50 FOUR-FOOTED AMEIilCAXS 



After they had jogged along a fairly level road for 

 a couple of hours, the childreu asking (j[uestio]is and 

 begging to get out at intervals, to pick up some par- 

 ticularly nice apple that had fallen outside a fence and 

 been passed by in the general harvest, they turned into 

 a lane road with turf between the wheel tracks. The 

 ground now began to rise in a zig-zag fashion between 

 a wall of hemlock and pine trees, under which were 

 mats of ground pine, partridge berry, and wintergreen. 



Whirr-whirr, and a pair of large brownish birds flew 

 up from the roadside and disappeared in some bushes. 



"What were those birds as big as chickens?" 

 screamed Dudd. "Oh, why didn't some one catch 

 them ? They went right liy your nose, (Jli\e ! " 



" 1 think partly because I was as much surprised as 

 they were," lauglied Olive. 



" As fine a pair of Ruffed Grouse as one could wish 

 for dinner," said Mr. Blake. 



",Vh, pa[ia, you wouldn't eat them?" wailed Dodo. 



"A\']iy not, girlie ? They are game birds made for 

 food ; their nesting is over, and this is the season that 

 the W^ise ^len say we may take them by fair hunting." 



" A\'hat is fair hunting ? I don't think any hunting 

 is fair." 



"Using no trap or snare, but following the game 

 afoot, if it be birds with gun and dog, killing no more 

 than you need. If it is a Deer, Elk, iloose, or Ante- 

 lope, using your own perseverance and rifle without a 

 d(jg, and ne\er taking a doe or fawn unless absolute 

 starvation stares you in the face."' 



"But if you are trying t(j kill nuisance animals?" 

 asked Rap. 



