i 5 4 HUNTING TRIPS 



can skulk through the sage-brush so fast 

 that it is often difficult to make them take 

 wing. When surprised they will sometimes 

 squat flat down with their heads on tiu- 

 ground, when it is very difficult to make 

 them out, as their upper parts harmonize 

 curiously in color with the surroundings. 

 I have never known of their being shot over 

 a dog, and, indeed, the country where they 

 are found is so dry and difficult that no 

 dog would be able to do any work in it. 



When flushed, they rise with a loud 

 whirring, laboring heavily, often clucking 

 hoarsely; when they get fairly under way 

 they move along in a strong, steady flight, 

 sailing most of the time, but giving, every 

 now and then, a succession of powerful 

 wing-beats, and their course is usually sus- 

 tained for a mile or over before they light. 

 They are very easy marks, but require hard 

 hitting to bring them down, for they are 

 very tenacious of life. On one occasion I 

 came upon a flock and shot an old cock 

 through the body with the rifle. He fell over, 



