LATE PINNATED-GROUSE SHOOTING. 83 



against it. Either they did not believe it would 

 scare up the birds, or it was not in their power 

 to keep silent for half an hour at a time. There 

 are, indeed, some people who never seem to be 

 silent except when " asleep, and very likely not 

 then if dreams come bver them. On these talk- 

 ing occasions late in the fall I have always noticed 

 that we got very few grouse. Sometimes when 

 I have believed a pack of grouse to be all up, I 

 have . spoken a word or two to one of the dogs, 

 when two or three more birds have risen right 

 away. Another thing to be noted is this : when 

 you are shooting grouse late in the fall, and the 

 dog brings in a wounded one which flutters his 

 wings, all the others within hearing will get up. 

 That sound sets them on the wing as a man's 

 voice does, when they lie close at the loud report 

 of the gun. I am not able to explain why this is, 

 but so it is. There are many facts in nature in 

 regard to the habits of game which the sportsman 

 must accept, though he cannot arrive at the 

 reason of them. 



At one time in Illinois there was a difference 

 as to the period at which grouse-shooting should 

 cease. It was left to the counties. In Logan 

 County and some others it was fixed for the first 



