$6S 



RECREATION. 



store for rile, but being like the .father of 

 his country I must plead guilty. When one 

 has been housed up in a store for a year 

 and then gets out for a week's hunt, goes 

 50 miles out on the desert, drinks alkali 

 water, etc., he wants to bring enough game 

 in to treat his friends. Antelope were 

 plentiful out there, and I could not resist 

 the temptation of killing a few to bring 

 to town, knowing it would be a year 

 or more before I would get another 

 chance. Doubtless when you read this you 

 will say it is fortunate that men like 

 me don't get out often. I have read 

 Recreation many times and have always 

 thought your efforts to stop the wholesale 

 slaughter of game were laudable, but I am, 

 I fear, a little like the parents who always 

 think other people's children are bad. 



Now be charitable with me and do not 

 give it to me too hard. 



A. H. Hammersley, Lakeview Ore. 



You might with the same propriety say: 



"I am fond of horse stealing, but have 

 been in jail a year past and .have had no 

 chance to indulge in my favorite pastime. 

 Last week I got out. I went on the plains 

 and found a big herd of horses. I had to 

 sleep on the ground and drink alkali water. 

 Besides, I knew I should not get another 

 chance to steal a horse for at least a year, 

 and as these were not 'branded I ran off 

 enough for all my pals. I hope the sheriff 

 won't get me, or that if he does the judge 

 will be lenient with me." 



Would you not consider that a mighty 

 flimsy plea for a man to put up? Well, 

 it would be just as reasonable and just as 

 manly as yours. In my judgment a real, 

 avowed horse thief is a gentleman as com- 

 pared with you. 



Woodcock has not replied to my inquiry, 

 and so I infer he is guilty, as stated in the 

 clipping. If so, he is disgracing one of 

 our noblest game birds by using its name. 

 He should change his cognomen to Skunk. 

 — Editor. 



WITH THE SHORE BIRDS. 



Taunton, Mass. 

 Editor Recreation : 



That racket meant that it was 3:30 a. m. 

 Fifteen minutes later I appeared at the door 

 ready for a morning's shooting. The stars 

 were shining through a few scudding clouds 

 and the moon was just setting. 



Arriving at the blind I put out the de- 

 coys and settled myself to wait for day- 

 light. Finally I was able to discern the 

 sand dunes looming up across the pond. 

 "Pie — wheu — wa !" I heard the note of the 

 golden plover, and crouching down I tried 

 to call them in. After a minute or 2 I 



saw 3 small objects approaching. As they 

 hovered over the decoys I fired and knocked 

 down 2; the third left the marsh in the di- 

 rection of the sand dunes. Scarcely had 

 I picked up my birds when I heard 

 a big yellowleg calling in the distance, and 

 a flock of 9 came in answer to my call. I 

 killed one with the right barrel and 2 with 

 the left. After repeated calling I coaxed 

 4 more back within gunshot, killing 2. A 

 few minutes later, with a swish of wings, 5 

 black ducks flew past, and as they were pro- 

 tected by the law at that season I let them 

 go. Then noticing in a flock of peep a bird 

 somewhat larger than the rest, and being 

 something of a naturalist, I shot it. It 

 proved a good specimen of the rare Baird's 

 sandpiper, and the third that has been taken 

 in this State. It now graces the collection 

 of a friend. So the morning passed with 

 an occasional shot at a big yellowleg or 

 plover, until the sun rose high and the flight 

 ceased. Then, with great reluctance, I 

 gathered in my decoys. No sooner had I 

 got them all in my basket than I heard the 

 note of a curlew, and, looking up, saw a 

 large flock flying over out of gun shot. 

 That was hard, since they were the only 

 curlew I saw that day. 



On my way across the fields I shot an up- 

 land plover, which alighted in a bunch of 

 grass in front of me. Farther on I flushed 

 a covey of quails, which scattered in the 

 brush, and although I could not shoot them 

 at that season I wished I had my old dog 

 along just to see him work. 



Then, with that appetite which is the 

 especial reward of the early riser, I pre- 

 sented myself at the house. W. R. D. 



OUR DUCK. 



One day last spring my chum, Pete, and 

 I went duck shooting. I carried a double 

 barrel, loaded with No. 4's. Pete's gun 

 was charged with 7's. 



Passing a puddle in a cornfield, we 

 flushed 4 mallards out of range. Later, as 

 we w.ere returning past the same puddle, 2 

 more flew out, and we marked them down 

 % of a mile away. Again we flushed them 

 without getting a shot. That time we saw 

 them settle in the distance near a grove of 

 swamp willows. We circled and came up 

 under cover of the grove. At length, after 

 a wet passage through the swamp we saw 

 the mallards in a puddle just 60 paces dis- 

 tant. 



They were close together, and as that 

 was before I began to read Recreation we 

 decided to shoot them on the ground. With 

 my heavy shot I felt sure of killing them, 

 so I told ?ete we would both shoot at 

 once and divide the ducks. The 2 reports 

 blended into one, and over the heavy clo^J 

 of smoke we saw one duck starting for the 



