JuNk 4, 1898.1 
•FOREST AND STREAM. 
443 
readily assented to this, and asked him to tell me what 
attraction drew the birds here, but this was asking too 
much, for after he had looked over the barren spot 
where we were at the time, even his fertile imagination 
failed to find a plausible reason, and like myself he 
gave it up. 
With knowledge of this peculiarity of the birds, but 
with nD knowledge that would assist me in readily finding 
such places, I usually made a thorough exploration of 
new grounds, often going over them two or three times 
upon different occasions in order that I might become 
thoroughly acquainted with them, so that I could avoid 
the more barren portions, and thus often save valuable 
time when shooting them. 
In this manner I have worked out a very large portion 
of the covers in the eastern half of Connecticut, as well 
as many in Rhode Island and a goodly number in Mas- 
sachusetts, often finding some pleasant valley or beau- 
tiful hillside where abundant sport was sure, and in the 
good old days it was often the case that I was the first 
to pull trigger in such places, and for many years some of 
them were never shot over except by myself and friends. 
I have never thought it incumbent upon the sportsman 
to give to the public particulars as to the locality of 
game resorts, but have always believed that his "whole 
duty to man" in this respect was to share with his 
chosen companions the good things in this line that 
might come to him. Fifty years ago shooters were few, 
and it made little difference whether the game resorts 
were generally known or not, but for many 3'-ears it has 
been altogether different, for hundreds now shoot where 
pne did at that time, and if the sportsman of the pres- 
two or three times each season, except that some of the 
best woodcock covers were shot over several times 
during the time of flight, and consequently there was 
always sufficient stock left for breeding, and each year 
I was sure of plenty of sport; but in late years all good 
places that afe generally known are thoroughly worked 
out until not a solitary bird is left. More than forty 
years ago I was the proud possessor of a "happy valley" 
in the town of Scotland, Conn., and for several years 
myself and chosen friends enjoyed many glorious days 
along the little stream and on the adjacent hillsides, 
always finding an abimdance of birds, but one day a 
couple of shooters followed us, and in a short time the 
happy valley was desolate. These men had each been 
shooting with me once, and once only, as, for reasons 
that were satisfactory to me, I had decided that once was 
enough. I felt badly to leai-n that they had found the 
place, but felt worse when I heard that they boasted 
of the manner in which they had found it. After this 
I had an eye open when I was going to a favorite re- 
sort, and upon several occasions I have sttcceeded in 
outwitting them. 
The next season after I lost the happy valley, one of 
these men followed me in order to play the same trick, 
but I have always thought that I had more satisfaction 
out of it than he did. I started very early one morning 
in October for some favorite cover in the town of Wil- 
lington. Conn. As we passed his house I saw his team 
ready, while he and a companion were evidently wait- 
ing to follow our lead. Explaining the matter to my 
friend, we soon settled upon a plan that we thought 
about the proper thing, so after we had f>assed through 
of wood for the kitchen fire. No soonei- did he see me 
than that armful of wood went flying in every direction, 
as with a half shout, half bellow, which ended in a con-- 
vulsive gurgling sound in his throat, he followed the 
kindling wood and went down all in a heap. Thinking; 
that he was in a fit, I jumped from the wagon and ran 
to him. Just as I was about to lay hands on him his 
wife opened the door, and with wide-open eyes gave a 
half scream of fright, which changed to one of hysterical 
laughter when she saw me, and then she also went into 
a fit of screeching and laughing like one possessed. By 
this time my friend had risen to a sitting posture, where 
he remained writhing around, holding on to his sides 
and trying his best to keep up his end of the performance. ^ 
After matters had quieted down somewhat both of them ' 
at once proceeded to give me the returns that I had 
come for. Sifting the broken sentences and ejaculations 
as they came fi'om the lips of the merry pair, X found 
that three days after our squirrel hunt our two followers 
put in an appearance, and hitching their hors'e at a bar- 
way some little distance below the house they made 
a break for the red-hot cover that had been marked 
by them for their own. With heads erect and eager steps 
they took a bceline across the open pasture for the big 
woods, and were soon lost to sight in the dense tangle. 
Some two hours later my friend saw them emerge from 
the wilderness with heads not quite so erect and 
steps not quite so elastic. Coming to the house, 
they asked him if he could tell them where I usu- 
ally hunted, for they had only found briers and 
rocks among the fallen trees in place of the cover that 
they expected to find. With an innocent look and a 
GROUP OF LESSER KOODOO. 
In the Field Colttiiibian Museum, Chicago. 
