208 



PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



winds and interminable winter nights, if asked to 

 picture what they deemed a perfect paradise, would 

 describe their own land ; thus contentment springs out 

 of ignorance. 



But to the country Mr. M'Donald describes as back 

 of the north wind, lonely as it is, for it is but sparsely 

 populated, if visited at the proper season, is not 

 without its beauties ; for arid mountain, verdant swamp, 

 and rocky crag mingle together, intersected by innu- 



PTAKMIGAN. 



merable dancing brooks or grand pellucid rivers, 

 forming a landscape ever grand and impressive. 



Here the ptarmigan is to be found in abundance, 

 even without the aid of a dog ; but should the sports- 

 man be accompanied by so useful an auxiliary, I have 

 no doubt that he could make a bag which for numbers 

 would rival any formed of the grouse of the more 

 southern prairies, or of the nut-brown beauties that 

 love our English stubbles. 



