last of April, and the Indians state that when they are 

 fired at little birds are seen flying away from them." Mr. 

 Rae adds: "An intelligent, truthful and educated Indian, 

 named George Rivers . . . assured me that he had wit- 

 nessed this, and I believe I once saw it occur." 



Almost simultaneously Forest and Stream (New York, 

 March 10, 1881) printed a communication from J. C. 

 Merrill of Fort Custer, Montana, alleging "a general be- 

 lief among the Crow Indians of Montana that the sand- 

 hill crane performs the same office for a bird they call 

 napite-shu-ntl, or crane's back." Mr. Merrill continued: 



"This bird I have not seen, but from the description it is 

 probably a small grebe. It is 'big medicine/ and when obtained 

 is rudely stuffed and carefully preserved. . . . About ten or 

 fifteen per cent of cranes are accompanied by the 'crane-back/ 

 which, as the crane rises from the ground, flutters up and 

 settles on the back between the wings, remaining there until the 

 crane alights. Such is the Indian account, and many of their 

 hunters and chiefs have assured me that they have frequently 

 seen the birds carried off in this way. At these times the bird 

 is said to keep up a constant chattering whistle, which is the 

 origin of the custom of the Crow warriors going out to battle, 

 each with a small bone whistle in his mouth ; this is continually 

 blown, imitating the notes of the 'crane's-back,' and, as they 

 believe, preserves their ponies and themselves from wounds, so 

 that in case of defeat they may be safely carried away as is the 

 napite-shu-utl. 



"The Cree Indians are said to observe the same habit in the 

 white crane." 



Now there is no good reason to deny the honesty or 

 sneer at the value of these widely distributed observations 



