In North-West Canada, 189 



just coiiR' across a pair of bear cubs while passing through 

 yonder bluff; he pointed to the place two miles north of Rae- 

 burn, and I informed him that 1 was in that wood yesterday, 

 and it was a wonder I escaped meeting the mother bear. 



Presently the train was seen approaching in the distance, 

 and a few minutes later I was seated in the train and on the 

 way to Winnipeg. It was a relief to reach civilization, after 

 having to rough it in the wild west. On reaching Winnipeg, 

 1 made my way to the Manor House where I found a post 

 office order waiting me, and as my money had all gone, it was 

 very acceptable. I got the cash and then went and bought a 

 change of linen, and returning to the hotel I had a bath, after 

 which I sat down to a good dinner, the first decent meal I had 

 partaken of for four days. The pleasure and excitement of egg- 

 huiiting is very enjoyable and interesting, but there is no fun 

 in having to do it on an empty stomach, for the pangs of hun- 

 ger are enough to knock the energy out of the most enthusias- 

 tic oologist. 



After dinner I called upon my friend the taxidermist and 

 found that he had prepared most of the birds I had sent him, 

 except a few I sent from Rush Lake, and these, on their arrival 

 in Winnipeg, were too. far gone to preserve. 



I forgot to state previously that all the birds I shot were 

 sent along the line east to Winnipeg to be skinned, as it took 

 all my spare time to blow and prepare datas for the eggs col- 

 lected. I found he had collected for me several sets of chest- 

 nut-collared longspur, Wilson's phalarope, and other eggs on 

 the plains north-west of Winnipeg. I spent the evening with 

 a sportsman friend who showed me around the city. 



