QUAILS. 219 



chance for making a bag. The dogs were sent to beat 

 up some bushes, and they were not there long before they 

 flnslied a bevy which flew m our direction. I was on the 

 right, so I selected the outer bird on that side, and 

 after grassing it, I fired at the bird next to it and brought 

 that down also. My companion was equally successful, 

 lie having bagged both outer birds on the left. When 

 we had picked them uj) he exclaimed: 



" That's the way to shoot in company; you take the 

 birds on the right, I, those on the left. If you take my 

 advice you'll never shoot wildly into the middle of a bevy, 

 because you are more likely to wound than to kill." 



I promised to remember his advice. We then resumed 

 our trudging, but we had not gone far ere another bevy 

 rose before us. We again counted with both barrels, 

 and this made my companion so enthusiastic that he 

 shouted, "Hurrah, for our side. We're in luck, though 

 it must hurt the feelings of quail awfully to be j^elted 

 with shot in this way. It can't be nice for them." I 

 nodded assent, as I was too busily engaged in watching 

 the dogs at work to enter into conversation. The ani- 

 mals found the birds so disinclined to flush that they 

 became excited, and rushing into the thicket, they routed 

 a bevy, which flew to the leeward. The remainder of 

 the party scored on these, as the birds flew low and di- 

 rectly over their heads. The dogs were rated for their 

 conduct, but this did not have much effect on them, for 

 they again worked excitedly, owing to the habit the birds 

 had of running before them or doubling on their tracks 

 like hares. While we were watching this coursing match, 

 the son of the farmer at whose house we were stopping, 

 arrived on the scene with an old muzzle-loader, and 

 taking aim at a bevy which were huddling on the ground 

 near some bushes, bagged eight of them. He seemed to 

 be highly delighted with his pot shot, but my companion 

 was not, for he rated him roundly for firing at birds on 



