120 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 



cuss the fortunes of the day, and again at night, at a 

 point where our wagon picked us up. The dogs should 

 be two in number and owned and handled by one per- 

 son without the slightest interference. When both 

 sportsmen own dogs, they can be handled alternately 

 on different days to advantage. Dogs that are accus- 

 tomed to hunting together will do the best work. 

 Strangers are often jealous of each other and work 

 badly. 



Partridges are often found in the vicinity of old 

 deserted cabins and houses. They find much food in 

 the garden or orchard, and such places are almost cer- 

 tain to harbor a covey. I always go out of my way to 

 run the dogs over such places, and many sportsmen of 

 my acquaintance do the same. Mr. King, an accom- 

 plished sportsman of Pittsburgh, recently told me that 

 he once flushed a covey which flew directly toward a 

 house some distance away, when he lost sight of them, 

 flying low. He approached the house, thinking that 

 he would ask the owner's permission to shoot, but dis- 

 covered that it was abandoned, both doors and windows 

 were out. Knowing well the fondness of partridges 

 for such places, he proceeded to run his dogs over the 

 ground on all sides of the house, but failed to move a 

 bird and gave them up. Just before going away, how- 

 ever, he decided, out of an idle curiosity, to enter the 

 house, when with a loud whirring the whole covey 

 went out through the windows, and as my friend ex- 

 pressed it, he was too astonished to fire a shot. 



I have known the wood-grouse also to enter aban- 

 doned houses, and the reader will do well, especially 

 when hunting partridges, not to pass one by. 



