3 o HUNTING TRIPS 



one of them would mount into the air, hover- 

 ing about with quivering wings and warbling 

 a loud, merry song with some very sweet 

 notes. They were a most welcome little 

 group of guests, and we were sorry when, 

 after loitering around a day or two, they dis- 

 appeared toward their breeding haunts. 



In the still fall nights, if we lie awake we 

 can listen to the clanging cries of the water- 

 fowl, as their flocks speed southward; and 

 in cold weather the coyotes occasionally 

 come near enough for us to hear their un- 

 canny wailing. The larger wolves, too, now 

 and then join in, with a kind of deep, dismal 

 howling ; but this melancholy sound is more 

 often heard when out camping than from 

 the ranch-house. 



The charm of ranch life comes in its free- 

 dom, and the vigorous, open-air existence it 

 forces a man to lead. Except when hunting 

 in bad ground, the whole time away from 

 the house is spent in the saddle, and there 

 are so many ponies that a fresh one can al- 

 ways be had. These ponies are of every size 



