THREENEHEILA WITHIN DRUM. 23 



starling at any distance from the fact of their 

 invariably running instead of hopping. Peep- 

 ing carefully over the hedge we arrange to 

 creep to opposite sides of the enclosure and 

 then start the birds, which are thickly massed 

 in the middle of it. Just as we are on the 

 point of executing the movement Billy the 

 pointer appears on the scene and jumps and 

 races at the stand with a malicious and des- 

 perate eagerness. With a howl of rage Tom 

 Dwyer makes towards him, and it is well 

 for Billy that he has sense enough to keep 

 out of range of Tom's old Manton. But 

 later on we are thoroughly successful with the 

 plover. Again and again the birds return to 

 the fields, at the corners of which we are able 

 to intercept them. We leave a wounded 

 plover on the ground as a decoy, and his wail- 

 ing companions wheel down from the very 

 clouds snow clouds in circles about him. 

 When the sun has burned down in the west 

 our bags are loaded in every pocket, and 

 shooting a wild duck in the glen near the 

 wood we have to carry him by hand, so com- 

 pletely have our creels been filled. 



