332 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



"Well," said I, "I think the kill-a-loos have 

 driven all the game away." 



"Can you show us one?" laughed one of the 

 sportsmen. 



"Maybe," I replied, "they generally come 

 around about this time of day," and with that I 

 looked about in every direction, as if in search of 

 some of this new sort of game. "There! I think 

 there is one over there," I cried in a loud whisper, 

 pointing to a stump near at hand. 



As the sportsmen and the driver looked at the 

 stump 



THEIR JAWS DROPPED 



and their utter bewilderment was most laughable. 

 The driver showed his emotion by pulling upon 

 the reins and addressing remarks to the horse, not- 

 withstanding that these beasts were standing 

 quietly in the road. With his bulging eyes fixed 

 upon the kill-a-loo birds the teamster began pull- 

 ing on the reins, loudly crying: "Whoa ! Whoa 

 a a!" and muttering, "I'll be gol-durned if 

 I'd ever seed one of them afore !" The sportsmen 

 had started to reach for their gun-cases, but for- 

 got to open them as they stared transfixed with 

 silent wonder upon the strange bird. 



"What is the matter?" I asked. "These are 

 common birds here. There is another one, and 

 yet another over there on that log; they are all 

 around here. I told you this was the time of 

 day they 'usually came." The rest of the house- 



