RECREATION. 



Volume XXI. 



OCTOBER, J904 

 G. 0. SHIELDS (COQUINA), Editor and Manager 



Number 4« 



NELLIE'S FIRST BIRD. 



CARL CHURCHILL. 



In the spring of 1901 my brother 

 gave me a setter puppy, 4 weeks old, 

 and as I had some leisure I resolved 

 to train her myself. You who have 

 gone through the experience know 

 what vexation and what enjoyment 

 such an undertaking carries with it. 

 She was bright and would soon see 

 what was wanted of her, but like most 

 setters she was strong, of exuberant 

 spirits, and extremely self - willed. 

 When she was 2 months old I put my 

 hand firmly on her broad, curly little 

 back and said "Charge." She wagged 

 her tail and tried to get my hand in 

 her mouth. 



That was the beginning. The de- 

 tails may be omitted, but at the open- 

 ing of the hunting season she was 7 

 months old, strong, ready to obey ; but 

 she had never smelled a bird. To 

 sparrows and such small fowl she had 

 never paid the least attention, which 

 worried me., as I was afraid she would 

 not care for larger game either. 



The first day we went out we had 

 no luck. The second day was early 

 in November, with dull skies, wet 

 ground, dripping trees and a chilly 

 wind. We struck out Westward and 

 in 20 minutes we were on the hunting 

 ground. Passing along the edge of 

 the woods, we carefully scanned the 

 hedgerows along the buckwheat fields, 

 and all such likely places, with no re- 

 ward until we came to a large tract of 

 rocky land covered with weeds and 

 dry grass. It was first-class cover and 

 the haunt of a covey of quails. 



The dog was working along pup 

 fashion, looking for something but 



having no idea what it was, when up 

 from our right, perhaps 3 rods away, 

 went a dozen beauties, all in a bunch. 

 The dog broke. I let the birds go 

 and spoke sharply to her. She stopped 

 instantly, and I easily marked the 

 birds down in the edge of a hemlock 

 thicket at the foot of the hill. 



After scolding Nellie a little to 

 steady her, I made another start. We 

 worked down to where the birds had 

 entered the woods and on into the 

 small hemlocks, Nellie showing signs 

 of being much interested. Soon we 

 c;me to a small brush pile. Nellie 

 came ranging up, went by, stopped, 

 half turned, hesitated an instant, and 

 then settled down like an old dog, tail 

 straight, nose out, and one fore foot 

 raised. 



My heart leaped. I steadied her 

 carefully until she had held her point 

 perhaps a minute ; then walked up and 

 stirred the pile with my foot. There 

 was a quick flutter, a strong whirr, a 

 left quarter shot, and the bird was 

 down. Nellie was thoroughly broken 

 to retrieve sticks and balls, and with 

 a little coaxing she brought in her 

 first bird. 



We looked through a few more 

 likely covers and got one more bird, 

 the result of Nellie's second point, and 

 then sat down to let the birds move 

 again. 



After half an hour we made an- 

 other start. The pup flushed her first 

 one, but I got the next. Then we left 

 them. We soon found another covey 

 from which we took 2 and then start- 

 ed for home. In passing through a 



