. Outing. I GAME BIRDS AT CLOSE RANGE 29 ence all five of them began flushing closearound me, one or two at a time. Theyflew very slowly and feebly, as thoughin deep moult, and alighted close by. One seemed hardly able to sustain it-self, and dropped in the tall grass justoutside the timber. I ran to see if Icould not catch it, for the fun of thething. Again it flushed and went feeblyjust over the tops of the grass, I in hotpursuit. I could almost keep up withit, but it flew over a knoll and dropped blend with her surroundings. For in-stance, a man whom I know had oc-casion to leap across a br
. Outing. I GAME BIRDS AT CLOSE RANGE 29 ence all five of them began flushing closearound me, one or two at a time. Theyflew very slowly and feebly, as thoughin deep moult, and alighted close by. One seemed hardly able to sustain it-self, and dropped in the tall grass justoutside the timber. I ran to see if Icould not catch it, for the fun of thething. Again it flushed and went feeblyjust over the tops of the grass, I in hotpursuit. I could almost keep up withit, but it flew over a knoll and dropped blend with her surroundings. For in-stance, a man whom I know had oc-casion to leap across a brook in a swampand almost landed on top of a woodcocksitting on eggs. If he had not donejust that, he never in the world wouldhave discovered her. But for all the difficulty, it is ex-hilarating exercise, to say the least, tolocate a pair of woodcock in early spring,and in April to try to spy out the when I was told on one occasion. WHEN THE PINTAIL LEAVES HER NEST, SHE DOES IT WITHOUT HESITATION. in the grass before I could get up farenough to see where it went. Returning to the woods, I flushed theothers again. Laboriously enough, buttrue to custom, they rose almost straightup to the tops of the trees and made ofrinto the swamp. Such experiences il-lustrate the barbarity of summer wood-cock shooting, now, fortunately, largelya thing of the past. The nest of the woodcock is harderto find than either of the it is usually by mere accidentthat a nest is discovered, so closely doest)ie bird sit and so wonderfully does she that there was a wToodcock on its nest inplain sight, on open ground in an alderswamp, it was a long time before I wasable, unaided further, to make her found, no bird was easier tophotograph on the nest. It seemed likephotographing a rock. No matter howthe wind blew, there she sat perfectlymotionless. All I had to do was to setup the camera and get busy. Finally Isat down
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectsports, booksubjecttravel
