THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



ridge, which, at this moment, was whitened with snow, and 

 started a small fire in order to prepare some coffee. A 

 few moments after this halt was made, George Ross dis- 

 covered a partridge standing on the ground about thirty 

 yards from him. He raised his Winchester rifle and fired 

 two shots at the bird's head. I then called to this guide 

 to stop shooting at the bird and give the captain and my- 

 self a chance. This he readily consented to do, and then 

 we took our two shots, but still the bird remained un- 

 harmed, and finally concluded to fly off without causing 

 the waste of more ammunition. This failure to kill our 

 game must be explained, I think, by the extreme politeness 

 of the bird, which continued to render obeisance to us by 

 unceasingly bowing its head from the moment when it was 

 first discovered until it flew away. 



Lest the reader should, however, find himself inclined 

 to think that the failure was simply due to a want of skill, 

 which he may now imagine that he possesses, I will here 

 only venture to suggest that, when an opportunity offers, 

 he, too, should try, as an experiment, to decapitate, with a 

 rifle, an exceedingly polite partridge while it is constantly 

 bowing its head. 



