108 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



grouse and a j ack-rabbit {Lepus americanus) were added 

 to the bag. A move was tben made towards a cedar 



swamp, which G said was a favoured haunt of the 



little red American woodcock. The boggy soil of the 

 swamp was in parts simply honeycombed with bore- 

 holes, and I therefore began to think we were in for a 

 good thing. For some little time, however, not a bird 

 was flushed ; but, while skirting a spongy, alder-fringed 

 " wet," the dog sprang a leash of 'cock within easy shot 

 of G and myself, and a couple were accounted for. 



The swamp was, without doubt, a favourite feeding 

 ground of the " long-bills," and we had not proceeded 

 thirty yards from the spot where the first couple were 

 shot, than a single bird got up from the oozy surround- 

 ings of a trickling spring close to my feet, and right well 

 did I miss him. The report of my gun flushed yet 



another 'cock close by G , who very promptly 



brought it down. 



Thus did the Canadian and myself wander in and out 

 among the open spaces of the cedar swamp, picking up a 

 woodcock here, and a hare there, until tifiin-hour arrived, 

 when the bag amounted to three brace of ruffed grouse, 

 a leash of hares, five and a half couple of woodcock, and 

 last, but not least, the porcupine mentioned earlier herein. 



Our simple luncheon of salt pork, bread and cheese, 

 and excellent old, home-pressed cider was eaten under 

 the widespreading boughs of a huge sugar-maple, and, 

 having smoked out our corn-cob pines of " black-jack," 

 we again started off in pursuit of the grouse. It would 



