164 GAME-BIRDS A T HOME. 



throats and mingled with their assembling-call 

 like Ka — loi — 0, then like OJiio, then like 

 K — ivoik — uJi, kuJi — zvoik — 21I1, and various 

 other combinations. But all this time they were 

 increasing the amount of up-hill between them 

 and Jones. 



Jones reached the place where they had set- 

 tled on the ground. The dog was not half so 

 gay as at the last place where they had alighted ; 

 and although he drew in good style and came to 

 a half point, he had one eye on a green heterom- 

 eles. When told to hie on, he hied to the 

 shade of that bush, from which, with tongue 

 hanging out, he surveyed his master with some- 

 thing akin to indifference. Just then from a 

 bunch of chemisal to the left of Jones a whizzing 

 line of slate-blue, white, and cinnamon rose with 

 sharp Chirp — chirp — chirp — chirp that had a 

 metallic ring of defiance never heard from any 

 other bird. Jones whirled his gun from his 

 shoulder and made an elegant shot at the space 

 the bird vacated as he pulled the trigger. Quick 

 as a flash he fired the other barrel at about the 

 right distance ahead of the bird which was by no 

 means out of reach. The bird went on without 



