TEE MOOSE-BIRD. 317 



ther in a cage, where, to use his own expression, they " fit 

 like bulldogs." I told him to kill them at once, as they 

 were all mutilated ; one fellow, however, escaped amidst 

 a shower of missiles, hopping away on one leg and one 

 wing. I thought nothing more of the* circumstance till 

 about a week afterwards, when I observed another of these 

 birds staggering under a load of meat. I had the curiosity 

 to follow him, when I observed that he took his load to a 

 stump some 30 yards off, and, contrary to their usual 

 custom, commenced to share his booty with a comrade, 

 whom I recognized as my old friend the cripple. I took 

 charge of the poor fellow, and fed him during his con- 

 valescence ; and have thought better of the meat-bird ever 

 since. Two or three of them often take possession of a 

 camp, and drive away intruders ; when one is killed, a fresh 

 one arriving and taking his place. On a subsequent occa- 

 sion, I observed the treatment an intruder met with at the 

 hands (bills) of the two friendly meat-birds mentioned 

 above. He came one afternoon, very hungry, for a feed 

 of cariboo. My camp birds, in a state of repletion, were 

 half asleep ; but hardly had the interloper dug his bill 

 into the meat when they both went at him, tooth and nail. 

 I never saw a bird get such a mauling, the old cripple 

 putting in some ugly ones from behind. How the wool 

 did fly ! Soon they were out of sight ; but the screaming 

 lasted half an hour, and judging by their pleased expres- 

 sions when they returned, I think they killed him. 



Occasionally, even in this Arctic winter, there is a mild 

 day or two, and then the woods present a very different 

 aspect. The squirrels chatter, and the woodpeckers car- 

 penter away at the trees. An occasional partridge, so 



