This fondness for certain spots shows itself 

 in another way when you are on the trail of 

 the hermit. When flushed from a favorite 

 resting-place and not shot at, he makes but 

 a short flight, up to the brush tops and back 

 again, and then goes quietly back to the spot 

 from which he rose as soon as you are gone 

 away. He has also the hare trick of return- 

 ing in a circle to his starting-point ; and occa- 

 sionally, when you flush a bird and watch 

 sharply, you may see him slant down on 

 silent wings behind you and light almost at 

 your heels. Once my old dog Don started 

 a woodcock and remained stanchly point- 

 ing at the spot where he had been. I re- 

 mained where I was, a few yards in the rear, 

 and in a moment Whitooweek whirled in 

 from behind and dropped silently into some 

 brakes between me and the dog and not ten 

 feet from the old setter's tail. The ruse suc- 

 ceeded perfectly, for as the scent faded away 

 from Don's nose he went forward, and so 

 missed the bird that was watching him close 

 behind. This curious habit may be simply 

 the result of Whitooweek's fondness for 



