WARWICK WOODLANDS. 109 



and bushes were very wet — Jem Blake was with me, and 

 we had great sport, and he laughed at me like the deuce 

 for taking my birds out of my pocket at the end of every 

 hour's sport, and making Timothy smooth them down 

 carefully, and bag them all after my fashion. Egad I 

 had the laugh though, when we got home at night!" 



"How so," asked Frank, "in what way had you the 

 laugh?" 



"Simply in this — a good many of the birds were very 

 hard shot, as is always the case in summer shooting, and 

 all of them got more or less wet, as did the pockets of 

 Jem's shooting jacket, wherein he persisted in carrying 

 his birds all day — the end was, that when we got home 

 at night, it having been a close, hot, steamy day, he had 

 not one bird which was not more or less tainted* — and, 

 as you kuow of course, when taint has once begun, noth- 

 ing can check it." 



"Ay ! ay ! well that indeed's a reason ; if you can't buy 

 such a bag, especially!" 



"Well, you cannot then, I can tell you ! and I'm glad 

 you're convinced for once; and here comes breakfast — so 

 now let us to work, that we may get on our ground as 

 early as may be. For quail you cannot be too early ; for if 

 you don't find them while they are rambling on their 

 feeding ground, it is a great chance if you find them at 

 all." 



"But, after all, you can only use up one or two bevies 

 or so; and, that done, you must hunt for them in the 

 basking time of day, after all's done and said," replied 

 Frank, who seemed to have got up somewhat paradoxically 

 given that morning. 



"Not at all, Frank, not at all," answered Harry — "that 

 is if you know your ground ; and know it to be well 

 stocked; and have a good marker with you." 



"Oh ! this is something new of yours — some strange 

 device fantastical — let's have it, pray." 



"Certainly you shall; you shall have it now in precept, 

 and in an hour or two in practice. You see those stubbles 

 on the hill — in those seven or eight fields there are, or at 

 least should be, some five bevies ; there is good covert, 



♦This is a fact — thirty birds were thrown away at night, which 

 had been killed that same day. 



