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3S PRANK SCHLEY’S
PeMPRIGAN PARTRIDGE
AND
PHEASANT SHOOTING/
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF,
Fe ch] c/ Fe al me
DESCRIBING THE
HAUNTS, HABITS, AND METHODS OF HUNTING AND SHOOTING THE AMERI-
CAN PARTRIDGE; QUAIL. RUFFED GROUSE; PHEASANT.
WITH
DIRECTIONS FOR HANDLING THE GUN, HUNTING THE DOG, AND THE ART
OF SHOOTING ON THE WING.
CONTAINING
A HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGES AND GROUSE INHABITING NORTH
AMERICA.
ILLUSTRATED.
FREDERICK, MD,:
BAUGHMAN BROTHERS.
1877.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by FRANK SCHLEY,
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D, C.
fonTENTS.
PREFACE, : : ;
Whe Partridges, »
Ortyx Virginianus,
Plumed Partridge; Mountain Quail,
California Partridge; Valley Quail,
Gambel’s Partridge; Arizona Quail,
Scaled or Blue Partridge, .
Massena Partridge, :
IIlow to Aim, and Shoot, :
The Gun, how to Charge it, Size of Shot,
Range of the Gun,
The Killing Ranges of the Gun,
Straight Forward Shots,
Cross Shots,
Descending Shots,
Over Head Shots, ‘
Partridge; Quail; Bob-White, .
Habits,
Pairing and Nesting,
First and Second Brood,
Roosting,
Food of the Partridges,
PAGR,
21
68
f CONTENTS.
Foes of the Partridges,
Flight of the Partridges,
Migration, Wandering Birds,
Haunts and Habits of Partridges, and Where Found,
Withholding Scent,
Late in the Season,
Hunting,
Hunting Partridges, . “
Riring into Coveys,
Wounded Game,
Scattering a Covey, :
How to Bag Wounded Partridges,
Towering of a Partridge,
The Sportsman Who Never Fails to Hit,
The Excitable Sportsman,
The Reckless Sportsman, :
The Bad Shot, or Unskilled Sportsman,
Miscellaneous Hints, Dress, Boots,
Knife, Drinking Cup,
Powder, Shot, Accouterments, Caps, Wadding,
The Grouse,
Spruce Partridge, Canada Grouse,
Columbia Sharp-Tailed Grouse,
Prairie Hen, Prairie Chicken, Pinnated Grouse.
Franklin’s Grouse,
Dusky Grouse,
Oregon Dusky Grouse,
Richardson’s Dusky Grouse,
Sage Cock; Cock of the Plains,
CONTENTS.
Sharp-Tailed Grouse,
The Texas Prairie Hen,
The Mountain Partridge,
The Oregon Grouse,
Willow Grouse; White Ptarmigan,
Rock Ptarmigan, .
White-Tailed Ptarmigan,
Ruffed Grouse, Partridge, Pheasant, .
Description,
Habits,
Beating or Drumming of the Pheasant,
Flight of the Pheasant,
Migration,
Foes of the Pheasant,
Food of the Pheasant, .
Autumn Pheasant Shooting,
Shooting in Woods, and Thickets,
Sporting Dogs, ;
What Constitutes a Good Dog,
Choosing a Dog,
Dogs Adapted to Sporting in America,
(RS) (G2) SS) [89)
[SS XS)
pS. Sy
_
~I
JLLUSTRATIONs,
TOTO, © / - - = FRONTISPIECE.
Engraver, Harry W. Crutchfield,
To Face Page
Prumep Partripae; Mountain QUAIL, - ie:
Engraver, H. W. Crutchfield.
CALiForNIA Partripak; VALLEY QUAIL, - dv
Engraver, H. W. Crutchfield,
ScALED, or BLUE PARTRIDGE, - = : 2 28
Engraver, H, W. Crutchfield,
MassenA Parrringr, — - : ‘ Y 33
Engraver, TT. W. Crutehfield,
Parrripa@r, Quaint, Bos-Wuirs, — - - - 59
Engraver, H. W. Crutehfield,
AMERICAN PARTRIDGES, Orains, 1" E : 69
I nzraver, Joseph T. Harley.
Rurrep Grovusz, — - - - - - - 180
Engraver, 1. W. Crutchfield.
Pica litle Os ie
In presenting the American ParrripGe AND PHEASANT Enoo7inc, I
have endeavored to lay before the public, in as precise and brief a forms
as possible, full and trustworthy explanations of the various practical
methods of hunting, and shooting, with dog ani gun, the Americas
Partridge and Pheasant, which twenty-five years of almost constant
pursuit in the American fields, and woodlands, in the Eastern por-
tion of our country, have eaabled me to attain; adding only the
assurance, that I have been prompted to this work, from a pure love
and fondness for the dog and gun, and those ennobling and manly
sports of which I have been for so many years an ardent follower.
And if these crude lines which I have penned prove of any service t¢
my brother Sportsmen, my object will Le fully accomplished, and my
labor of love will not have Leen in vain,
PRANK | SCHLEY,
Freverick City, Mp., 1877.
