108 I^PLAND SHOOTING. 



four years old. Mr. Battelle also thinks the brown in the 

 ruff becomes dead black with age. 



If these surmises are found to be correct, it would 

 seem that the bird does not reach perfection until at 

 least three, years of age. 



The slight foundation for my olDinion regarding the 

 broken terminal band, reminds me of a great discovery 

 once made by two j'oung mining friends, whom we ^vill 

 call "Bill" and "Tom." They had sunk a shaft 125 

 feet deep, and had bfeen rewarded with seventy feet of 

 water. 



The easiest way to get it out was the question. 



After a day of profound thought, Bill startled his 

 companion by remarking: " Tom, we will buy 300 feet of 

 hose, and siphon that water out." 



" That's what we will," said Tom, brightening up. 



But it was noticed that Tom was more than usually 

 thoughtful next day. Toward night he disheartened his 

 partner by saying: "Bill, ain't it almighty queer that 

 nobody, ever thought of that before '. ' ' 



Whoever hunts this grouse on strange ground, does 

 so at a disadvantage. This is one reason why the country 

 boy, with the ' ' bucking ' ' musket, is often as successful 

 as the noted wing-shot from the city. The boy may not 

 know why birds are found at this or that particular spot 

 at 7 o'clock on a bright September morning, or why they 

 are found at another place at noon on a stormy December 

 day, but he knows where they A^ill i^robably be found, 

 and that when flushed they will fly to another place well 

 known to him. 



The skillful and observant hunter knows why it is, 

 but his knowledge of their habits often fails to reveal 

 their whereabouts, as we shall see. 



He steps from the "8.30 a. m. train," at a small sta- 

 tion, on November 15th. He has no dog. The air is 



