Grouse. 93 



we loped across it in parallel lines till we struck one of the 

 creeks, when we went up it, one on each side, at a good 

 gait, and then crossed over to another, where we repeated 

 the operation. It was nearly noon when, while going 

 up the third creek, we ran into a covey of about fifteen 

 sage fowl a much larger covey than ordinary. They 

 were down in the bottom of the creek, which here ex- 

 hibited a formation very common on the plains. Although 

 now perfectly dry, every series of heavy rainfalls changed 

 it into a foaming torrent, which flowed down the valley 

 in sharp curves, eating away the land into perpendicular 

 banks on the outside of each curve. Thus a series of 

 small bottoms was formed, each fronted by a semicircular 

 bluff, highest in the middle, and rising perfectly sheer 

 and straight. At the foot of these bluffs, which varied 

 from six to thirty feet in height, was the bed of the 

 stream. In many of these creeks there will be a growth 

 of small trees by the stream bed, where it runs under 

 the bluffs, and perhaps pools of water will be found in 

 such places even in times of drought. But on the creek 

 where we found the sage fowl there were neither trees 

 nor water, and the little bottoms were only covered 

 with stunted sage-brush. Dismounting and leaving my 

 horse with the cowboy I walked down to the edge of 

 the bottom, which was not more than thirty or forty 

 yards across. The covey retreated into the brush, some 

 of the birds crouching flat down, while the others walked 

 or ran off among the bushes. They were pretty tame, 

 and rose one at a time as I walked on. They had to 

 rise over the low, semicircular bluff in front of them, 



