THE SMALL NEIGHBORS OF BIG GAME 319 



A few Golden Eagles were seen on the summits, al- 

 ways hunting around the peaks, or the tops of the ridges. 

 The mountain goat kids were then too large to be carried 

 off by eagles, and it is probable that the latter were seek- 

 ing ptarmigan, pikas, ground-squirrels and hoary mar- 

 mots. But Eagles were by no means numerous, and I 

 think that altogether we saw only eight or ten. 



Hawks were more numerous. A brown-gray species, 

 which I failed to identify, was frequently observed flying 

 low along the mountain-sides, hunting with the utmost 

 diligence for the small creatures of the slopes. At times 

 these birds flew slowly along, not more than three feet 

 above the earth, their keen eyes searching sharply for 

 ^' gopher " and chipmunk. 



No British Columbia mountain is complete without 

 Clark's Nutcracker,* and the Canada Jay; f and a river 

 valley without a Magpie J is desolate. It is disappointing 

 to find a hunter's cabin with no Magpies about it, and a 

 mountain camp without the Canada Jay is out of joint. 

 In their own proper places we saw all three of these birds. 

 First came the Magpie, the most beautiful and showy 

 of the trio, which was plentiful around our camp at Sul- 

 phur Springs, and around Wild-Cat Charlie's cabin. To 

 my mind, this is the most beautiful and picturesque of 

 all the American members of the Crow Family, and 

 throughout most portions of its range it should be perma- 



* Nu-ci-fra'ga columhiana; commonly called "Clark's Crow." 

 '\ Per-t-so're-us canadensis; also called "Whiskey-Jack" and "Moose 

 Bird." 



\ Pi'ca pica hudsonia. 



