Grouse of the Northern Cattle Plains 85 



of the creek. Rightly judging that there were more 

 birds than those I had seen, I began to beat with great 

 care the patches of brush and long grass on both 

 sides of the creek, and soon was rewarded by some 

 very pretty shooting. The covey was a large one, 

 composed of two or three broods of young prairie 

 fowl, and I struck on the exact place, a slight hollow 

 filled with low brush and tall grass, where they were 

 lying. They lay very close, and my first notice of 

 their presence was given by one that I almost trod 

 on, which rose from fairly between my feet. A 

 young grouse at this season offers an easy shot, and 

 he was dropped without difficulty. At the report 

 two others rose and I got one. When I had barely 

 reloaded, the rest began to get up, singly or two or 

 three at a time, rising straight up to clear the edge 

 of the hollow, and making beautiful marks; when 

 the last one had been put up I had down seven birds, 

 of which I picked up six, not being able to find the 

 other. A little further on I put up and shot a sin 

 gle grouse, which fell into a patch of briars I could 

 not penetrate. Then for some time I saw nothing, 

 although beating carefully through every likely- 

 looking place. One patch of grass, but a few feet 

 across, I walked directly through without rousing 

 anything; happening to look back when I had gone 

 some fifty yards, I was surprised to see a dozen 

 heads and necks stretched up, and eying me most 

 inquisitively ; their owners were sharp-tails, a covey 

 of which I had almost walked over without their 

 making a sign. I strode back; but at my first step 



