IN THE FAR WEST. 381 



creatures they announce it by sharp yelps, and it' a person is 

 any sort of a shot he may then bring it down from its leafy 

 covert. If the squirrels are any way plentiful, one may bag a 

 large number by quietly sitting on a tree-stump and shooting 

 them as they scurry past, for they take little notice of a man 

 if he is not moving about. They are used for food in some 

 portions of the West by the whites, and are seldom absent 

 from the bill of fare of game dinners given by sporting clubs, 

 and even by private persons. 1 have eaten squirrels frequently, 

 and I can say that they are much better eating than persons 

 give them credit for. The ground-squirrels are such nuisances 

 in some places that the farmers have been compelled to resort 

 to every means to get rid of them ; but now, fortunately, 

 some enterprising men have discovered a poison so subtle and 

 cheap that it only costs ten cents to clear them off an acre ol' 

 land, while the poisoners realize a handsome sum from the 

 skins, these being their perquisites. 



