300 Life and Sport on the Pacific Slope 



California would undertake the breeding and pres- 

 ervation of the English pheasant in some such 

 place, let us say, as the Yo Semite Valley, which 

 might be made a sanctuary. A pheasant is ex- 

 tremely delicate when young, but an old bird is 

 hardy enough, and I am of the opinion that a sus- 

 tained and practical effort to add this splendid 

 specimen to the list of Californian game-birds would 

 be crowned with success. 



Dove-shooting is capital fun. In southern Cali- 

 fornia the doves are to be found in most stubble 

 fields after harvest, but only the tyro will care to 

 shoot them as they flutter up in front of the gun. 

 The sportsman will take his stand toward sunset 

 near some pool or spring* where the birds fly to 

 water. If the spot is properly chosen, he will 

 have an hour's excellent sport. The birds fly at a 

 great pace, presenting every kind of shot, circling 

 and swooping, now high, now low, and being about 

 the same size as a snipe are no easy mark. In our 

 part of California and particularly upon our ranch, 

 the dove-shooting used to be superb, but it is to- 

 day only middling, for reasons that I am unable to 

 guess at. Certainly much -more land is ploughed, 

 and the doves feed on the wheat and barley that 

 is left on the fields, and the weed known as dove- 

 weed still grows in profusion, but the birds are 

 decreasing in numbers. Fat, they are nearly as 

 good to eat as ortolans ; lean, they are only fit for a 

 pie. Curiously enough, we never experienced the 

 slightest difficulty in disposing of our dead doves. 

 Nothing exasperates a man more than to shoot 



