. Feathered game of the Northeast . scarcelypenetrate, much less a sportsman do good such places, before the frosts have taken thesummers heat from the still air of the woods,woodcocking is likely to be very warm business,but when the colder weather has driven themfrom their summer homes in the bogs of Labra-dor and the bracing northwest winds come downwith their promise of more cold to follow, thereare few shooting trips pleasanter than a day inthe woodcock covers. Many a gray-headedveteran follows the sport as eagerly now as hedid thirty, aye, forty years agone, when he madehis first
. Feathered game of the Northeast . scarcelypenetrate, much less a sportsman do good such places, before the frosts have taken thesummers heat from the still air of the woods,woodcocking is likely to be very warm business,but when the colder weather has driven themfrom their summer homes in the bogs of Labra-dor and the bracing northwest winds come downwith their promise of more cold to follow, thereare few shooting trips pleasanter than a day inthe woodcock covers. Many a gray-headedveteran follows the sport as eagerly now as hedid thirty, aye, forty years agone, when he madehis first essay. I call to mind one poor fellowwho went out for just one more try at the birds—he was seventy-one—and his summons cameto him alone in the woods where next day theyfound him peacefully asleep. He had had goodluck, his game-bag was full of woodcocks, andhis face was as happy as a childs. Probably woodcock shooting is the most popu-lar sport with the gun which is followed in NewEngland, yet why it should rank before grouse-. bjC (/) (1) g -^3 t/j .= o 2^ AMERICAN WOODCOCK 121 sliootiDg is to me a i3iizzler, unless it is becausea woodcock permits a dog to take more liber-ties. Make a sport easy and you have madeit popular! Shall we give the first honors ofthe forest to the Woodcock solely because he al-lows his destroyer to tread upon his tail feath-ers before flying from danger? That seems tobe his chief claim to the distinction, for he isadmittedly inferior to the ruffed grouse inbrains, speed and power of flight, and in lead-carrying grit, to say nothing of his smaller my mind there is no bird in America to com-pare in game qualities with our ruffed perhaps I am not an unprejudiced witnessin this case. I know that it will take a longcourse of treatment to cure me of the par-tridge habit, and once cured (if such a thingbe possible) there will always be the danger ofrelapse. Eight well I know which would re-ceive my attention if woodcock and grouse we
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