32 HINTS ON FOREST AND PRAIRIE LIFE. 



geese and cranes half a dollar ; and we thought our- 

 selves lucky to be able to dispose of quails^ plovers, or 

 snipes at a dime, or fivepence, each. 



At times we made excursions into the buffalo 

 country, to slaughter that huge game in a style to 

 be presently described. The skins are valuable, and 

 the meat, when jerked or sun-dried, has a sale in the 

 markets of Mexico and Texas, though it does not com- 

 mand a great price. The excitement of a buffalo hunt 

 is a good recompense for the fatigues of the journey to 

 its haunts. 



The mode of life which I have endeavoured to 

 describe is well suited to the climate. 



Deer being in best condition during the hottest 

 months, it is much more pleasant to hunt them in 

 early morning, late evening, or by the light of a bright 

 moon, than to toil through the forests beneath the 

 heat of a tropical sun. In the month of July I have 

 killed stags which cut at least two inches of fat upon 

 the brisket. 



The hunter who tries his skill in the woods for the 

 first time will find the turkeys the most difficult game 

 to kill, as they are excessively shy even in districts 

 where they have never been hunted. Their legs carry 

 them out of danger at a svvdft rate, when warned by 

 their keen eyes or quick ears. To hunt turkeys with- 

 out an experienced comrade would simply be waste of 

 time on the part of the novice. 



