GROUSE AND WOODCOCK SHOOTING 107 



*' winging " a hen in immature plumage with my left ; 

 which led the dog a merry dance amongst the berries 

 and dense undergrowth before it was safely gathered. 

 The remaining brace of grouse were soon lost to sight 

 behind a belt of pines, and away dashed Jake after them. 

 Not being accustomed to the little vagaries of American 

 bird-dogs, I ordered Jake to " 'ware chase," but in lan- 

 guage more forcible than polite my companion requested 

 me to hold my peace, and follow him, as the dog had 

 simply gone to " tree " the birds. Shortly after Jake was 

 heard giving tongue in the distance, and, pressing through 

 the brushwood as quickly as possible towards the spot 

 whence the sound proceeded, we found the dog sitting at 

 the foot of a big spruce -fir, yapping for all he was worth. 



"There are the pheasants," said G , as he pointed 



towards the dense foliage of the topmost branches of the 

 giant spruce ; but, alas, I could see no birds, or, indeed, 

 anything bearing the slightest resemblance to a bird. 

 " Stand clear of the tree, friend, and I'll hustle one of 

 them out for you." I stood clear, and, as the report of 

 the Canadian's gun rang out, a heavy ruffed grouse 

 toppled from the bough upon which it had perched, and 

 came bouncing from branch to branch until, with a 

 thud, it fell to the ground. The remaining bird flew 

 clean over my head, and with a snapshot I managed to 

 cut it down as it flashed through the dark foliage of a 

 strip of hemlocks. During the next beat, of an hour's 

 duration, through many acres of knee-high partridge 

 and whortleberry bushes, but one brace of ruffed 



