THE PHEASANT. 143 



the others, provided you commence with the lower ones first, 

 and proceed regularly up. He states that, after repeated trials, 

 he never succeeded except in some very few instances, when 

 there was a heavy fall of snow ; and even then he only obtained 

 three or four in this way. In the winter season, when the 

 snow is very deep and soft. Pheasants, when hard hunted, will 

 occasionally bury themselves in it, or rather dive into it, and 

 emerge again at a few paces in advance. 



During the Drumming season, these wary Birds can be de- 

 coyed from a considerable distance by imitating this peculiar 

 noise, which may be done by striking a large inflated bullock's 

 bladder with a small stick, being cautious to preserve, as far as 

 possible, the marked time in which the Cock Bird beats. The 

 Buffed Grouse being naturally so shy and retiring in its habits, 

 it is not strange that they should not lie well to a Dog ; and 

 we do not know exactly what directions to give on this point, 

 as we have never had much experience in this kind of sport, 

 and very few of our sporting friends are sufSciently aufait in 

 the matter to give us much useful information. Those worthies 

 that shoot for the markets generally go after them accompanied 

 by a small mongrel terrier, or cur, which is taught to range 

 through the thickets and brushwood that these Birds usually 

 haunt, and gives voice as freely and as lively as a well-trained 

 Cocker would do, and, by following after the Bird, designates 

 its course, or, perhaps, stopping under some tree where the 

 game has pitched, betrays it to the Shooter. This latter is 

 called " treeing Pheasants." Many of these apparently worth- 

 less little curs are very fond of this sport, and, by practice, be- 

 come wonderfully expert in the business, and will often discover 

 Pheasants where no other eye could distinguish them. They 

 are, also, at times, taught to retrieve, and will pursue a wounded 

 Pheasant with a perseverance and courage that often would put 

 the owners of the finest Dogs to the blush. A Dog of this kind, 

 to a Shooter for the markets, is worth his weight in gold, in a 

 neighborhood where these Birds are plenty; and so one of them 

 expressed himself to us, when extolling the qualities of his ugly 

 little brute, a short time since; and well he might brag upon 

 the merits of his shooting companion, if he could perform one- 

 half of the deeds attributed to him ; for, in a word, he was a 



