Appendices 387 



with grass as inflammable as tinder. ^ spark burning in 

 an empty cartridge may destroy thousands of acres of 

 feed. You cannot be too careful. 



For quail shooting I prefer to use very small shot, 

 No. 8, chilled ; and I seldom shoot at a bird that is more 

 than forty yards away. A wounded quail is impossible 

 to find without an excellent dog, and the best of dogs 

 soon lose their powers of scent on a warm autumn day. 

 After a little practice you will learn to retrieve your own 

 birds. If they are getting up singly one after the other, 

 which often happens, and you have several down in the 

 low sage brush, it is wise to mark the places where you 

 think they have fallen with a cap, a handkerchief, or a 

 glove. Then you circle slowly round these objects, 

 gradually enlarging your circle, overlooking no tuft of 

 grass or bush, and by this method, slow, but sure, you 

 will lose few quail. 



I have not given a list of stores, because your market- 

 hunter must travel at least twice a week to some point on 

 the railroad whence he can ship the dead birds, and on 

 these occasions he can buy what is needed for the camp. 

 None the less, good hams, bacon, canned jams and vege- 

 tables should be purchased in a big town, as the village 

 stores only keep third-rate articles. 



Duck shooting is fairly good in Southern California, but 

 excellent in the marshes north and north-east of San 

 Francisco. Here again you will be helpless without a 

 professional hunter, for you must have decoys, dogs, 

 boats, and also that special knowledge of the habits of 

 the birds which only comes after long experience. As 

 I have pointed out, a commission merchant in either Los 

 Angeles, San Francisco, or Portland, will gladly give you 

 the names of half a dozen Nimrods, and he will also tell 

 you who kills the most game — an important thing to 

 know. 



