AND OTHEK SKETCHES 257 



THE UNEXPECTED OFTEN HAPPENS. 



All those who have done much hunting have doubtless 

 at some time or other had similar experiences to those 

 which I am about to relate. 



Partridge, or more correctly speaking, rough grouse, 

 shooting, was always a favorite sport of mine, and many 

 a glorious autumn day I have spent hunting the wildest 

 and gamest bird that ever wore feathers. The whirr of 

 his wings as he springs from the ground is of such vol- 

 ume as one would only expect to hear from a bird ten 

 times his size. His marvellous cunning is displayed by 

 the manner in which he zig-zags his course of flight, put- 

 ting every possible obstruction in the way of the man 

 behind the gun. His speed on the wing is marvellous 

 and the man who can bring down three out of six of 

 the birds he shoots at has a right to shake hands with 

 himself on being a real good shot. I care not how often 

 you may have hunted this bird, or how familiar you may 

 be with his ways and tricks, it is impossible when one of 

 them breaks cover at your feet not to experience a thrill- 

 ing feeling of surprise. 



I did not, however, start out with the intention of writ- 

 ing a chapter on the habits of the rough grouse, but sim- 

 ply to relate surprises I have experienced when hunting 

 this magnificent game bird. There are many sections in 

 which the grouse are fairly plentiful, but in wHich you 

 have no expectation of running across big game. The 

 unexpected, however, often happens, as the following 

 will illustrate : On one occasion I was returning to camp 

 after a fairly successful afternoon, having secured four 

 brace of birds, when, in crossing a swale within half a 

 mile of our tent, I ran almost on top of a bear. He was 

 not thirty yards distant. He was evidently as much sur- 

 prised as I was, and with a startled grunt made a dash 



