Letters, Announcements, fyc. 383 
useless to ask any questions of the country folk, who will 
always say yes. I therefore landed and walked along a wide 
valley, with high perpendicular mountains of conglomerate 
on either side, and beetling over small woods of cypress. 
The birds live on the berry of this tree, and fly from one 
wood to another. They will never show themselves if 
they can avoid it, and, through their great fleetness when 
running, steal away before the dogs. Sometimes, how¬ 
ever, when taken by surprise, they rise, and then only by 
great caution can a single sportsman hope to get them. Sur¬ 
rounding the small woods with several guns is the best way 
to bag them. I think they drive away the common Pheasant, 
for I have never seen them together. This may, perhaps, be 
due to the fact of their living on different food. I had with 
me at the time a spaniel and a red Irish setter, and, as the 
day was fine and clear, walked on quietly until I came to 
what appeared a good country. The hills here were lower, 
and the wood fairly dense, but free of undergrowth. A 
woodcutter told me he had seen several Pheasants a few days 
ago, but could give me no further information, so, tying up 
my spaniel, I determined to work quietly along with the 
setter. Although it was January the day was hot, and I was 
obliged to divest myself of my coat as I struggled up the hill. 
I worked along the lower part without coming on any scent. 
Suddenly the setter got very busy, and moved along, showing 
me that he had some large game. I followed on as well as 
I could over the broken ground. False scent, back again; 
then the dog took a turn up the almost perpendicular rock. 
Good gracious! thought I, how can birds get up there and 
leave any scent ? They had evidently helped themselves with 
their wings. I was determined to follow, and brought the 
setter back to a place where we succeeded in getting on to 
the upper ledge after a little scrambling. Having arrived at 
the top, as I had anticipated, we soon came on the scent 
again, and away went the dog, very cautiously setting every w 
now and again. Just ahead of us now was a stone wall. I 
was very much afraid that my game would rise just as I was 
getting over, so I made all preparation for a surprise, and at 
