File:Bird-nesting in north-west Canada (1892) (14727320286).jpg

Identifier: birdnestinginnor00rain (find matches)
Title: Bird-nesting in north-west Canada
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Raine, Walter, 1861-1934
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: Toronto : Printed by Hunter, Rose and Company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
himself downat the foot of a tree, but he could not sleep. At day break hegot up, and at noon he reached his destination, where he re-ported tlie disaster and his narrow escape. The following dayhe led a party to the scene of the disaster, where they found anumber of vultures on the spot, and all that remained as evi-dence of this sad event were a few pieces of iron, wood andbones, scattered for nearly a mile over the prairie. The groundwas ploughed by the thousands of feet that had passed over it,showing a track across the prairie over half a mile in width.These mad rushes of the herds of buffaloes are caused by thirst.Fortunately at the present day the ornithologist can rambleover the vast prairie at his own sweet will, without fear ofbeing run down by a herd of mad buffaloes. However, it is tobe regretted that these animals, once so plentiful, are now almostextinct, and it was a sad sight to see the skulls and bones ofthese animals scattered all over the prairie, and in some places
Text Appearing After Image:
Bird-Nestiny 127 they were so thick that it was evident that a great slaughterof bison had taken place on the spot—not many years agoeither. The horns are now being collected by the Indiansand polished and sold to passengers at the stations of Moosejawa,nd other places. At some of the stations great piles of skullsand buffalo bones may be seen along the railway sidings;the bones are collected and sent eastward, where they are usedin sugar-retining. But to resume our journey. After passing the camp of In-dians, I Avalked along the bottom of the gorge for over a mile;the banks were very steep, and in some places small trees andbushes were growing out of the side of the cliffs. Turningaroilnd a bend of the gorge, I startled a prairie falcon out of acliff on the opposite side : it flew ofl screaming, so I concludedit had a nest, and I tliought I saw a dark object in a bush nearthe cliff top, so I jumped the stream, and was eager to get upat the nest, for on reaching the foot of the clif

Note About Images