THE VALUE OF THEIR FUR 45 



&quot; I m proud of you, my Son,&quot; said the Fox 

 Mother. &quot; Come home with me, I Ve got 

 something rare for dinner.&quot; 



&quot;What is it, Dame? &quot; 



&quot; A nice, fat Wavey &quot; (kind of goose). 



&quot; What ! Wawao, who nests in the Athabasca 

 Lake ? You make my mouth water, Mother. 

 These Mossberry-fed Partridge are so dry they 

 give me indigestion ; besides, I never saw them so 

 scarce as they are this year.&quot; 



&quot; It was the great fire the river Boatmen started 

 in the Summer which burnt up all their eggs that 

 makes them so scarce, Son. Do you not remem 

 ber how we had to fly to the river, and lie for 

 days with our noses just above water to escape 

 the heat?&quot; 



&quot; It s an ill wind, Mother, that blows nobody 

 good, for it nearly cured me of fleas. My fur is 

 not like Beaver s. But the Wavies fly high, and 

 do not nest hereabout how came you by the 

 Fat Bird?&quot; 



&quot; A Hunter hurt it with his Firestick, and it 

 fell in the water with a broken wing. I was 

 watching. I think he is still looking down the 

 river for his Wavey.&quot; 



