10 HI^'TS ox FOREST AXD PEAIRIE LIFE. 



the bear, sink into nothingness compared with the 

 cultivated intelligence of the men who make it their 

 business to go forth into the wilderness and take the 

 most w^ary animals in their dens. 



The sight of the practised hunter is so cultivated, 

 as to rival in delicacy of perception the touch of the 

 blind man. The contact of a passing object with the 

 trees, grass, or solid earth, leaves some slight trail 

 which, though imperceptible to the novice, can be 

 read by the practised hunter as easily as the open page 

 of a book. From such slight things as a broken twig, 

 a bruised blade of grass, or a pebble that has been 

 kicked from its bed in the softer earth, the learned in 

 forest lore can not only tell what animal has crossed 

 his path, but will be able to form a pretty correct 

 estimate of the size and sex of the game, and the 

 time that has elapsed since the ' sign ' from which he 

 draws his knowledge was made. 



In this lies the great difference between the hunter 

 and the sportsman. The former trusts to his own 

 unaided intelligence and forest experience to bring 

 him to his game, which his rifle then secures. The 

 latter employs the keen scent of his dogs to bring him 

 to the quarry, confining himself to the killing portion 

 of the business. 



The hasty stride and hurried movements of English 

 sportsmen would be of little value in the backwoods. 

 The hasty hunter would, in all probability, frighten 



