FIRST TRIP TO MEXICO 173 



tention wherever seen. It ranges in more or less 

 abundance from Western Texas in the vicinity of 

 San Antonio through New Mexico, and into Ari- 

 zona as far as Fort Whipple, which is about its 

 western limit. In North Mexico, especially in 

 and about the country I hunted, the Messena 

 partridge is no doubt more plentiful than in any 

 other section. It is usually found on the high 

 mesas ranging in elevation from 4,000 to 9,000 

 feet. It was not long before I ran into a covey. 

 They lie very close and usually flush one at a 

 time, fly swiftly but straight away, presenting ^a 

 not very difficult shot. I bagged six of these 

 plump little fellows without a miss, and could 

 have brought down more but this is all we wanted 

 for supper. Game was plentiful on the Bonito, 

 and I was having royal sport. I had already 

 stayed longer than I had anticipated. We fig- 

 ured out we had enough supplies to last us sev- 

 eral days, so we counted on reaching Pacheco 

 Christmas night, which was but six days off. I 

 got a shot at a deer at 160 paces, and dropped 

 him with a bullet through the base of the neck, 

 and at another time I shot a deer at 120 paces, 

 through the shoulder, penetrating to the other 

 side, and hit him twice more as he ran from me, 

 one quartering through the hip and another 



