24 Bird-Nesting 



prairie, not the monotonous, uninteresting plain your imagina- 

 tion has pictured, but a great billowy ocean of grass and 

 flowers, now swelling into low hills, again dropping into broad 

 basins with gleaming ponds, and broken here and there by 

 valleys and by irregular lines of trees marking the water- 

 courses. The horizon only limits the view, and the short, 

 sweet grass is studded with brilliant flowers ; every minute 

 or two prairie chickens and plover rise from the grass, startled 

 by the passing train. Ducks of many kinds are seen about 

 the frequent ponds, together with Canada geese and occasion- 

 ally cranes and pelicans. The sun is setting, and towards the 

 north the horizon is a long black line of smoke. On enquiry 

 from the railway guard we are informed that " it is a prairie 

 Are." As it approaches, we can see the fierce blazes running 

 along as fast as the train ; as it gets darker, the sight becomes 

 fearfully grand, for miles to the north the prairie is illumin- 

 ated by the fierce, raging fire, but as the wind is blowing from 

 us the fire recedes and we are not sorry at leaving it behind. 

 It is now dark and we retire to the dining-car and indulge in 

 a supper of bottled ale, crackers, butter and cheese. A short 

 time afterwards we turn into our bunks and instruct the rail- 

 way guard to wake us up before we reach Regina in the 

 morninP". 



