Hunting in the Selkirks. 14* 



snow-peak and rock-peak were thrust up like islands 

 through a sea of billowy clouds. At the feet of the top- 

 most peaks, just above the edge of the forest, were marshy 

 alpine valleys, the boggy ground soaked with water, and 

 small bushes or stunted trees fringing the icy lakes. In 

 the stony mountain sides surrounding these lakes there 

 were hoary woodchucks, and conies. The former resem- 

 bled in their habits the alpine marmot, rather than our 

 own common eastern woodchuck. They lived alone or 

 in couples among the rocks, their gray color often mak- 

 ing them difficult to see as they crouched at the mouths 

 of their burrows, or sat bolt upright ; and as an alarm 

 note they uttered a loud piercing whistle, a strong con- 

 trast to the querulous, plaintive "p-a-a-y" of the timid 

 conies. These likewise loved to dwell where the stones 

 and slabs of rock were heaped on one another ; though so 

 timid, they were not nearly as wary as the woodchucks. 

 If we stood quite still the little brown creatures would 

 venture away from their holes and hop softly over the 

 rocks as if we were not present. 



The white goats were too musky to eat, and we saw 

 nothing else to shoot ; so we speedily became reduced to 

 tea, and to bread baked in the frying-pan, save every now 

 and then for a feast on the luscious mountain blueberries. 

 This rather meagre diet, coupled with incessant fatigue 

 and exertion, made us fairly long for meat food ; and we 

 fell off in flesh, though of course in so short a time we 

 did not suffer in either health or strength. Fortunately 

 the nights were too cool for mosquitoes ; but once or 

 twice in the afternoons, while descending the lower slopes 



