Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-24
SAVING HER YOUNG.
Exciting Race Between a Pointer Dog
and q Mother Duck.

and Mother Duck.
Eli is thoroughbred pointer, a native
Texan, and resides in Burleson county of
the Lone Star State, and Justly enjoys the
honor and distinction in his locality of
being an expert in never failing to point
out the woodcock. quail and .iacksnipe
From the beginning of November to the
end of February he is On duty in the
sporting field, and the remainder of the
year reposes in the shade about the house,
or slumbers in the fresh-plowed earth
about the farm, apparently oblivious to
the exciting sport of the past or that
which awaits him In the future. He is
always courteous, and when lettering about
the farm seems to keep "ceaseless vigip
toward his master, in testimony whereof
he is ever ready to bring back the rolling
hat when carried away by puff of wind.
But the most deceptive and exciting cpl
sode in Ellis history now begins.
A few days ago, just after l had passed
through the farm gate on my way to din
ner, heard Eli spring some game to my
left. / looked and saw something de-
cidedly larger than a quail just ahead of
him and coming directly toward me. l
stood perfectly still and they came within
two feet of me. 1t was a woodduck, down
on level with Ellis head, and the tip of
its short tail feathers were nearly or quite
between his open lips and / saw it turn
its head and look round to one side, to see
if it was far enough from his mouth. Its
wing stroke was graceful yet feeble, and
thought it would fall and be crushed to
death by the dog in a moment, when the
thought occurred to me that it had left
young ones behind. But witnessed this
close race between duck and dog 800 or
400 yards till they passed out of sight; and
knowing the dog would come back to see
if there were any more , l waited to keep
him from killing the young ones if pos
sible. Going to where he had flushed the
about in the weeds and grass. / waited
for the dogs return. l had scarcely a
minute to wait till the dog came, tongue
out, painting.
Just as he stood or pointed on the first
young one, the old duck seemed to fall
paralyzed on top of his head; and of
course that claimed all of his attention;
and away they went again, and if posi-
BILE, the duck was this time closer to his
nose than before | had nothing to do
but laugh and await the return of the dog,
for / knew he would come back. The
mother evidently led him great way off
that time, for they were gone about fifteen
minutes, when I saw Eli coming, appa-
rently much exhausted, and in her soft,
feeble, noiseless way, the duck some fifteen
or twenty feet behind him. / was within
ten feet of the dog when he arrived at the
spot where the young ones were: and Just
at that moment the matron gave him
flap on the head with her wings and
seemed to fall ON the ground under his
nose again.
This insult, linked with his ambition to
catch her, gave him new courage, and out
they pulled for the third heat. They
came toward the house this time, and for
200 yards could see duck and dog as if
fastened nose and tail. The impression
LETT was that the dog had the tips of the
ducks tail pinched in his front teeth,
knowing that if be relaxed his hold for
better one he would lose the bird, and that
a slender mouthful was better than none,