226 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



dog, in which case they squat and allow them- 

 selves to be seized, either by the dog or the hun- 

 ter, who has followed on a good horse." I have 

 heard of such occurrences, but I never saw an in- 

 stance of the kind. Good dogs scent the tur- 

 keys when in large flocks at a great distance; I 

 may venture to say half a mile away, if the wind 

 is right. Should the dog be well trained to the 

 sport, he will set off at full speed on getting the 

 scent and in silence until he sees the birds, when he 

 instantly barks, and, running among them, forces 

 the whole flock to take to the trees in different 

 directions. This is of great advantage to the 

 hunter, for, should all the turkeys go one way, 

 they would soon leave the perches and run again ; 

 but when they are separated by the dog, a per- 

 son accustomed to the sport finds the birds easily 

 and shoots them at pleasure. 



No turkey is going to run very long ahead of a 

 dog, if the dog is in sight and chasing him. A 

 pack of mouthy beagles, or an old, slow deer- 

 hound, giving mouth continually, might keep a 

 turkey in a trot until fatigued; it is possible then 

 that a quick, swift dog like the Scotch terrier or 



