1 66 GAME-BIRDS AT HOME. 



caught himself in time to send a bird whirling 

 downward with each barrel. 



He then waited in good style for the dog to 

 come and find the fallen birds. But the dog 

 merely snuffed at a feather with a temporary fit 

 of energy, looked around a bit, and began to 

 think about shade again. He was worthless for 

 want of water and being allowed to run too much 

 in hot, dry air before he was actually needed. 



The first bird Jones soon gave up, as in his 

 haste he had forgotten to mark it. The second 

 one he had marked ; but when he went where he 

 w^as sure it fell, all bushes looked alike and there 

 was not a feather to reward his patience. By 

 the time he had concluded he could not find 

 them and had exhausted his vocabulary on the 

 dog, the rest of the flock was almost at the crest 

 of the next slope. Some birds are almost always 

 left hiding at every place where a flock has risen, 

 and two burst here from the cover near his feet 

 with a saucy Chirp — chirp — cJiirp. There A\'as a 

 quick slam-bang of both barrels of his gun, and 

 both birds went whizzing unharmed across the 

 ravine that lay between Jones and the next 

 slope. 



