252 USK OF THE DOG IN SHOOTHTG. 



game is close before him. When he wavers, wags his tale wist- 

 fully, and looks back, the game is gone, or is at some distance. If 

 he crouches low, and evinces a desire to crawl on the ground, he 

 has a ranniDg bevy before him. In the first case, it will be neces- 

 sary to take such a direction in coming up as will command a 

 good shot when the birds rise, and will drive them to ground 

 which you propose to beat by and by. 



This, of course, has been previously laid out in the mind in 

 planning the day's sport. When the birds rise, if a single one 

 leads, he is the old cock, and should be killed by all means, if pos- 

 sible. When he is bagged, the rest of the bevy will alight sooner. 

 When the old pair has been shot, the rest may be counted as 

 already in bag, for, deprived of their leaders, the young birds are 

 bewildered. 



If all the bevy rise at once, do not shoot into the body of it, but 

 select the outer bird on your own hand, the right if you are at the 

 right, and the left if your companion has the right. When the 

 outer bird has been dropped, the next should be covered and shot 

 as quickly as possible. At least twelve or fifteen yards should be 

 given before the gun is fired, otherwise the birds will be torn by 

 the shot. As they light, they should be marked down carefully ; 

 if they are going down hill, and before the wind, they will go 

 some distance, beyond where they were last seen. If they enter a 

 wood or a field of standing corn, they will rarely go through to 

 the other side, but on alighting will run a few yards, and then 

 squat. If the birds are seen to drop, they may be marked with 

 certainty, otherwise the nature of the ground, the wind, and their 

 flight, must be considered before one can be certain of their where- 

 abouts. After quail have dropped and squatted, they sometimes 

 give no scent, and the best dog may fail to point them. This 

 habit of withholding scent, is supposed to be voluntary and in- 

 stinctive; or it may be a physiological peculiarity, consequent 

 upon their state of alarm, and involuntary ; this is obviously, 

 however, a matter which cannot easily be investigated. But the 

 fact should be known and noted, because it is useless to follow 

 birds to their hiding places immediately, and the time would be 



