72 GAME-BIRDS AT HOME. 



country-store powder, but the game being ahead 

 of it escaped asphyxiation, while number two got 

 in his fire a little farther ahead of another bird, 

 which succumbed at once. 



Again the dogs careered for a few minutes 

 among the lavender of the panicled aster that 

 was waving in the cool breeze, startling the prai- 

 rie song-sparrow that on the purple head of the 

 iron-weed was still singing his summer song, and 

 almost before we knew it each dog had stopped 

 firm as a rock by a bunch of ferns. Again the 

 greenhorns were sent ahead to take first shot, 

 and the one who had made the last successful 

 shot stepped smiling up to Prince. From a 

 maze of purple and gold, where the golden-rod 

 and cone-flower were springing to keep up the 

 procession of blossoms that illumine these prai- 

 ries so much of the year, burst a haze of gray 

 and brown so big it seemed impossible to miss. 

 At less than ten feet the first barrel of the tender- 

 foot roared into the very middle, as it seemed, of 

 the brown cloud. But the bird was headed for 

 the strong western breeze, which it was already 

 splitting so fast that the pot-metaled gun could 

 not reach it, and on it went with the second bar- 



