118 FEATHERED GAME 



has had this particular bird in his mind, watch- 

 ing it almost from the egg, protecting it from 

 the ''sooner" gunner, and looking forward to 

 this blissful moment "even as you and I" have 

 done each year, my brother of the ''scatter 

 gun. ' ' 



Steady and swift as it is, his flight lacks the 

 dash and headlong rush of the ruffed grouse 

 when he bursts through all leafy obstructions 

 to his course, nor is it commonly so long ex- 

 tended when the bird is flushed unless it has 

 been much harassed. Usually he flutters 

 through the interlacing boughs, rises just above 

 the tops, dashes a few yards away and drops 

 into the brush again. His flight seldom carries 

 him out of the cover if it pleases him and con- 

 tains plenty of food. 



The Woodcock commonly lies close and fur- 

 nishes great sport to the gunner who has a well- 

 trained dog. For this game a dog needs a more 

 than average good nose, therefore the puppy 

 that promises well on Woodcock is apt to stand 

 high in his master's estimation, ranking even 

 before that other treasure, his twenty-six-inch- 

 barreled "sprinkle gun," for replacing wood 



