54 The Partridge Family 



is clearer. Shoot at every bird you see, and in 

 emergency just ahead of where a bird has disap- 

 peared. This is quick, snappy work, but corn 

 won't stop shot, and the expert kills bird after 

 bird by means of this fascinating guesswork. It 

 frequently is a profitable thing to hang a small 

 bell to a dog's neck for work in tall corn. The 

 birds do not mind the bell, the sound of which 

 tells where the dog is, while the stopping of the 

 tinkle indicates a point. Frequently in corn and 

 other cover you find the dog stanchly pointing 

 and yourself in a commanding position, the par- 

 ticular advantages of which may be lost by a single 

 step in any direction. With a dog that does not 

 flush to order, this is an awkward situation, for 

 the bird will not rise unless compelled to. It 

 may be remedied by an energetic imitation of the 

 " Whir-r-r " of a rising bird. This is done by ex- 

 pelling the breath so as to cause the tongue to 

 flutter rapidly. The sound produced will very 

 frequently start the birds within hearing of it, and 

 the wrinkle is worth remembering. 



The methods of good shots vary. Many make 

 it a rule to stick to the first large bevy found, 

 which may mean an entire day's shooting within 

 the confines of a single farm. The writer doesn't 

 believe in such tactics. To stick to one or two 

 bevies, and to patiently and laboriously beat them 

 up by going over the ground again and again, is 



