Grouse of the Northern Cattle Plains 89 



house was a cedar canyon; that is, a canyon one 

 of whose sides was densely wooded with gnarled, 

 stunted evergreens. This had been a favorite re 

 sort for the sharp-tails for some time, and it was 

 especially likely that they would go to it during a 

 storm, as it afforded fine shelter, and also food. 

 The buttes bounding it on the side where the trees 

 were, rose to a sharp crest, which extended along 

 with occasional interruptions for over a mile, and 

 by walking along near this and occasionally looking 

 out over it, I judged I would get up close to the 

 grouse, while the falling snow and the wind would 

 deaden the report of the gun, and not let it scare all 

 the prairie fowl out of the canyon at the first fire. 

 It came out as I had planned and expected. I 

 clambered up to the crest near the mouth of the 

 gorge, braced myself firmly, and looked over the top. 

 At once a dozen sharp-tails, who had perched in the 

 cedar tops almost at my feet, took wing, crossed 

 over the canyon, and as they rose all in a bunch 

 to clear the opposite wall I fired both barrels into 

 the bunch, and two of the birds dropped down to 

 the bottom of the ravine. They fell on the snow- 

 covered open ground where I could easily find them 

 again, and as it would have been a great and use 

 less labor to have gone down for them, I left them 

 where they were and walked on along the crest. 

 Before I had gone a hundred yards I had put up 

 another sharp-tail from a cedar and killed him 

 in fine style as he sailed off below me. The snow 

 and bad weather seemed to make the prairie fowl 



