Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-21
A DAY AT THE GROUSE,
An Indiana Sportsman's Fun in
Stubble Fields.
The Man Who Always Wants to Sue
You for Damages.
1he Gailinaceous Birds Still Left in the
oider Settled Parts of the AmerI-
can Continent and How
They Fly.

,h oiest ana Stream. containing |
d. Morris's "a Day with the Grouse.n
1e usual, Forest and Stream received d
9. nrst notice, and the DOCTORS article ha
~ pened to be the first one read. and Il
,e last one for today. too, for felt it to
n sufficient feast.for one day. So graph
'r ana so true are his descriptions that OF
,s VINO has been there felt that he W,
Il there again, and living over again one
= those happy days. Before a fourth
8 1ne article was read forgot that W.
p only reading. and became one of I'll
q ooctor's party, and as full of enjoymer
as any OF them. When, at last, tb
oay was over, the paper dropped fro,
/ my hands, and l sat while. living ove
: the days when fayorite brother mo,
, gone to join the silent maioritvl and !
with strong limbs that laughed at tn
IDEA OF getting tired; well traine,
dogs who only lived to serv
us, and good guns that 'e,v W
enew how to use, tramped the gre,
melds and the brown carpeted woods
Inere were many of those DAYS. many
OF them, too, that did not bring heavy
pags, but none that did not bring keeI
enjoyment, both at the time and when
remembered. One day in particula,
was brought to- view by the doctor's
day, and as it is the day of davs in
my shooting memories, perhaps it NAV
be worth relating.
It was late in November when Brother
Dave returned from the west, and we
were reunited after long parting. He
nad great stories to tell of shooting and
nsning IN the widest part of the Rock
les: But" said he, there was none
OF it 80 good as the old times with YOU.
ana now suggest that we have Just one
more DAY with the Jay county spheas-
ants. We will go on this afternoons
train, have Dick drive US to the west
END OF the big woods early in the morn
ing, and then we will hunt back toward
town."
A forty mile ride landed us at BRYANT.
just at dark. Dick was at the station
and gave us hearty Welcnma- and Aaii
morning at 5 O'Clock he an
nounced that breakfast was ready
and the team harnessed, and in thirty
minutes more we were on the road. A
faint gray tinged the eastern sky. The
dead weeds and grass and the rail
fences we're silvered with frost. From
weed field near by came the
plaintive calls Of q covey
Of quail, scattered during the
night by some owl or mink. Two or
three owls were hooting in the woods,
and q belated rabbit hopped across the
road. In the south was bank OF log,
and all the air was hazy with smoke
and tinged with the smell OF burning
brush and smoldering logs.
The sun was just in sight when we
climbed the fence into a pasture lot
dotted with clumps OF hazel brush and
| Uttered with logs and piles OF brush.
The dogs jun ped over the fence, but did
not take step. Both pointed the in,
slant they struck the ground. Must
be quail, !" said Dave. ''It isn't likely
pheasants would be out here so early
Just then five grouse thundered ou!
4 from the further side of clumpot haze
| brush. Four shots that woke the echoes
far and wide-one bird down, anothe
going off hard hit and the other three
out Of sight in the woods; all in very
few seconds.
| The next performance was by maj
who mounted stump hundred yard
away and launched at us string OF ex
pletiyes that showed long practive i
that line., The expletives were sand
wiched with commands to "get out
there" threats of prosecution, death u
the dogs and personal violence TO oul
selves. Dave remarked that that 1el
low must be feeling pretty lively, bu
| was to talky to do anything else., a
> any rate he will have to come over nel
before we pay any attention to MN.
marked the crippled bird. did you mar
!, any of the others Z" yes, saiu
!. ! "two Of them" Dan proposed that v
: get the crippled one and then hunt i
= the others. The bird was found VIII
/ out any trouble. 1t was ape "
IS f1y but an easy shot finished IL. y
II next went to the place the pros ne
II from and I got the bearings py Wnlc
70 the two birds had been marked. one
Ie them was found after 81 minute
,e search, and got away, followed ny ~ =,
a loads of shot. We concluded thae ',
other one must have gone !nIo 'e. e.
and as it is next to impossible 10 ~
IN one Of these birds in a tree, unless t.
is exact tree ia known, we gave 1t up.
IN The next find was four birds tn
" ware wallowing in the dust on the sun
b. aide Of q log. They flushed wild ire
Re. me. but one dropped to my second o.
IN rel Dave was forty yards away, :
60 got a shot at one flying past MIN. .
no no lowered straight up above
nss tall trees, but recovered =
ea flew away. We followed :
il got up wild from
dogs. A second time It rose "
ian but did not fly go far. This time
ser- dogs pointed in an open place, "
ike nothing ON the ground but dead leaS
mS, me- beaten flat by the rains.
rus snow he is our bird" saio "a
ere "We will get him sure. The bird is
IN IN twenty feet from old Dicks nos
ent e Slowly we approached the dogs, es
= is inch Of us on the alert, at every step
4 q u u pecting the swift fight that would
ney our ouickness. Step by step, I'LL Ill
out, reached the dogs. No bird dew. II
nsd oess was nothing to hide a humming
day. day much less grouse. l said ol, ~,
think there was any bird there.
there is," said Dave; "oid DICK Z
do that way for nothing. Catcn
Dick" Dick walked ten feet iu1
and stopped. 'There 1t Is" saio = =
"three feet from Dick's nose" IL