SHOOTING RED-LEGS IN THE SNOW 253 



bag. Soon the spaniels came to the place where the 

 covey had begun to drop in. It was easy to find them, 

 for the place where each bird had alighted was plainly 

 marked in the snow, with his track leading to the deep 

 ditch, and thick straggling hedgerow. The spaniels 

 grasped the situation at once, and, instead of floundering 

 about in the snowy hedge bottom, went up to the 

 place which we indicated, and soon pushed the birds 

 up. Five of this covey were secured ; but, even in the 

 difficulties of the snow, their usual cunning did not 

 altogether forsake them, and many a chance was spoiled 

 on my brother's side of the fence by their rising just 

 when he was engaged in scrambling over the cross 

 fences which were pretty numerous on that side of the 

 boundary. Further on we put up two fresh coveys, 

 and picked up several single birds, which were by this 

 time well scattered. The last twenty yards of the 

 fence yielded three, and, counting our bag since 

 luncheon, we found that we had ten red-legs and a 

 hare. Some of these we decided to take to a large 

 farmhouse which stood in some park-like meadows 

 surrounded by a moat, like so many of the large farm- 

 houses of Suffolk. A good many moor-hens or " water- 

 cocks," as they are called in the eastern counties, 

 frequented this moat, and " water-cock pie " is a dish 

 which any one who has tasted it will wish to try again. 

 The moat was frozen tight as an iron safe, and we 

 rightly conjectured that the water-hens would have left 

 it, and be hiding in the deep ditches in the meadows. 

 Both the spaniels were immensely keen in hunting 



