QUAIL SHOOTING 343 



cotton and corn interspersed, any part of which is a 

 fit habitat for the birds; thus, the dog working out 

 such ground in the South can, as a rule, beat out all 

 parts of it with probable success. In the more open 

 grounds of the South the dog can be seen at long dis- 

 tances, so that a wide range is not detrimental in itself, 

 providing that the dog is really working to the gun, 

 and not self-hunting or semi-hunting. 



As to the manner in which the dog should hunt, no 

 hard and fast rule can be laid down which would apply 

 to all sections. 



Whatever may be the quail's abiding place, it learns 

 to make the most of its surroundings in promoting its 

 own safety and interests. It learns whether it is better 

 to fly or run in evading its pursuer, and the best strat- 

 egy to attain that end. If good cover is conveniently 

 near, it may trust to its wings at once for safety, and 

 to its legs and wings if followed into the cover. 



If the country is open, or with narrow and insuffi- 

 cient cover, as in parts of Louisiana, and other sec- 

 tions where the ground is thoroughly cultivated, it 

 takes a great deal to its legs and cunning devices. In 

 working on such birds the dog must learn to govern 

 his work by the circumstances of it. He might be an 

 excellent performer on quail in the North, and a poor 

 one in the South, or he might be a good one in Mis- 

 sissippi and a poor one in Louisiana, though the pre- 

 sumption is that if he were good in one section he 

 would become so in any other section after the neces- 

 sary experience. 



