The Whooping Crane 3 57 



had forgotten all about it, and aimed with it just 

 as it was. He refused to say where it was, but 

 from the roasting I got, I suspect it was some- 

 where about 1 40 in the shade ! 



Another remarkable shot may be briefly referred 

 to. It is the habit of the whooping cranes, when 

 ready to begin the southward flight, to rise in 

 mighty spirals into the upper air and there float 

 about, frequently in considerable numbers. Some- 

 times the birds rise so high that they are lost to 

 view, and only their trumpeting tells where they 

 are. Again, they will keep lower, so that their 

 wheeling, floating flight is plainly visible; and, 

 occasionally, but not as a rule, they will wheel 

 overhead within long rifle-shot. 



One day, with a friend, I was lying in the grass 

 beside a Manitoba lake, the resort of many ducks. 

 It was a warm, still day, with the wonderful north- 

 ern sunshine at its best. We knew that great 

 rafts of ducks and many geese surely would come 

 to the lake toward nightfall, but for the time there 

 was nothing to do but lounge at ease upon dry 

 grass. We had with us two guns and a repeat- 

 ing rifle, the latter for a possible chance at crane. 



That chance came, but in a totally unexpected 

 manner. As we lay, we heard the clatter of the 

 giant birds from the nor'ard, and eventually a 

 large flock came drifting in airy spirals directly 

 over us. There were birds at various heights — 



