SCARCITY OF GAME. 73 



traversed a considerable quantity of cultivated land with 

 out seeing anything more in the shape of game than one 

 water-rail, and not relishing the amusement of mine 

 host, who delightedly shot any meadow lark that rose, 

 and shot them very well, I went up to the first farm 

 house I saw, and, on finding a very civil and communi 

 cative agriculturist there, asked him if he could direct 

 me to any game, or if there was such a thing in his 

 vicinity, or if he had seen any since the last spring. 

 He laughed outright at the bare idea of game, and 

 assured me that, as far as his settlement went (and it 

 was rather considerable), his lands were quite as bare of 

 game as the idea itself that I had so recently broached, 

 and that though he would not undertake to say that if I 

 beat all the woods I might not see such a thing as the 

 bird they call the pheasant, still he " considerably 

 guessed that I should have some difficulty in finding 

 anything like one." On receiving this assurance, and 

 being in no haste to weary my willing dogs under such 

 a sun, and in severe ground, on a wildgoose chase, I 

 entered with my friend on general conversation, and, 

 among other things, I asked him as to his ever having 

 crossed his stock with the buffalo or bison of the plains, 

 or known it experimented on by others. He replied that 

 he had had one cross himself, and that she was a very 

 good milch cow, and very hardy ; that he believed that the 

 cross was not a mule, but would breed again ; the great 

 objection to it, however, was, that from the large size of 

 the shoulders or hump of the offspring from the buffalo 

 or bison bull, the domestic mother was always in danger 

 of a very hard "time," and frequently died in giving 

 birth to the calf. At the farm to which I now immedi 

 ately refer there was a barn, but usually in the cabins 



