GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 17 



knowledge of the matters upon which this book 

 is to treat. I am no scientific naturalist, and what 

 I know has not been derived from books. I cannot 

 give the Latin names of birds of game, waterfowl, 

 snipe, woodcock, etc., and if I could you would not 

 care about them, because the constant repetition 

 of them makes no impression at all upon the 

 sportsman. To him the quail is simply a quail, 

 the pinnated grouse (commonly called prairie 

 chicken) is a grouse, and no Latin is required 

 to make him understand what you mean by a 

 snipe or a woodcock. I cannot set down the sci- 

 entific names by which naturalists distinguish the 

 birds of which I shall treat, but I know their 

 haunts and habits, and I can tell you when and 

 where to seek them, and how to kill them in a 

 sportsmanlike and satisfactory manner. 



I was born in Albany County, New York, and 

 began to shoot at fifteen years of age. I was then 

 a tall, strong lad, and have since grown into a 

 large, powerful, sinewy, and muscular man. I 

 have always enjoyed fine health, had great strength 

 and endurance, and been capable of much exertion 

 and exposure. When I began to shoot, there was 

 a good deal of game in Albany County, and it 

 chiefly consisted of ruffed grouse and w"oodcock, 



