310 Sporting Sketches 



saw it, but before she could shrill her warning call, 

 the clod flashed through the air, for an instant seem- 

 ing like a brindled rabbit, then landed squarely on 

 top of the forager. The horrified watchers stole in 

 haste toward the wood. At its edge Mother White 

 hopped upon a log and gazed back at the stubble. 

 A gray thing with a dead shape hanging from its 

 mouth was trotting far away. Mother White stood 

 on her tip-toes to watch that dreaded thing, and as 

 she gazed she noticed something else. In the dis- 

 tance beyond the stubble rose a wall of green which 

 she knew to be excellent cover. It was corn, acres 

 upon acres of cool, tangled foliage, beneath which 

 the family could run and dust in safety, and from 

 which they could forage outward for seeds and 

 other foods. The sole difficulty lay in the crossing 

 of the stubble. That was dangerous, she knew ; but 

 something had to be done, so she resolved to attempt 

 the trip. 



With the lot close at her heels she started along 

 the fence till she marked a long, narrow depression 

 which seemed to cross the stubble. Into this she 

 turned, at first stealthily creeping, then running at 

 half speed. It was a long route, and when she finally 

 halted and stood erect to see if they were not almost 

 there, she was startled to discover that one-third of 

 the distance had yet to be traversed. Her eyes had 

 misjudged the task, for the dwellers in the cover are 

 not accustomed to taking very long looks and seldom 

 bother about anything more than fifty yards away, 

 which accounts for the egregious blunders they fre- 

 quently make when they happen to get lost and 

 straggle into a town. Far away she saw a dark 



