54 Sporting Notes in the Far East. 



his icebreaking swim was accomplished, crawl up the opposite 

 bank, immediately turn round, and never move a yard, till he was 

 certain in which direction my hand waived him. 



" QUAIL " 



Quail ! the gamest and most pugnacious of all birds. 



I think a dog is more needed for quail, than for any other 

 game, so hard is it to get the little fellows to rise. Towards 

 evening in a good quail country, the cocks may be heard calling 

 like crickets all round you, but in the absence of a dog, flushing 

 them will be found a matter of great difficulty. 



There is no doubt that the quicker quail are walked up, the more 

 likely are they to rise. I used to affect this plan, which at times I 

 found to answer fairly well. When birds were feeding, directly I 

 heard a call anywhere near at hand, I would tun straight up to it, 

 tapping the stock of my gun with my right hand ; and this rapid 

 descent would often flurry the " little pugilist," and usually made 

 him take to his wings. 



A quail's flight is nearly always straight ; therefore, without 

 " poking," take plenty of time before laying him low, and then 

 stand perfectly still, till the dog picks him up. As if only wounded, 

 he (the quail) is just as likely to run towards you as otherwise ; in 

 which case advancing only foils the ground and destroys the scent. 

 A great many people around Shanghai, will not shoot quail, 



