138 AUDUBON 



became too late for us to start in time to see much, and 

 the wrong horses were brought us, being both runners ; we 

 went, however, across the river after Rabbits. Harris 

 killed a Red-cheeked Woodpecker and shot at a Rabbit, 

 which he missed. VVe had a sort of show by Moncrevier 

 which was funny, and well performed; he has much versa- 

 tility, great powers of mimicry, and is a far better actor than 

 many who have made names for themselves in that line. 

 Jean Baptiste told me the following: "About twelve years 

 ago when Mr. McKenzie was the superintendent of this 

 fort, at the season when green peas were plenty and good, 

 Baptiste was sent to the garden about half a mile off, to 

 gather a quantity. He was occupied doing this, when, at 

 the end of a row, to his astonishment, he saw a very large 

 Bear gathering peas also. Baptiste dropped his tin bucket, 

 ran back to the fort as fast as possible, and told Mr. 

 McKenzie, who immediately summoned several other men 

 with guns; they mounted their horses, rode off, and killed 

 the Bear; but, alas! Mr. Bruin had emptied the bucket of 

 peas." 



Augusts, Tuesday. Another sultry day. Immediately 

 after breakfast Mr. Larpenteur drove Harris and myself in 

 search of geological specimens, but we found none worth 

 having. We killed a SpermopJiilus hoodii, which, although 

 fatally wounded, entered its hole, and Harris had to draw 

 it out by the hind legs. We saw a family of Rock Wrens, 

 and killed four of them. I killed two at one shot; one of 

 the others must have gone in a hole, for though we saw it 

 fall we could not find it. Another, after being shot, found 

 its way under a flat stone, and was there picked up, quite 

 dead, Mr. Larpenteur accidentally turning the stone up. 

 We saw signs of Antelopes and of Hares (Tovvnsend), and 

 rolled a large rock from the top of a high hill. The notes 

 of the Rock Wren are a prolonged cree-^-e-^. On our 

 return home we heard that Boucherville and his five hunters 

 had returned with nothing for me, and they had not met 



