150 AUDUBON 



Mauvaises Terres abound with them; they are to be 

 found in all parts from the valleys to the tops of the hills, 

 and appear to be principally of cedar. On the si^es of 

 the hills, at various heights, are shelves of rock or stone 

 projecting out from two to six, eight, or even ten feet, and 

 generally square, or nearly so; these are the favorite re- 

 sorts of the Bighorns during the heat of the day, and 

 either here or on the tops of the highest hills they are to 

 be found. Between the hills there is generally quite a 

 growth of cedar, but mostly stunted and crowded close 

 together, with very large stumps, and between the stumps 

 quite a good display of grass; on the summits, in some 

 few places, there are table-lands, varying from an area 

 of one to ten or fifteen acres; these are covered with a 

 short, dry, wiry grass, and immense quantities of flat 

 leaved cactus, the spines of which often warn the hunter 

 of their proximity, and the hostility existing between 

 them and his feet. These plains are not more easily 

 travelled than the hillsides, as every step may lead the 

 hunter into a bed of these pests of the prairies. In the 

 valleys between the hills are ravines, some of which are 

 not more than ten or fifteen feet wide, while their depth 

 is beyond the reach of the eye. Others vary in depth 

 from ten to fifty feet, while some make one giddy to look 

 in; they are also of various widths, the widest perhaps 

 a hundred feet. The edges, at times, are lined with 

 bushes, mostly wild cherry; occasionally Buffaloes make 

 paths across them, but this is rare. The only safe way to 

 pass is to follow the ravine to the head, which is usually 

 at the foot of some hill, and go round. These ravines are 

 mostly between every two hills, although like every gen- 

 eral rule there are variations and occasionally places 

 where three or more hills make only one ravine. These 

 small ravines all connect with some larger one, the size of 

 which is in proportion to its tributaries. The large one 

 runs to the river, or the water is carried off by a subterra- 



