The Republican journal., 1872-10-10
NUMBER IA.

flown its flight, and settles. but 4 little
distance off. in the deep, brown 9rass
Where are they now? Invisible. and at
such times always invisible to man and
dog withstandin@ fancy sketches which
show them all in sight, and the dogs ready
to eat them. But, through the tops OF thI>
Wlthcred grass every pair Of keen black
eyes sees you. and marks every moton.
Ordinarily, they win not lie to The dog at
this season but on a sunny d3N, after 4
night of sharp frost, they are. sometimes.
very tame. Such are the conditions OF This
day, aud Bess and will try The birds
Passing around to get the wind, the doc
has made but lew stretches ID and fro,
before the wel-known scent strikes her
She stops; draws slowly on her nose inst
clearing the grass; then comes to a full
stand. | step up to the doc. ami in IN in
Stant the whole pack is in the air, with a
single spring, scattering in every direc-
ton 1t IS Il poor Shot that cannot oct 4
bird with each barrel. in such q case and
| am not that shot one is Il vouno bird,
fully grown the other an old cock, that
may have drummel on the prarr4 tor
years. See ~ we lit him: the pointed
black feathers, projecting from the neck
GIVING hiih bis 'ftmr, ''pinn1ted )" the
yellow wattle4 ON either side of his neck
with which, distended to tbe size ot an
orange he boom9 defiance 10 his enemies
Or love to his mates For, sad to say for
him, Tetrao has no particular tove Hence.
| suppose, his nane Cupdo, Ttlr,o Gu
pido laWless Tetrao. The dear little quail
will fight to the death fot his choice; and
the mate he has achieved with a bloody
crown, he will stick to fot the rest Of the
season. The ruf1'ed grouse will do the
same but this fellow, Whit shall we say
ior him Not only not homogeneous he is
not poly%amous even promiacuous rather,
utterly common But the pne nj our feet
Will boom and set bad example no more
The gallant bird has, every inch OF HIM
the ineXpressible game look of his family ;
we throw veil over his tailin@4, and de
po3t him IN the buggy
Passing on, we soon draw near Il corn
field, from which a sweep Of prairie slopes
down to large weedv pond Here we
ought TO find brant To 10 -. the horse
must go un, and 'he hunter must hide
himself. Giving directions to my little boy
to keep ont of the WAY, for the bramt Likes
not nearneSS to man or beast step inside
Ui til" corn Itist ttl enough ID be hidden,
and yet to command 4 view Of the edge
of the field and OF the prairie beyond, A
shot from below me, in the field, puts me
on my guard; my nrighbor missed his
aim, Tor here comes an old grouse Just
outside the field line, his natural speed
quickenrd by the shot behind him. have
no time TO withdraw the BE now they
tlI II,
Gun, ~ he passes me, ana the heavy Shot,
aS they strike him dead, pitch him ut least
six feet forward and out OF his line Of
flight Down! down in the conf close
down for right on me comes u flock of
eleven hrtnt. Al my shot, they rcer out
of the direct line over me, bu' they were
too near ana coming too swiftly tp get
wholly away Thanks for the BE IN my
only cartridge now | had no time to in
~ert another. Getting their motion, | fire,
and one of the birds leaves the rest, sets
his wings, and slopes OF, motionIess, for
the distant pond Every hunter knows
this To be the SIGN ot Il fatal Shot. Sixty
rods off he strikes in the pond, Il few roiS
from it, edge. bounding twice and throw
inc np the water in spray by the force of
his fall. Reloading, give he word to
Bess, who has watched the tall Shr rush
"S ahead Of me 70 the water, plUnges in.
+nnff5 The scented surface in every dlrec-
lion, bnf no bird iS there Whenever i
water-hird IS shot, over the land, il makes
at once tor the water; II shot on the Wa
ter nr i If tails nto It, It WI make for
The weeds ON shore, or tor the deep grass
Nl lhr pttlllr
50 call beSN IN from the water she Is
following the line OF the shore, when her
WoAdronS nose detects the outward trul;
mp the praitie agan ana towards the held
She boldly and rapidly tfeadS IT. A pause:
her head Is hted 4 little higher, then
plunged downward IN the grass ;and there,
before me, lies the beautiful bird, dead;
u rich crcam-coIor, the whole length be-
low; glossy brown above, with the eN-
4uISite orange ol the btlI and the IeIS add
in% ualnre'$ own fanltleSs iInSh u the
hIfd.
confess that, for look, habit, delicacv
Tor the table, the hrant lS my iaV"rlte ol
the pralHe @ame. may wei! say good
doG 10 the eNperlanl ReSS, TINS Tune Tor
without her instinct and SagAcity should
no more have secured this dead bird than
the rest "l the flock that flew away. Now
Tor the buggy again with the game. IcroSS
the heid, ana coming ont, tlnd that II cor
nerS on another field. Toward that cor
nel eighty rods away, bear, looking in
tentlv tor the uprising duck or grouse
when far on, in the very corner itself, |
see sight that stops me short Three
molonlcSs figures in grnyiSh brown, tour
feet high, as erect rs posts and As motion
less too, are standing there, the largest
and warlrst bird of the prairleS the great
Whoopin@ cranes. have not made more
than one step ont ni the rows, when they
see me; they pause a moment, then with
q wild "roa6 spread their sAiI-like vans,
ana bear iaEily away. N,yvr mind ''illa
dog maln haze his day" my turn may
come. beat through the field in another
course and Ress warns me Of grouse
ahead; have lust time TO gr ready,
when up rises thepack bring one down,
m $ another and pass on. The field is
about done, J SAY to myself, ana am draw
ing near the outskirts, when .'croak !
croak ~ Just beyond me and there are the
three brown gentlemen, with Il fourth,
picked up by the way, swinging in from
their circle over the prairie to their favor
-.