THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 169 



Weasels are animals that have their friends and their enemies. 

 They kill gophers without having to dig a big hole to get after them, 

 but also kill chickens. 



Prairie wolves or coyotes are getting scarce around here at least, 

 although one has passed here several times lately. They are great 

 cowards, and will run from a human being every time. I have 

 chased a whole pack from a dead horse, so that I could lay out 

 poisoned bait. I had not the least thing v/ith me to defend myself 

 if they turned on me, but no one need be afraid of coyotes ; with 

 timber wolves it is a different story. These are up north of the main 

 line of the C. P. R. in the timber country. Foxes are also on the 

 list ; they seem to be seldom out in daylight ; at night they roam 

 around making a hideous noise, three or four short barks then a 

 piercing scream. It would make a person feel queer if he were out 

 alone and heard one quite close. The buffalo of course is extinct. 

 Their bones are scattered over the prairie with the teeth marks of 

 wolves still showing plainly. 



Ornithology — As for wild fowl, I will not go into detail over the 

 common varieties. There are prairie chickens, said to resemble old 

 country grouse, patridges, common gray geese, millions of them, also 

 millions of wavies or white geese, the latter not protected by law. 

 I have seen a flock of wavies covering several acres, also a flock of 

 both varieties together covering several acres. A rifle ball often kills 

 four or five before it loses its force. The sandhill crayone is a dark 

 brown bird ; some think it the finest game in the fowl line. They 

 make a peculiar croaking noise that can be heard a long way off, 

 although they do not croak very loud. They fly very high ; I 

 do not think I am exaggerating when I say they are often half a mile 

 above the earth. When seen on the prairie they appear a fair size, 

 but they fly so high that a person has to watch very close to see 

 them at all, they appear as mere specks. During flight they circle 

 round, stopping every little while to make a sweep, except when 

 flying low. On rare occasions I have seen white ones with the 

 others. We have numerous small birds, wrens, gray birds, wood 

 peckers, blue jays (a winter bird), blackbirds and many others. 

 There is one whistler I have never had a close look at yet. It will 

 sit on a tree and whistle a low soft note, repeating it several times ; 

 then it will try a higher note the same way, and so on till it seems 



