The sun., 1903-10-04

and the work Of slaughter begun. Each
bird as It is hit viii topple over upon 2 pad
and lie there without kick. The survivors
pay no heed to 1t. They are uninterested
40 long as they are unhit. &,
There may be thirty birds in the bay, and
they will stay until two-thirds Of the num-
her are dead Then the remainder will
dodge by twos and threes back into the
solid rice and the boat goes about. the men
picking up the bodies. In three or four
such bays the gunner may kill from hfty
to hundred birds in less than two hours
This is mere butchery.
There is manner OF shooting rails which
is as sportsmanlike as rail shooting can be
made and is good sport in the early fall
before better IL to be had. On narrow
infiuent of the Mississippi or Illinois. a
slow stream a hundred yards wide with
thirty yards Of its space taken up by rice
on either hand, boat may be poled or
rowed. with a gunner in the bow, another
in the stern and the guide in the middle.
1t begins it's voyage after 10 O'Clock in the
morning when the birds are more active.
and goes slowly up or down stream, 1t Is
kept ten yards out from the rice. and the
shooters take alternate birds, unless two or
three jump at once.
With their light charges they are COM
PEELED to shoot before the targets get far.
and the enforced quickness detracts from
their accuracy. Shooting SO, he ia very
good shot indeed who will average two
birds to three shells through the morning.
interest, and the rail really stand some
chance to get away unharmed.
Sometimes the wind gets under rails
wings and carries IL along in fine style,
and in trying to stay close to the rice and
avoid being swept out over the stream
the bird is apt to do lot Of darting ard
twisting. That sort OF bird ia genuinely
hn m atom rith an iprOmDotaOt aE oil
sd hard, in fact, that more than half OF
them get away from the best marksmen,
Hunters OF the rail, who are fond Of the
sport because OF the open air OF it, the cay
on the beautiful river, the good fellowship
and the number Of the birds, sometimes
are anxious to give their quarry every
showing, 90 they leave their double barrels
at home and take rifles,
These are of A. Calibre and are loaded
with metal shells charged with small shot
in place Of bulletsthe kind of shell with
which Buffalo Bill in the arena smashes
glass balls sometimes, to the wonder OF
the public. that imagines that he is firing
a single ball of lead. Armed with rifles,
or with the small Belgian double barrels
of equal calibre. which are used by natural
lists In potting specimens, the rail shooters
have not much the advantage of their
small prey, and bang away hard all day,
scoring as many misses as hits. frequently
more.
A man who does not care to cramp his
legs in a boat all day may have some fun
with the rails by putting on a pair of light
rubber boots coming to the thigh, and wad
ing along the bank edge Of the rice growth.
He will find the water sometimes knee
deep, but generally not more than ankle
deep. and the ground where the roots are
is firm.
There are rails pottering around the bank
edge of the wall as they sit about the river
edge His boots make more noise than
the paddle and they flush ahead Of him at
ten yards or so, making very pretty shoot,
ing as they come up out Of the rice and
almost Immediately drop again.
He can find those which fall among the
stems by marking the spot carefully and
going to il straight, but if he stops to re-
load or shoots AT another bird, or permits
his attention TO he diverted in any way,
the chances are that he will not find his
kill. He must keep his eye fixed on the
spot and walk fast.
His walk will have other charms than
the mere shooting, for the rice at this season
is stirring with life. Many shy wild things
are in it, seldom seen close at hand by man.
They find the great growth to be at once
a granary and refuge.
The mliskrat will start almost from under
the hunters feet, splashing away amid the
stems, or, terrified out OF control, will start
toward tne open ldil, numbering SiuilShy
In furious effort to escape when there is
no pursuit. The little brown heron. not
more than two inches long, with staring
eye Of gold. will hang to stem within a
yard and chatter pugnaciously at the
intruder
The blue heron will rise, fapping heavily
and also the great kingrail standing eghtee
inches high, a rare smart bird, which lives
life Of secluson and stealth, buried always
in weeds and grasses taller than itself
Coots half entangled fiutter toward deep
water; sharp, splash vii! tell where the
mink has dived from the bank; the water
may be shouldered up by the swift passage
Of an OTTER rats scamper along with small
rustlings, audible above the steady whisper
OF the wind.
It is not unlikely that somewhere in the
half mile will come a mighty tapping of
wings and great sprigtailed drake will
leap straight upward for twenty feet, down
from the cold countries days ahead Of its
companions and scared half to death before
it is fairly settled. The hunter will be sorry
then that he has only rail shells in his
pockets.