Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-12-06

A VIRGINIA TURKEY HUNT.
Twelve full-grown turkeys had
flown from the mountain to feed
within q few hundred yards of us,
in absolutely open ground but we
had not climbed the mountains af-
ter them for five days without know
ing that to all intents and purposes
they were safe and that we should
probably again miss getting fair
shot. A bat incautiously shown
would send the whole "gang" like
arrows from a bow, far back into
the big ridges. To have made a
long circuit to creep up behind the
fringe Of sycamores would have
been simply an amateurish attempt
to outwit the widest of hunted Great
ures. We had come to the conclu-
sion that there was a slight rolling
swale in the centre of the big field
and had wormed ourselves through
the frosty stubble and dewberry
bushes to the last safe point by the
comfortable process of living prone
on the ground and pushing along
with one leg. Three hundred yards
of this supine progress had left us
with hands entirely too numb to
feel the prick of the briars in them,
with muddy guns, and, worst of.all
with three gunshot lengths still be-
tween us and the turkeys. There
We lay, now and then peeping hat
less over the gently rising knoll.
Never in my hunting career have
been in more tantalizing situation
nor have | had such another oppor-
tunity to study the home life of one
Of the shyest birds in the world.
Eight were hens, scarcely one
third the size of the four magnIfi-
cent "gobblers," who every now and
then paused in their feeding to hold
their heads high up, in statuesque
suspicion, on general principles.
What majestic birds they are As
one straightens himself proudly up
in rigid attention., until he seems
fairly as tall as man, his feminine
convoy stop their dainty peckings
to lend him their ears, until he is
slowly satisfied with the situation,
and begins again his keen eyed
search for ragweed seed and last
years wheat, or with quick low
'cur-rt" runs swiftly forward to a
bonanza.
Presently, US the rising sun creeps
over the field, and reaches their val
ley too, one of the bearded fellows
suddenly ruffles up his whole pan
'ply of dew-brushed feathers to
catch the FIRST pure rays, until he,
looks as big as u barn." accord
~ to Bob's estate whisper even
1t this distance we can see the blaze
If the bronze and green iridescence
IN the powerful neck and back. :
\ow two of these rk-tinted cham
'lons have a little alteration over {
most unmistakaole preference
hown by a coquettish hen, and =,
heir dignity is for a moment en- I
rely lost in a series of awkward. {
ven ridiculous antics preparatory C
o battle, that is cut short by a
warming attitude on the part of the !
'atrlarch. who has looked on, or q
ather hasn't looked on, the scuffie v
NTH the greatest contempt. i
Before long it was evident that
he enemy had about finished their
breakfast: they moved slowly away t
rom US toward the riyer-bank. Il /
'onder if they wont take a drink p
gestlculated over to Bob. feeling '
ray of hope. If they a.
harge,' he flash
nouDh =, we'll |
..eu back. Sure /
-, presently they disappeared .
one by one N the brush along the !
river. We we're on our knees, when |
suddenly up bohbed the head Of the !
rear guard, and we 1attened ont !