The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-19


to drive home. With little coaxing, how
ever, GO Brush" went forward again and
soon another bird got up which Mr.. Harde-
man cut down clean, and in few minutes
more Judge Ross and myself bagged our
birds. This turn of affairs seemed to put
"Brush y in better humor, rs he carried
the birds in and laid them at our feet,
receiving the customary pat, and caressing
compliment of good dog so dear to every old
hunter. The birds were tolerably plenty
and Brush - kept putting them up and
we banging away till Twelve o'clock, miss
ing three and killing one, when we con-
cluded to drive to town and wait till the
heat of the day was over, for the sun was
very hot. We had seven chickens as the
result of our execrable shooting, and one
or two others were killed, but not retrieved.
We consoled ourselves, however, with the
assurance that our poor shooting was all
on account of the strange guns we had to
handle, and l felt sure if I'd had one of
my light, handy Parker Guns that could
have killed more "chickens than the
whole party; but like Brush " held my
peace, well satisfied that had shot about
as we'll as the rest of the party.
About three clock in the afternoon we
harnessed up and started out in another
direction, and had splendid luck, our days
bag numbering two dozen " chickens. y
Brush" seemed delighted, and secured
the prairie like young puppy, sometimes
raising bunch of dozen or more birds.
The prairie hen, or pinnated grouse,
though fine game bird does not, we think,
compare with our partridge, or beb-white.
They do not lie we'll for the dog like the
partridge, but keep walking on through the
grass. This characteristic, old Brush "
seemed to understand perfectly well, and
when he came to point he would hold but
a few moments and move on till the birds
were flushed, but he moved slowly and was
easily kept close up with. If you stepped
in front of him he was grossly insulted and
resented the affront promptly by allowing
you to do your own hunting.
On the prairie is dry place for cunning,
and when the day is warm the dogs feel
the want of water very severely. When
"Brush" became warm and dry he de-
liberately stopped hunting and going to
the wagon jumped in, which was equiva-
lent to saying, "drive to the creek.
must have drink and bath before hunt
any more" and "Brush's order had to be
obeyed. Middle Kansas, which includes
this part of the State and fine region
known as the Cottonwood valley, is gun
ner's paradise. Prairie chickens are abun-
dant, and in some parts cartridges, or bob
whites. are also numerous. Ducks, geese,
cranes, &C., are abundant in the wild fowl
season wherever ponds or lakes are found
Shooting prairie hens is comparatively
an easy matter. The bird presents large
mark, gets up and goes straight from you.
There is not bush to interfere with your
aim or require snap shot before the bird
is out of sight, as is the case in our brushy
country, and it requires much less skill to
bring down prairie hen on it's own native
heath, than partridge in the brakes and
thickets about the head of Elk and Chesa-
peake. The bob-white lies as still as death
for the dog, and when flushed, springs from
the cover with whir that makes the air
reverberate, and is bound to startle the
most steady nerves, and confuse the eye
with a dozen brown rays diverging from a
single focus as they dart into the air, and
go like SO many shells with hum away
from you. The pinnated grouse, or prairie
hen, hops up without much fuss, not unlike
his barnyard namesake, and goes away in
straight line, presenting a fair mark for the
sportsman. But he is royal game and fills
a large corner in the sportsman's bag; and
the "chicken hunt" on the rich, rolling
prairies round the young town of Newton,
on the 22nd of August, with the boon COM
panions who made up our party, not for
getting the Judges favorite dog Brush"
is an episode long to be remembered, and
to turn back to and contemplate with
pleasure. f. E. E.