196 FRANK SCHLEY'S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



exposing its vital parts to a cross or side shot, from one or 

 the other of you. Remember, these stragetic movements 

 should never be attempted, except over well broken, staunch 

 dogs. When Pheasant shooting with dogs of such a char- 

 acter that you cannot depend upon them to stand firm upon 

 their game, the best plan to pursue to be successful, is to 

 mark the birds down, keep your dogs behind you, and walk 

 the birds up. In this way, when your dogs start a Pheas- 

 ant, watch the bird in its flight, mark the course it has 

 taken, call your dogs in and keep them behind you, and 

 follow on the bird's line of flight the course it has taken, 

 and when you have gone far enough, or close to the place 

 where you thought it settled, step off right or left from 

 this line twenty or thirty feet, turn squarely to the right 

 or left, have your finger upon the trigger, and keep a sharp 

 lookout, taking a direct course running with your first line ; 

 when you have reached your limit of distance that you sup- 

 posed the bird to lie, turn to the right or left from twenty 

 to thirty feet, according to the thickness of the cover, and 

 take a course backwards parallel to your first line. So con- 

 tinue on in this way until you have been over, in parallel 

 lines, all the ground that is likely to contain your bird. 

 Should you fail to get the bird up, let your dogs out, hunt 

 them close around and in your sight, give them plenty of 

 time and they will be apt to find it. Should it get up too 

 far in advance, or escape by plunging into thick cover, 

 which it is almost sure to do, don't get in a rage or curse 

 your luck, or get discouraged, but take it coolly, call your 

 dogs in and keep them behind you, and follow on after the 

 bird as before. Stick to him, for the oftener it is driven 

 up, the more chances you will have of bagging it. After 

 being driven up several times in succession, it will lose its 

 courage, and lie closer, and become tamer and tamer, and 

 less capable to evade pursuit, and finally will offer you an 

 excellent opportunity to bag it, by rising close at your feet. 

 A Pheasant generally flies straight off in a bee line, but 

 before settling he usually turns to the right or left and 

 sweeps around and alights, and by this trick he is apt to 