TO THE
SPO ik Sa EaNe Oo ASM BER © AY
IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR HIGH QUALITIES,
AS TRUE SPORTSMEN, AND CRACK SHOTS,
THIS WORK ON PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY THE
Aa OAR:
PRN ee SCHL ys
PMP ICAN FARTRIDECE
AUN
PHEASANT SHOOTING.
THE PARTRIDGES.
CF PILE Partridges are erected into the family Perdicida
ra) & = 2 with several sub-families. They abound more or less
ae all over the surface of the Globe. One group of the
et Partridges belong to America, all the rest to the Old
World. The American Partridges are erected by the auth-
ors into the sub-family Ortygine or Odontophorine. They
may be distinguished among the American galline by the
following characteristics: Head feathered, nostrils protected
by a scale, tarsi and toes not feathered, bill stout, a toothing
or bidentation on the sides of the edge in the lower mandi-
ble, concealed in the closed mouth scarcely noticeablé. In
this family the following species and varieties abound in
the United States; the name of each species and varieties
and their places of residence, according to Baird, Brewer
and Ridgway, are as follows:
No.1. Quail; Partridge; Bob- White —This species inhabits
Eastern United States, to the high central plains—Devil’s
tiver, Texas.
No.2. Ortyx Virgineanus; Var.; Texanus—Inhabits South-
ern Texas and Valley of the Rio Grande, Republican River,
Kansas, Washita River, Indian Territory.
10 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
No. 3. Plumed Partridge; Mountain Quail.—Inhabits
mountain-ranges of California and Oregon towards the coast,
Nevada, Eastern Slope and foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada.
—Ridgway.
No. 4. California Partridge; Valley Quail.—Inhabits Val-
ley portions and foot-hills of the Pacific province of the
United States, south to Cape St. Lucas.
No.5. Gamble’s Partridge; Arizona Quail—tInhabits Col-
orado Valley of the United States, north to Southern Utah,
and East to Western Texas.
No. 6. Scaled, or Blue Partridge——Inhabits Table-lands of
Mexico and Valley of the Rio Grande of Texas. Most abun-
dant on the high broken table-lands and mesquite plains.
No. 7. Massena Partridge —Inhabits Chiefly on the Up-
per Rio Grande from the high plains of the Pecos, Fort
Whipple, Arizona, Northern Mexico, southward, on the
west coast, to Mazatlan.
Of these seven species and varieties of beautiful game
birds, six of which, the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
and seventh, nowhere exists to the eastward of the Missis-
sippi River, and have never fallen before my gun. These
six I shall only notice by giving their character and his-
tory, which I will produce from the best authors in North
American Ornithology. The first species, Quail; Partridge;
Bob-White, I offer to the sportsmen as the object of my
pursuit, and the special aim of this treatise. This species
being found in great abundance in the whole of the Has-
tern Province of North America, and is the well-known
game bird of this country. In systematizing this work I
shall begin with the Ornithological description of the sec-
ond variety, and continue on with the third, fourth, fifth,
sixth, and seventh. I shall then close this department of
my work with giving a full and precise account of the
character, history, haunts, habits, flight, food, &c., and the
most successful methods I have used in hunting and shoot-
ing the first species.
Se
THE PARTRIDGES. ial
ORTYX VIRGINIANUS, var. texanus.— LAWRENCE.
Sp, CHaR.—General appearance that of O. Virginianus.
Chin, throat, forehead, and stripe over the eye, white,
Stripe behind the eye continuous with a collar across the
lower part of the throat, black. Under parts white, with
zigzag transverse bars of black. Above pale brownish-red
strongly tinged with ash, the feathers all faintly though
distinetly mottled with black; the lower back, scapulars,
and tertials much bloched with black, the latter edged on
both sides, and, to some extent, transversely barred with
brownish-white. ‘Secondaries with transverse bars of the
same on the outer web. Wing coverts coarsely and con-
spicuously barred with blackish. Lower part of neck,
except before, streaked with black and white.
Female with the white of the head changed to brownish-
yellow; the black of the head wanting. Length, 9.00;
wing, 4.35; tail, 2.85.
Hap.—Southern Texas and Valley of the Rio Grande;
Republican River, Kansas; Washita River, Indian Terri-
tory.
Hasrrs.—This form, which appears to be confined to the
southern portion of Texas and to the Valley of the Rio
Grande River, was first described by Mr, Lawrence in 1853,
It has been taken in the neighborhood of San Antonio and
on the Nueces River, by Captain Pope; on Devil’s River
by Major William H, Emory; at Fort Clark, on the Pecos
River, near Laredo, Texas, at Matamoras, and near New
Leon, Mexico, and in other localities, by Lieutenant Couch,
According to Mr, Clark, they were very abundant in the
Valley of the Pecos, as well as in all Southwestern Texas.
They were much like the common Virginia Quail in habits
as well as in appearance, and to his ear the note of this
bird was absolutely identical with that of the common
Quail. He has often been a spectator of fights among the
males of this variety. To this account Dr. Kennerly adds
that he observed them everywhere in considerable num-
12 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
bers from the coast to the headwaters of Devil’s River, and
also along the Pecos River; but farther west than this none
were seen. In the open prairie lands great numbers were
always found early in the morning in the road. The close
resemblance of its habits to those of the common Partridge
was also noticed.
