SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
me. Thus the sound which now caused my 
companions to look round in something approach- 
ing trepidation, was to me the sweetest of music, 
as I remembered the fine sport I had already had 
with these birds. 
We hurried round the top of the ridge, and 
having arrived at a point above the spinny whence 
the calls had issued, we worked slowly down 
through the young pines. We had not gone far 
when three fine birds broke cover and went gliding 
across the valley. The trees prevented anybody 
shooting, but we carefully noted where the birds 
settled. One lighted in a pine tree near the bottom 
of the ravine, while the other two settled higher 
up the slope, and in their usual manner began to 
run upwards at top speed. Hurrying down we 
approached the tree in which the bird had settled, 
but nothing could be seen of it. Suddenly it 
broke cover once more and I managed to get ina 
shot that made the feathers fly. The bird con- 
tinued, however, and reached the opposite slope. 
Again we hurried across to the spot where it stopped, 
but could find no trace of it. Jimmy, our pointer, 
soon picked up the warm scent, however, and 
there ensued a long and exciting chase through the 
underbrush. None of us could see the quarry, 
which was running with wonderful speed through 
the dense hazel-scrub. At last Jimmy caught 
it and held it till we came up. It turned out to 
be a magnificent cock, which must have weighed 
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