222 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
of the birds, we could not distinguish them. We 
crawled behind the nearest cover and remained mo- 
tionless for perhaps ten minutes. At length the long 
shadows from the descending sun enabled us to dis- 
tinguish the birds as they crouched with head close 
to the ground among the very scanty vegetation. After 
another interval of motionless activity on our part, 
one bird quickly arose and began feeding, apparently 
without suspicion; soon two more birds arose as if by 
magic from the ground. Then began a most inter- 
esting series of antics. These birds were joined by 
five others, coming in singly and on foot from the 
scrub in various directions. The birds came frequently 
within forty paces of our hiding place, and in one 
instance alighted on a small oak tree twenty-three paces 
from our camera. While not near enough for suc- 
cessful photographing, we were well situated for using 
our field-glasses. The birds were all actively feeding 
in the open field, apparently on grasshoppers and other 
insects, but nipping red clover leaves very freely. They 
moved leisurely about. Frequently two birds, some- 
times as much as a hundred to a hundred and fifty 
yards apart, ran directly toward each other, dancing 
and blowing on the way, with the so-called ‘neck wings’ 
pointed upward in a V form. On facing each other, 
both squatted and remained motionless from one to 
five minutes. We could see none of the nodding and 
pecking motions of the head so commonly indulged in 
by domestic fowls when fighting; rarely was there 
sparring with the bill, or striking with the feet or 
