AMATEUR PHOTO By GEO. C EMBODY 



RUFFED GROUSE ON NEST. 

 One of the 220! Prize Winners in Recreation's 7th Annual Photo Competition. 



had seen fellows miss birds before, 

 but he loved good company and if it 

 was distinctly understood that he was 

 to go with the pup, he didn't mind 

 going. 



The cleared field of the farm ran 

 back to a big stretch of broken coun- 

 try full of abrupt little hills, and steep 

 ravines guiding narrow, noisy brooks. 

 It was heavily timbered, mostly with 

 hard woods, though here and' there 

 were old clearings thickly grown 

 with young cedar. Dense underbrush 

 choked the valleys, and the hills were 

 everywhere a tangle of laurel. It 

 was the place to find ruffed grouse, 

 and to lose them again. 



In almost the first ravine we crossed 

 a bird burst like a bombshell from 

 the cover and as instantly disap- 

 peared, leaving us to guess his direc- 

 tion from the dwindling roar of his 

 flight. He looked as big as a turkey 

 and was apparently going a mile a 

 minute. Charlie fired, but it must 



have been on general principles, for 

 he could not have had time to raise 

 his gun. The farmer chuckled. 



"You're mighty quick at throwing 

 away shot, young man," he said. "~L S 

 think I know where that fellow head- 

 ed ; bring along that wonderful dog, 

 and you can waste another shell." 



Swinging well to one side to give 

 Foss the wind, we moved forward, 

 Charlie and I abreast and about 40 

 yards apart. The farmer, who was 

 hunting with a cane, followed close 

 behind us. Foss, now fairly on the 

 trail of his first grouse, ranged ahead 

 like a veteran. Suddenly he checked, 

 turned to the left and moved deliber- 

 ately in that direction, his head held 

 high. 



"He's got the scent, boy," the far- 

 mer whispered. "He knows where 

 the bird is and what's more, knows 

 how to get him." 



We had been so intent on the dog's 

 performance that we had ceased fol- 



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