96 MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 



a big bird and run out, but before that I fear that what I 

 said was almost a fib, but I wouldn't tell on the boys." 



"That's all right. Martin wants to know when you 

 want to go after the blind snipe we started the other day. 

 What was it you called 'em?" 



"Woodcock ; say to-morrow." 



"O. K.; there's a spaniel over at Uncle Sebe's that 

 William trees pa'tridges with ; don't know how he'll do on 

 these birds ; nobody shoots 'em here. I never saw more'n 

 three or four in my life, and never thought they were 

 plenty." 



The spaniel was not a promising dog for the work, but 

 we started. In the talk about woodcock shooting some- 

 thing was said about shooting them on the wing, and 

 Martin almost shouted : "What ! You don't mean to say 

 you shoot 'em a-flyin'?" And here again was a surprise; 

 but the success of skittering for pickerel was in mind, and 

 there was no ridicule, but an amount of curiosity to see 

 the thing done. Such a thing had never been heard of, 

 and on a small scale it resembled the experience of 

 Colonel Raymond in an adjoining county a year or two 

 later. I had William's light double gun, and Clark car- 

 ried a single one, while Oliver was to look after the dog. 

 When we reached the bog where we had kicked up a bird 

 before when crossing it, Oliver started with the dog to 

 try and quarter the ground somehow, as I had explained 

 to him; but it was queer work, for Dick had no idea of 

 woodcock, and being used to ranging out of sight for 

 ruffed grouse, and barking to call his master when he 

 found one, we had hard work to keep him in sight. Mar- 

 tin kicked up a bird, and I fired and missed it; but as it 

 dropped behind some bushes he insisted that it dropped 

 dead. He had a long cord in his pocket, and proposed 

 to tie Dick and keep him with us, and as Oliver was bring- 



