258 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



take refuge in the dry bed of Sage Creek, under 

 the shelter of a high bank. Before the wind became 

 violent, the surrounding plains had been covered with 

 snow, but this was soon torn from the ground, and the 

 whole air became filled with fine particles of snow 

 mixed with sand and pebbles. In the course of the 

 morning I came across two large packs of sage grouse 

 (Centrocercus urophasianus) numbering quite a hun- 

 dred together. They were all lying flat on the 

 ground amongst the thinly growing sage brush, with 

 their heads to the wind, and would not rise until I had 

 almost ridden amongst them. 



On the morning of November 9, the icy wind 

 seemed to have increased in violence, if that were 

 possible, and as we could not well travel during the 

 storm I rode out to look for antelope. I came across 

 a small band of seven or eight, but could do noth- 

 ing with them, as they were fearfully wild and the 

 wind made shooting almost impossible. I found, 

 however, the skull of a bison bull in a very good state 

 of preservation, the horns being on the cores, whilst a 

 piece of skin with the hair on it still adhered to the 

 nose. This skull I dragged back to camp with me 

 with the aid of the rope which in Western America 

 one usually carries on the horn of the saddle. 



I was glad enough to get into comparative shelter 

 again, for the cold wind had chilled me to the bone, 

 whilst I had been half blinded by the sand and dust 

 with which the air was filled. During the night the 



