New-York tribune., 1902-08-16
d SPORTS1NEN'S COOK.
HOW TO BAG AMERICAN GAME BIRDS

Van Dyke Illustrated by L; a PUHr'eSs FliH Ssr3o "a
B. Frost ]. o. Nugent and .. I, pun Linz
m tx 500 The Macmillan Company
This the second volume in the American
sportsmen's Series" we'll upholds the s'ahuaiu
set by the frst-that on deer by fIesi'et-'
Roosevelt and others II illustrates the same
high ideal of sportsmanship, the same lil'e'''
eence and humanity an equally readaoie anu
entertaining style and shows equal knowledge
Of the subject MIR Sandys is not one OF those
snortsn,en who shoot merely TO kill the sport
has a much wider meaning to him thah SluuS
ing birds along the rib Of a breechloadeI- ne "
an enthusiastic student Of their HABITS OF WHAT
seems almost their personalities, OF the 'o""-
try they inhabit: and he writes ABOUT an '"e9S
things with keen relish. He finds the guam 10 pe
the best bird that flies" as well as one ol ''e
most widely distributed. He tells us nuch
about its life. and gives an amusing ueSCIip-
tion Of the dashing and pugnacious lovemahlns
of the male the nesting. and the rearing OF the
Young In the early season quail shooting Is
easy The birds flush almost underioot' 'heS
fy only moderately fast. and they cannot carry
off much shot It is important, if you have a
good dog. 10 let him alone
Avoid all bawling Of commands. because the
sound of the voice is apt TO cause an uhlliLeis Ii
flush when otherwise the bevy might nav , IAN
birds appear to pay no attention 10 Ihe S ''''''5
of dog whistle
II is important for the sportsman TO De master
of the ralIying call of the quail and initiate 1t TO
perfection Any one possessed Of an ear can
easily compass it. Mr.. Sandys represents II
thus: "Ka-loi'-Hee'' three times repeatedly Is
the old hens summons, and should be answered
by the appearance Of her brood Mr. Sandys
does not believe in sticking TO the hrst large
bevy found which may mean an entire DAY
shooting within the limits OF a single farm;
the mere gathering Of birds is only minor part
Of quail shooting" Outline a route and cover
it all during the day, skirmishing perhaps with
half q dozen bevies. The man who hunts too
closely leaves desolation in his wake The time
near the end of the season is beloved by the
skilled quail hunter. The birds are at their pest
and educated In the school of experience, ana
the sportsman needs his best form. And IN
winter on the snow, sport may be had without
a gun
The partridges are given much shorter shrl1t
by Mr. Sandys who has high opinion OF most
of the species The ruffied grouse is a different
matter: he offers many difficulties in the pursuit
and demands rapid, accurate shooting, a
quick perception and ready resource on the part
Of the sportsman. One of his interesting habits
is that of drumming a notice 10 all other
males and fema les within hearing that ne Is
open to an enga cement for love or war, usually
both. It has been ignOrantly supposed that as
he stands upon log and beats his wings he is
producing the sound by humping upon the
wood. whereas he is beating only the air and
possibly his own body. He struts, like COB
bier thrusts his head forward and begins his
wing beats at first slow and measured, then
quicker and quicker till the separate beats are
lost and the sound becomes like low. dis
tant thunder or like the deep. ulufled roll of
drum. The best rufied grouse shooting is in
Wisconsin, Michigan and Western Ontario
OF the same family is the prairie hen, of which
MI Sandys speaks with great affection as
yielding the most complete satisfaction Of any
Of its kind to American spOrtsmen. He seems
to be designed in habits and habitat to suit the
gunners' wishes He, too. is sonorous love
maker: his lovemaking is done with the aid of
couple Of yellow sacs. one on each side OF his
neck roughly resembling half orange. These
he can initiate to an enormous size, and collapse
them at will. their emptying producing a boom
ing sound like the lowing of distant herds of
cattle. With these sacs inflated till they
nearly as large as his body the amorous bird
struts and postures in way that gives him a
startling, not to say devsh effect It is
fortunate that the reckless killing of this bird
by unprfncipled "sportsmen" bids fair TO exter-
inmate it, notwithstanding its great productiv-
ity. The ptarmigan, the wild turkey the wood
cock and a number of birds native the Pacific
Coast are the subjects of other chapters, the
Western birds being treated by Mr.. T. S Van
Dyke.