. Game birds and shooting-sketches : illustrating the habits, modes of capture, stages of plumage and the hybirds & varieties which occur amongst them . on theblaeberries that abounded on the hillside. They stoodperfectly erect and motionless for fully ten minutes, untilat last I thought they must have become petrified in theirupright position, when one of the hens gave a shortcluck and recommenced feeding, evidently satisfied that ^ I remeniber one summer evening, avIku returning from trout-fishing inlloluillion Loch, I came across a hen Caper sitting on the wall which sur-rounded a cornfield
. Game birds and shooting-sketches : illustrating the habits, modes of capture, stages of plumage and the hybirds & varieties which occur amongst them . on theblaeberries that abounded on the hillside. They stoodperfectly erect and motionless for fully ten minutes, untilat last I thought they must have become petrified in theirupright position, when one of the hens gave a shortcluck and recommenced feeding, evidently satisfied that ^ I remeniber one summer evening, avIku returning from trout-fishing inlloluillion Loch, I came across a hen Caper sitting on the wall which sur-rounded a cornfield on the Murthly march. I thought I would try and seehow near I could approach her, and almost succeeded in touching her backwith my fiy-rod before she thought it time to move otl\ GAME BIRDS AND SHOOTING-SKETCHES I meant them no harm; but not so the old cock, who,with a slow dignified step, stalked up to the top of thenearest rock, from which he could obtain a good Adew allround, and stood there watching me till I was out of is not often that the Caper resorts to lying closeuntil the danger is past except in the early autumn, when .4 ^^. CAPERCAILLIE SURPRISED IN THE OPEN. in the fern-banks and feeding on the wild raspberries, orwhen wounded. In the former case they often sit so closethat the dogs catch them before they can rise above thebracken. This power of remaining perfectly still to eludeobservation is a wonderful faculty of the Game Birds, andtheir instinctive knowledge in selecting ground andsurroundings which are in exact accordance with thecolour and markings of their own plumage is a merciful CAPERCAILLll: 5 l)rx)n wliicli Nature has l)eiieficently proviflcd for I low well does tlie little Partridge know that,though he is crouching on the open clay of a stubble-fieldwith but tw^o or three straws or Ijlades of grass around him,he has as good a cliance of escaping unobserved as if hewere hidden beneath the thickest cover! So, too, it isextraordi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1894
