THe CAPTAIN AND CREw. 269 

along the road, you take a seat upon the higher ground, or 
stand motionless, leaning beside a tree to rest you a bit before 
moving on. Your light, creeping tread has not been heard, 
even in this quiet stillness, until just the last step. You are 
sitting here looking over all the forest your eyes can take in, 
watching while resting, for the movement of a deer, not 
thinking anything about the smaller game that you do not 
want to shoot at this time, so your eye is traversing the spaces 
three or four feet above the ground. A covey of partridges, 
just a little way beyond you, have either seen or heard you 
coming, while you are not aware of their near presence. The 
birds were, part of tnem, quite busy before your approach, 
but now, knowing you are near, all are perfectly motionless. 
They were taking their afternoon siesta, after filling their 
crops with the choice pickings. The sun is warm and they 
have wandered to this sheltered spot, out of the wind, and at 
such times being warm, and comfortably situated, are even 
very lazy, and some of them half asleep. They do not take 
to wing half as quickly as on blustering, 
remain quiet, some watching, all ready to spring and fly at 
any instant. Two or three of the birds having found a soft, 
windy days, but 
mellow, and warm chance in the rich loam where a tree 
had tipped over, throwing the soil up to the sunshine, were 
dusting themselves, which is a luxury they love to indulge in 
during dry weather. Others were sitting upon the leaves, 
eyes half closed, sleeping in the warm sunshine; others again 
stretching themselves lazily, reaching far out and downward ; 
a wing and leg stretched out, touching each together at the 
tip ends, head and neck turned a little away. This is 
repeated with the other wing and leg, when, after a good 
shaking of the whole body, and with many a wig-wag of the 
