174 GAME-BIRDS AT HOME. 



strung out, Jones beat to the right of where the 

 last bird had risen. He found nothing, and had 

 just turned around to beat the other side, when 

 there was a buzz of w ings behind him, and he 

 wheeled in time to see a blue curve cross the 

 ridge behind a bush. A snap-shot at the bush 

 as the bird disappeared behind it brought a 

 feather or two sailing back on the air, but the 

 most careful search, aided by the nose of a good 

 dog, failed to find any bird. 



So far the dog had been unable to get close 

 enough to point a bird, and Jones now thought 

 that after so much shooting the quails would lie 

 more closely, as they did in days of yore. So he 

 went to where the right wing of the main flock 

 should have alighted after first rising. All this 

 side of the hill he beat quite thoroughly, without 

 the dog making any signs of smelling anything. 

 He was about to quit when he heard a distant 

 buzz, and up the hill, from a lot of rocks and 

 brush in the head of a steep gulch, saw three or 

 four quail wind over the top of the ridge. He 

 thought there must be more in that place, and 

 went hastily there. The dog snuffed around in 

 good style and drew finel\', but that was all. 



