PREFACE 
of material on duck shooting in North America, and 
the gratifying reception met by that volume encour- 
ages me to believe that there 1s place for a companion 
work, which shall appeal especially to men who tramp 
the uplands with gun and dog. They may perhaps 
welcome a book which shall deal with their favorite 
sport, and shall touch on it as practiced in different 
parts of the country. 
No two men use the terms shooting and hunting in 
the same way, and if the question could be submitted 
to a general conference of sportsmen, wide differences 
of opinion as to what constitutes a game bird would 
of course be found to exist. In certain sections of the 
country, and among certain classes of people, bluejays 
and woodpeckers are regarded as legitimate objects of 
the gunner’s pursuit; if they are less highly esteemed 
than quail and prairie chicken, it is only because they 
weigh less. 
For the purposes of this book I have considered as 
game birds only the species that are commonly hunted 
with dogs. This naturally throws out of the list many 
birds which offer good sport and are excellent for the 
table. Such are many of the plovers and beach birds, 
the Bartramian sandpiper, and all the rails. 
In the preparation of the volume I have not hesi- 
tated to draw for information on all available sources, 
Vili 
