314 PARTRIDGES. 



"Early in the Spring," he says, "they make their 

 appearance in the pine-woods, welcomed by the solitary 

 back-settlers, not only as harbingers of returning warmth, 

 but as an agreeable addition to their stock of provisions, 

 and a source of amusement. At first, when the snow 

 still covers the ground, they are easily tracked, though 

 by no means easily discovered in the trees, on which 

 these two species invariably perch. They run for a 

 considerable distance from their pursuers, before they 

 rise, turning backwards and forwards, and round and 

 round, twisting about the trees in such a manner as to 

 make it difficult to follow up the foot-marks, and but for 

 the assistance of dogs familiar with the sport, the keenest 

 eye is often foiled/' Captain Head thus describes his 

 first meeting with one of these birds: 



" The snow in the woods was crisp from the night's 

 frost, and the sun was just rising in a clear sky, when the 

 marks of game attracted my notice, and my spaniel at 

 the same time evinced the most eager interest and cu- 

 riosity in the pursuit, quartering the ground from right 

 to left. After walking about half an hour, he suddenly 

 guested, and on going up to him I found him at the edge 

 of a swamp, among a clump of white cedar-trees, to one 

 of which he had evidently tracked some description of 

 bird ; for he was looking steadfastly up into the tree, 

 and barking with the utmost eagerness. I looked atten- 

 tively, but nothing whatever could I discover. I walked 

 round the tree, and round again ; then observed the dog, 

 whose eyes were evidently directly fixed upon the object 

 itself; and still was I disappointed in perceiving nothing. 

 In the mean time, the dog, working himself up to a pitch 

 of impatience and violence, tore with his paws the trunk 

 of the tree, and bit the rotten sticks and bark, jumping 

 and springing up at intervals towards the game ; and 

 iive minutes had at least elapsed in this manner, when 

 all at once I saw the eye of the bird. There it sat, or 

 rather stood, just where Rover pointed, in an attitude so 

 perfectly still and fixed, with an outstretched neck, and 



