The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



been in the mountains at least seven weeks 

 before I was able to get there. 



Whilst on the subject of bears, it may be 

 interesting to record that the Indians assert 

 that both grizzlies and black bears are in the 

 habit of eating a certain fungus, which acts as 

 a purgative, prior to their denning up for the 

 winter. 



I did not want to kill any more sheep now, 

 although had I wished to do so I could easily 

 have obtained another twenty. There were 

 plenty of them to be found in the mountains, 

 but good heads were not too common, the rams 

 I obtained being generally in ones or twos, and 

 not in the company of the ewes and lambs. 



One afternoon whilst on the mountains Hunter 

 shot a cross fox, the fur of which was exactly 

 the same as the silver, except about the top of the 

 head and ears, which were reddish. This par- 

 ticular skin was quite a good one, but was not 

 of any large commercial value because the animal 

 was in its summer coat and had not yet put on 

 its winter one. The trappers and Indians in this 

 district maintained that the black or silver or 

 cross foxes are but freaks in a red litter ; that 

 a vixen may have five cubs, one of which may 

 be of the sort mentioned, or they may be all the 

 prevalent colour, red. The prices paid for these 

 skins became so high that several fox farms 

 were started by enterprising settlers on the 



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