A HANDSOME BAG, 



III 



avoidable where a number of birds flush together, and 

 when such does occur, under similar circumstances 

 to the above, of course it is a pardonable /^w^/^j. 

 I make a point of alluding to this as I have often 

 heard English sportsmen hurl all kinds of ponderous 

 ejaculations at the individual who would ''fire into 

 the brown of a covey," and to show that Americans 

 of modern times are quite as particular as they are in 

 not countenancing so disgraceful a proceeding. 



Ir the early days of this country time was far too 

 precious to follow field sports simply for the sake of 

 amusement. No ; the forefathers of the Nation took 

 out their rifle or their gun with the express intention 

 of filling the pot, and, when this was accomplished, 

 returned forthwith to their chopping, splitting rails, 

 and other drudgeries of a pioneer life. But time has 

 changed all that; the United States has now gentlemen 

 farmers and m.en of leisure, who shoot for the pleasure 

 that it affords them, and are as anxious that their 

 amusements should be conducted in an orthodox 

 manner as are any gentlemen in the dear old mother 

 land. The reader must excuse this divergence. I 

 would not make it but that I know most erroneous 

 impressions do exist about our cousins on the eastern 

 side of the Atlantic. 



Till the sun had got to the utmost perceptible 

 limits of his western journey we remained in the en- 

 virons of that sloughy till twelve brace of mallards 

 and duck were added to our morning bag • and what 

 a grand display all the different species made to- 

 gether, when laid out side by side before being packed 

 away in the body of my road waggon. 



The results that I have noted are not unusual on 

 the Western prairies, in the middle portion of the 

 ''fall ;" but it is not for the number of head of game 

 killed that I mentioned it, but for the reason that I 

 consider a day's sport the same as above narrated, to 

 be the crime de la crime of all kinds of shooting 



