QUAIL SHOOTING. 187 



And points with his instinctive nose upon 

 The trembling prey; on wings of wind upborne 

 The floating net unfolded flies; then drops, 

 And the poor fluttering captives rise in vain. " 



Seek the birds in the stubble, in the low underbrush, 

 in the thick tufts of grass, in the lowlands, where small 

 and scraggy trees abound, in the corn-fields, and, if you 

 have a good dog and hunt faithfully, your industry will 

 not go unrewarded. Mark well the divided flock, and 

 if unable to find them, leave quietly, and return in an 

 hour or so, and you will have them sure. They fly 

 rapidly. Use a light 12 ga. gun, 3 1-2 dms. powder, well 

 wadded, and 1 1-8 oz. No. 8 shot. On straight-away 

 birds hold a little over, they are rising ; on cross shots, 

 beware, they are going Very fast, hold well ahead. 

 Shoot from one to six feet in advance of them, depend- 

 ing on their distance from you. Don't be afraid of 

 shooting too far ahead, for when you do this once you 

 will shoot behind twenty times. Risk any shot in rea- 

 son, better shoot and miss than not to shoot at all ; 

 bang away at any bird you think is inside of sixty 

 yards. Don't shoot too quick. You can kill a bird at 

 forty yards, if you hold right ; and you can't do it at 

 twenty if you do not. Have a good dog ; be patient 

 with him. Always have plenty of shells along ; and if 

 you don't kill many birds at first, you will have a heap 

 of fun, a good appetite, and will eventually feel well 

 repaid. The best quail shooting I ever found was in 

 Western Iowa, where Mr. Chas. Tate and myself 

 bagged seventy-six birds in one day, both shooting over 

 the same dog. 



I have before me at this time a covey, seven in num- 

 ber. Life with these little beauties has been extinct 

 these many years. Still, they stand before me as if liv- 



