170 Sport and Life. 



and from the works who paid out the money, reliance can, I think, 

 be placed in his statistics. 



On the Canadian plains leading up to the eastern foothills of 

 the Rockies this industry was also followed for the first few years 

 after the completion of the C.P.R., but the crop was not a 

 perennial one, and the farmers' off-day work collecting buffalo 

 bones had soon cleared from the plains the last vestige of the 

 untold millions of bison that had inhabited them. 



Of the three great herds, or rather assimilations of herds, known 

 as the Southern, the Middle, and the Northern, the second one was 

 practically wiped out of existence by 1875. Hides, when baled 

 and delivered at the railway, were worth $2^ (10^.) for bull, 

 and $i| (6s.) for cow hides. Bull hides were all hides that 

 weighed over 32lb., everything below that were termed cows. 



The buffalo hunter's outfit consisted of one killer, three dressers, 

 three teamsters for the three four-horse waggons, one cook, and 

 one roustabout, who had to attend to the grinding of the skinning 

 knives. The chief killing time extended from October to January. 

 In May, June, July, and August the ravages of the "hide-bug" 

 were dreaded. The shooting required first-class marksmanship, 

 for one bad shot under or over the beasts would spoil a " stand." 

 A good man would, under favourable circumstances, get in as 

 many as 250 shots at one " stand." The secret of success being to 

 hit the animals so that they did not instantly drop and thus 

 frighten the rest. What was desired was that the animal should 

 circle about and slowly sink down as if in the act of lying down. 

 The shooting was done at what was then considered long ranges, 

 .2Ooyds. to 3ooyds., the outside stragglers being picked off first. 

 The rifle most generally 'used for this purpose was the Sharp, 

 weighing i4lb. to i61b., shooting a patched ball, and "rest-sticks," 

 to rest the rifle on, were almost invariably used. So long as the 

 wind was favourable and the bullets did not spatter up earth or go 

 whistling over their heads, a herd would stand a lot of shooting 

 from the invisible marksman lying behind a sage bush. A 

 good shot would use an average of two cartridges to the skin, 



