The sun., 1896-10-11
CONNECTICUT SMALLGAME.
PAR7RIDGES ESPECIALLY PLEN-
JIFUL AND FAMILIAR.

Adveuturer OF u Fearless Oid Cock Rird In
Mrs. Eli Tryon'a sitting Room In Port
1nnd-Geornc DimOck Picks zip Two
Game Dinncrs In lite Front Yard.
WILLIMANTiC, Conn, Oct 10.-The Nutmeg
game law went of" on Thursday aud since
then the woods, particularly in the eastern part
OF the state. have rcsoundcd all day with the
popping OF brcechloaders. The forests are still
heavily cloaked with foliage, and accurate
shooting, even at close range. is almost im-
possible; no especially good bags have been
taken yet. All kinds of shack, chcstnuts.
hickory, butternuts and acorns are plentiful.
the trees are bent with their harvest.
and every kind of small gamo abounds;
II probably never was moro abundant In the
history of the commonwealth. Gray squirrels,
big, fat and sleek, are about as numerous and
fearless as chpmunks, and in the last two or
three weeks have been seen In little parties
frisking and tumblng about the woodland
Rlades and ravines playful rs kittens. But the
leaves too thick for hunting them, for, as
every old sportsman very well knows, q full
grown grayback will hide himself in a sapling
small that novice would swear humminR
bird could not be concealed in It..
Woodcock, too, are fairly plentiful for tho first
time in fifteen years, while partrdRes and
quail numerous and bold that in
all parts OF this heavily wooded and
sparsely inhabited region, in the last
month they have been wont to stroll
out of their forest retreats daily into tho
farmers buckwheat and corn fields to feed on
the grain there To the eastern Connecticut
husbandman it was as curious as IL was un-
usual to see plump partridRcs stepping gineerly
about the open lots. as demure and much at
case, apparently. as flock OF barnyard fowls.
The oldest freak performances on the part of
partrdges this season, however, were noticed
recently by George Dmock. who lives on Sum-
init street in this city, and has dined on those
choice game birds three times this season. the
viii. In each instance Mr.. Dimock picked up
his dinner in his own front yard. 1t WAS about
ard tho ne.ighborhood was very still. Mr..
Dimock. who was on Il lounge, read
nG rn1 MS ,s atsrnoo srmon newspaper iM, IN rear
suddenly. zip! ch-k! bang! a solid body. either
very nsSvy or tpsTePs ~ vel At NJ nS
was wide awake in a moment he leaped of his
couch and hurried through the house into the
window. a little distance from the house wall.
afull;Erown fat partridge that was as dead as
taiing The BIRD. evidentiy, had been feedine in
a field OF reaped grain on the hill slopes to the
had set out 10 return to its accustomed walks
on the timbered knobs in the western suburbs.
smoking factory chmneys il doubtless became
bewiidered, and plunged sharply downward.
striking the DimoCk house fairly and sQuarely
in the middle of Its front.
Mr.. Dmock picked up his game. ana he and
his family had broll~d partridge for their tea
fortunate in hnrgine his game so handiiy and
readily. On the next day, and at about the
same hour. zip! zip! bang! bang! came a thun>
dering tattoo on the front of his dwelling. This
time Mr. Dimock got two plump partridges that
had Drained themselves on his screen door.
piece of luck befell tho family OF Eli Tryon.
Who dwe!t n cottage not far from the great
ths seS stony o ms bin
cock partridge that had Quilted it's woodland
home had soiourned in the heart OF the marsh.
wild food there. 1t was a curious and unusual
spend the night in II. swale Instead ai retreat.
day the old, cock suddenly Quilted tho
Ry and Whe @ he ss bird
suddenly ,iyeered from his straiEhtaway course.
into Ell Tryon's hack yard. Tho ackdoor was
open. and since no one appeared To be stirring
aSGas asrs the wood pa'mss os sssped rn
with much much croskinE and Nlo,S twisting Of his
cooking utensils with much apparent inter-
est; picking his sn,,n way cautiously abaas ths
sitting room. where there were several per-
sons. most of them being callers, One Of them.
who had watched unconcernedly the entrance
cock to be one OF the Tryon barnyard fowls,
said quickly and somewhat loudly,
l never saw one like that before. I'll catch it."
She quilted her seat at once; and started
ingly. in the way that chicken fancisrs sum
mon their hroods to meals. But she had taken
only n single step. her hands outstretched. when
air toward the patch of blue sky framed bv the
kitchen doorway, and buz2ed out OF the Tryon
house with the roaring racket of skyrocket.