PRAIRIE CHICKENS — PINNATED GROUSE. 291 



a mile away, urging their horses forward on a smart trot 

 through the noiseless grass; but the dog pays no atten- 

 tion to them; like a carved image he stands, his eyes 

 staring into the apparently deserted grass, his ears bent 

 a little forward, as if hoping to hear what he smells, but 

 can not see; his left fore foot raised, its baU pressing 

 against his heart as if to stop its excited throbbing; his 

 tail standing parallel with his body, his legs braced, lest 

 some power from behind may thrust him forward and 

 break the charm which is the delight of his life. Back 

 of him, a little at one side, perhaps fifty yards, his com- 

 panion comes toward him as if borne on the wings of the 

 wind; he hears nothing, smells nothing, but suddenly his 

 bright eye sees the entranced form of his comrade, and he, 

 too, is transformed into a living monument, and having 

 supreme confidence in the ability of his companion to 

 know what lies concealed in the brown grass, he stands 

 staunchly, awaiting developments. The hunters have 

 arrived, birds are flushed; "crack!" "crack!" rings out 

 on the still air, and the charm is broken for the dogs, to 

 be renewed time and again throughout the day. 



In the selection of a gun for the purpose of shooting 

 prairie chickens, care must be taken to choose such a one as 

 will best fulfill all the requirements for which it is intended. 

 At the present day, the gauges used are from twenty to 

 ten bore, but the standard gauges, that is, the ones mostly 

 used, are twelve and ten. These sizes are used because 

 they meet the demands for all kinds of game, as well as 

 trap-shooting. Early in the season, the shooting of prairie 

 chickens is not difiicult; on the contrary, it is extremely 

 easy to bring them down, as they are large to shoot at, 

 rise within easy gunshot, and the half or two-thirds 

 youngsters are not tenacious of life, and succumb to light 

 blows or a few pellets of shot. In shooting them at this 

 time, one can not congratulate himself that he has 



