354 The Cranes 



grown crane, standing erect, is nearly five feet 

 above his toes ; and from that elevation his mar- 

 vellously keen golden eyes can note every move- 

 ment of a prowling foe, near or remote. Many a 

 time have I taken a long-range rifle and attempted 

 to wriggle over the grass to something like a 

 reasonably sure range, only to fail. At five hun- 

 dred yards the crane might appear carelessly 

 indifferent ; at about four hundred his lean head 

 would rise and remain pointing like a weather- 

 vane until he decided to vacate the territory, 

 which usually happened when the rifle was yet 

 three hundred yards distant. There are men, I 

 presume, who would pierce a crane's eye at such 

 paltry distances, but our paths have not happened 

 to cross. 



I have yet to see a man stalk this bird and 

 kill him fairly. The nearest ever I came to it 

 was on a Northwest prairie. A friend was driving 

 me out to some "chicken" country when we 

 spied a pair of crane rising like lighthouses, white 

 and tall, above the sea of grass. I suggested that 

 we edge in their direction, then whirl dead on 

 and gallop for it down what wind there was. He 

 looked at me in a peculiar way, grinned signifi- 

 cantly, and remarked, " You old goose — shooter ! " 

 adding the word " shooter " after as long a pause 

 as he deemed polite. 



Something in his manner kept me from insist- 



