The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-18
These birds Jack regards with supram

These birds Jack regards with supreme
Indifference, only waRglng his tail. az II to
say. 'They IRE not worth looking after"
When we come to IN open glade in the
becomes deeply interested. puts his nose
down, straie htens his tail and looks at mo
will a knowing wink. 1t means birds" "A
1t can make no difference if he does find
them, for l shall not shoot, SO | let him
have his way, and off he goes into the tan
gle of white statflowers, asters, purple ager-
alum and small bushes, which cover this
sunny spot.
There has been no frost yet. and the trees
have not put on the gorgeous coloring Of
autumn, though the leaves are throwing
out. Only here and there a gum shoots up
turned to gold. It needs a frost to develop
the splendor of the woods. and to cut down
the weeds to make hunting easy.
While / am critically surveying the woods.
Jack is cautiously moving about among the
weeds. Now he stands. Look at him! Is
there better sport than to watch q we'll
bred and carefully trained dog come to a
point? See. how eager. yet careful he is.
Undoubtedly he has q covey near his nose.
, Let's see!
Why! It's q mother quail with a brood Of
/ Young ones! They are not as big as chicks
just of the shell, but run, how they run, and
the mother. how excited and frightened abe
is! Her antics are as funny as those OF
the squirrel. She tries to make NJ
believe that she is hurt; flies up fiutters a
| short distance and tumbles Town again and
repeats the operation over and over, until
she thinks the little ones are safely out OF
J reach. They are pretty little things with
! big brown eyes and a cheep-cheep like a
| chicken.
II is n rare thing in other years to
run across a second brood of quail. but
this summer IL has been quite frequent.
and / nave caught little ones near the falls
in August.
Now, if we can only get a sight of a grouse
l shall be content.
know there is grouse, or as the people
here call the bird, pheasant. i'll these woods.
but usually it lies close. so close that you
may almost step on it before it rises, and
then, how it goes! No wonder it takes .
good shot to bring it down. Slowly Jack
and ! wander along, stepping over fallen
branches and here and there over a pros
trate tree. Ii is u wild bit of woodland.
where the sun in summer can hardly pierce
the leaves. but now it Sits down i'll a warm,
golden shower like impalpable rain.
Suddenly Jack Strengthens out again,
points, there il 4 rustic, 4 great whirring
Of wings, two dark brown bodies shoot
up like rockets, my gun goes up instincts
ively-no, l don't shoot-and away they
80, straight rs cannon balls, almost
as fast, yet never colliding with bush or
tree, and out of sight they are. They wero
grouse.
| don't wonder some men become ner-
yous and miss when this regal bird rises.
It leaps up so sudden II makes such
noise.
And now we will 90 home. The heart's
desire has been satisfied, and from far of
comes the mellow call Of the conch. aum-
moning to dinner. Yhere will DO white
breasted chicken. done to a turn; biscuits
light as p~utr-balls, mealy potatoes, ruby
apple jellies and amber ounce, with odor-
GUS coffee and rich cream, and We will have
a chance to tease Mnrk and tell our expert
ence over an after-dinner pipe, TO crown
the pleasant half day.-Helman Rave In
! Louisville Courier-Journal.