Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-03-03
Stalking GRAY PIoYer.

The gray or grass ployer is the Wild
est of all game birds, being enticed by
neither the sportsman, stool or call. In
fact, his cry is so hard to initiate that
scarcely hunter can be found who can
correctly counterfeit it. a writer in
Forest and Stream tells good story Of
spor tsman who tried to stalk gray
plover.
Our story takes us back to many years
ago, when the pasture lands of Orange
county, n. J., were a favolite rambling
place for young ployer 1t was upon a
crisp, frosty morning that four of us
crossed the bay from the beach to have
crack at the ployer that frequented
the rolling upland pastures Of the main
land
The Hon. Mr. S. was of the party, q
short, jolly man Of fifty summers, a good
sportsman, but extremely near-sighted.
The PROV Of our slSiff had but Just grated
against the sand, when Mr.. S. drew from
under the gunwale of the boat huge
cows skin, surmounted with pair Of
huge horns To put this on and securely
fasten it by knotting a short piece Of
fsh-line around his neck was but the
work of a moment. He then looked up,
and, with smile, said:
Boys, I've got them now"
Away to the westward rolled the hills,
dotted here and there with large herds
of cattle, while from the wettish slashes
between the knolls the fuke-like note
of plover was borne down the air.
Now, boys" said the gay deceiver,
you station yourself behind the fences
and I'll start up the birds"
On went Mr. S., bent over in imita-
ton of COW. his gun in hand, and his
spectacles with demoniac luster gleam-
ing on his nose. We, in silent admira-
tion at his " happy thought, placed our
selves behind the fence and peeped
through the rails, waiting to see whether
the ruse would prove effective. AT last
Mr.. S. saw a ployer light at the base of
one of the hills, and bobbing after him
he went. He had lessened the distance
almost half and was within hundred
yards of his victim, when from the near
est herd out strobe bull. He was
grand animal, and the airy background
made him look larger to us than any
bovine we had ever seen before. He
was evidently angry at this impertinent
intrusion on his domains by strange
animal, and gave his tail snap that was
both ominous and suggestive. He took
one step forward, and, like Hamlet's
ghost, shifted the morning ain. There
was wicked twinkle in his eye, and an
exulting chuclle in his respiration, as
he sent from each nostril cloud of
smoke.
YAM" said the bull, and began trot-
ting toward the unconscious S.
We screamed Look out n waved onr
hands, and were frantic with apprehen-
sion for our friend. S. did not hear us,
but went bobbing on toward the ployer.
1t has been said that fifteen seconds
sometimes appear like two weeks and a
half it was so with us. At the end Of
sixteen seconds Mr.. S. was standing on
his head and the bull standing over him,
looking very much surprised. The gun
went off in the encounter, and the bull,
still more astonished, reared up, lost his
balance, and rolled over backward. The
Honorable Mr.. S. jumped up in a fran
tic, confused way and started for the
fence. The bull rolled over and fol
lowed in pursuit 1t was a race Of life
and death. The suspense was soon
over, however, for the Honorable S.
went for the fence the same way Fran
co.'s Ravel used to go through the clock
head first-and safely landed on the
other side, after scraping, by the top
rail, all the buttons off his vest.