A Day with the Rails. 759 



with 4 drachms of powder and 1 % ounces of No. 4 shot, in reserve, 

 in case a flock of teals should spring up before him or fly over- 

 head as they " traded" up or down the river. He had not gone far 

 into the oats before the rail began to spring up above the tops of 

 the oats, and then flutter away with drooping legs. Two rose in 

 front of him, and he quickly cut them down. He had no sooner 

 reloaded, when three birds rose, two of which fell to his aim. The 

 pusher now threw two of his painted blocks to the spot where 

 the first two fell, and pushed for the brace which had just tumbled. 

 These were soon found, and he then sought his blocks on the 

 right, and, finding these, he soon picked up the two rails quite near 

 them. 



Thus, without a miss, the father killed 29 birds ; the 30th he 

 lost by the boat taking a rapid jerk forward in water rather free of 

 oats just as he discharged his gun. The result of his day's sport 

 was 105 Carolina rails, brought to boat with 116 shots. He missed 

 six birds, and the pusher failed to find five others which he killed. 

 He also brought to bag five teals, three coots, and one king-rail. 



F.C.C. OF THE CAROLINA RAIL. 