confiding manner that only comes to the gifted ones, he 
pointed in the direction of the very worst tangle in the 
whole woods, and assured them that if they would only 
go far enough in that direction, through the laurel 
thicket, they would find a woodcock cover that would 
astonish them, and that there were also lots of partridges 
there. This put new life into them, and they once more 
started for the woods with renewed hopes. My friend 
somehow could not set himself to work, but just stayed 
about the house, and as an occasional shot gave him 
some idea of the progress of the two hunters he would 
hug himself as he mentally pictured the forms of the 
victims floundering through the tangled laurel thicket 
or struggling among the cat briers until he had worked 
himself into quite a state, and as he expressed it had 
more fun in the old woods in a few hours than in all 
his life before. It was nearly night when they again 
showed up, and as they emerged from the forest one of 
them was so lame that he was using his gun for a crutch 
and could scarcely hobble along. My friend joined them 
as they came to their team, when he learned that the 
lame one had slipped into a cleft of the rock and his 
shin had come in contact with the sharp edge, which 
had scraped off a piece of skin about the size of a half 
dollar, and as this had come to him more than a half mile 
away his stroll in the gloaming through the old primeval 
woods had not been so pleasant as the romantic sur- 
roundings and balmy air would seem to warrant. His 
companion was in somewhat better form, and with the 
exception of a wicked-looking furrow across his cheek, 
from which the blood was still trickling, and a sort of 
tired look, he appeared to be all right. My friend omit- 
ted the profanity, but described it as something so fear- 
some that so long as he lived he would on no account 
pass the unholy spot in the dark. Not the least amusing 
part of the tale was the telling of it, and it goes without 
saying that I enjoyed it to the full; but the returns were 
not all in yet, for my friend could not keep the story, and 
it soon reached our village, where it was told at the 
store one evening in the presence of the victims before 
a jolly crowd, that applauded to the echo, and as the two 
men slunk away it was the unanimous opinion of the 
boys that worse could befall a man than scratched cheek 
or bruised shin. Shadow, 
[to be continued.] 
ent tune would keep his favorite cover for his exclusive 
use he must not whisper even the direction in which it 
lies. Thirty years ago I often shot with a jolly, good 
fellow who was a capital companion in the field, a gen- 
tleman at all times, a good shot and well up in the 
science of woodcraft. We were often out together, but 
1 soon learned that it would not do to take him to any 
game resort that I did not wish the public made ac- 
quainted with, for he dearly loved to "fight his battles 
over again," and in recounting the incidents of the 
day's sport he would begin at the beginning and minute- 
ly describe the route and locality of every good place, 
giving the landmarks where every bird was found, and 
as his audience often contained other shooters they 
of course made a note of all this, and in a short time 
the good place was good no longer. I well remember 
how he thus ruined one of the very best of my favorite 
covers. This was a broad valley of swamp and meadow, 
where quail abounded, while the w^ell-wooded hillsides 
that nearly surrounded the valley contained many nooks 
famous for both grouse and woodcock. I had shot over 
the grounds for several years, and had often taken 
friends there, and one unlucky day I took him. 
The evening after our return I went to the country 
store and was greatly surprised to find him in the 
middle of a detailed description of our two days' 
trip to several shooters, who appeared to be deeply in- 
terested, and so plain was his descriptioii that every 
one of them readily found the place, although it was 
twenty-five miles away. I was there a week later and 
learned to my sorrow that parties had been over the 
grounds nearly every day since my previous visit, and 
soon all that was left me of this once famous game re- 
sort was the memory of glorious days of abundant sport. 
After this he never had opportunity to give away any- 
thing in this line that was not already well known to 
the public. 
1 have often been followed by parties, who took this 
method to find good shooting grounds instead of hunt- 
ing them up for themselves, and in this manner I have 
occasionally been robbed of my vested rights, obtained 
by much hard work. These fellows would haunt any 
good place: that they found until they had nearly exter- 
minated the birds and entirely ruined the resort. Now 
I seldom visited any of my favorite covers more than 
an extensive tract of timber known as the "big woods" 
we turned from our course and drove to the house of a 
farmer friend who lived a short distance from the very 
worst tangle of briers, brambles and rocks that can be 
found in the whole region. I had often visited the place 
when squirrel hunting, as it was a noted place for them, 
and many a famous bag of the bushy tails had my far- 
mer friend and I gathered in here. Arriving at the house, 
we were received with open arms by my friend, who, 
hke his illustrious ancestor the renowned Gen. Putnam, 
left his plow in the half completed furrow, and before 
we were fairly ready his trusty gun was over his shoulder 
and he was ready for the fray. Marching to the woods, 
we were soon among the squirrels, and in accordance 
with the well-known rules laid down for such cases we 
proceeded to load and fire with an abandon that would 
have stirred the heart of the very prince of squirrel 
hunters. I had given my farmer friend the points as to 
the two who had followed us, and in order that they 
might be led to believe that this was a red-hot corner 
he suggested that lots of shooting was absolutely in- 
dispensable, so we loaded and fired regardless, and to 
the best of my belief nearly fifty shots were fired before 
we left the cover. All the shooting, however, was not 
at random, for we had a goodly bunch of squirrels to 
show, as well as half a dozen grouse, for there were 
grouse all along the edge of the big woods in abundance, 
but the tangle of briers and fallen trees was such that 
no sane man would seek for sport with the birds in so 
unpromising a place. Returning to the house, we 
found dinner awaiting us, after which we bade our 
friend good-by, and with hearts at rest and love and 
good will in our bosoms for all the world, our two fol- 
lowers included, we laid our course for our grounds in 
Willington with no disturbing doubts or fears that the 
beautiful covers we loved so well Avould be desecrated 
by the sacrilegious tread of the robbers who had so 
persistently followed us, for we had been informed by 
a passing friend that he had met them several miles 
south, near a well-known cover. A week later, while 
on my way to a favorite resort in the town of Ashford, 
I drove to the house of my squirrel-hunting friend in 
order to learn if the returns were in from our fusillade 
of the previous Week. When I turned the corner near his 
house I saw him just going up the steps with an armful 