This Quail was first observed by Dr. Heermann in abun-
dance on the Pecos River, although seen some days previ-
ous to reaching that point. Their numbers increased as
they neared civilization, and near San Antonio they be-
‘ame very plentiful. The call of the male bird is said to
consist of two notes repeated at intervals, which are less
loud, clear, and ringing than those of the common Ortyx
Virginianus. They feed on the open prairies on grass seeds,
grains, berries, and insects, and, if alarmed, they take refuge
among the scattered mesquite-trees and clumps of bushes.
When hunted, they lie to the dog in the manner of the
common species, and, if flushed, fly in a direct line, with a
loud whirring noise, caused by the shortness and rapid mo-
tion of the wings. An egg of this bird, found by Dr. Heer-
mann dropped upon the road, was in form and color like
that of the common Quail, but smaller.
Mr. Dresser states that in Texas this bird is known as the
“Common Partridge” of the country. He found it abun-
dant everywhere in localities suitable to its habits. Near
Matamoras it was very common, and was the only species
of Quail he noticed there. At Eagle Pass and Piedras Ne-
eras, Where the soil is sandy, the grass scanty, and cacti
abundant, he saw only one bevy, but plenty of the Calli-
pepla Squamata. Near San Antonio only this Quail is found,
nor did he observe any other species in travelling towards
the northeast. Amongst the Bandara Hills, where he met
with the Massena Partridge, he also found the Texan Quail
in the valley and near the maize-fields. In travelling from
Brownsville to San Antonio the Texan Quail was every-
where abundant except in the sand deserts. This species
was found to be rather irregular as to its breeding season,
as he found young birds near Matamoras early in July, and
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PLUMED PARTRIDGE; MOUNTAIN QUAIL, OF CALIFORNIA.
THE PARTRIDGES. 13
in September again met with quite young birds near the
Nueces River, and Dr. Heermann informed him that he
had likewise procured eggs near San Antonio late in Sep-
tember. He obtained a set of their eggs taken near San
Antonio, which are very similar to those of the Ortya Vir-
ginianus, but are shightly smaller.— Baird, Brewer and Ridg-
way.
PLUMED PARTRIDGE; MOUNTAIN QUAIL.
Oreortyx pictus —Batrp.
Sp. Cuar.—Head with a crest of two straight feathers,
much longer than the bill and head. Anterior half of the
body grayish-plumbeous ; the upper parts generally oliva-
ceous-brown with a slight shade of rufous, this extending
narrowly along the nape to the crest. Head beneath the
eyes and throat orange-chestnut, bordered along the orbits
and a short distance behind by black, bounded anteriorly
and superiorly by white, of which color is a short line be-
hind the eye. Posterior half of the body beneath white ;
a large central patch anteriorly, (bifurcating behind), with
the flanks and tibial fe: athers, orange chestnut-brown; the
sides of body showing black and white bands, the former
color tinged with chestnut. Under tail-coverts black,
streaked with orange-chestnut. Upper tertials margined
internally with whitish. Hemale differing only in slightly
shorter crest. Length, 10.50; wing, 5.00: tail, 3.25.— Juv.
Body, generally, pale brown, the feather s & the upper parts
minutely barred with darker, and with medial shaft-streaks
of blackish; lower plumage plain brown. Breast clear
ashy, presenting a well-defined area. Head pale brown,
similar to, but lighter than, the body, with a conspicuous
vertical and lateral (auricular) broad stripe of dark umber-
brown. Feathers of the flanks blackish, broadly bordered
with dingy whitish. A short truncated tuft of hair-like
14 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
feathers on the crown. (Described from figures in Gray-
son’s plate.)
Has.—Mountain ranges of California and Oregon to-
wards the coast. Nevada (eastern slope and foot-hills of
the Sierra Nevada; (Ridgway).
There are two quite different races of this species, but
which, however, pass gradually into each other, and must
be considered as merely the extremes of one species. They
may be defined as follows:
1. Var. Pictus—Pure ash confined to the pectoral region ;
the russet-brown or rusty-olivaceous of the upper parts
covering whole neck and crown; forehead entirely ashy.
Wing, 5.25; tarsus shorter than middle toe (1.27; middle
toe, 1.30.) Hab—Washington Territory, Oregon, and up-
per coast region of California.
2. Var. Plumiferus——Pure ash covering whole pectoral
region, and crown, nape, and upper part of back; the gray-
ish-olivaceous above confined to the posterior parts. Fore-
head distinctly whitish. Wing, 5.25; tarsus longer than
middle toe (1.27; middle toe, 1.25.) Hab.—Sierra Nevada,
and Southern California to Cape St. Lucas.
Hasirs.—The Mountain Quail of California is said by
Dr. Newberry to be similar in some respects to the common
Partridge of Europe. It is nowhere very common, but
occurs sparingly throughout the entire length of California
and Oregon to at least the Columbia, and probably beyond
it, having much the same range with the Californicus, though
everywhere a rarer bird, and always confined to the hills
and mountains. Its habits are similar to those of the other
species of this family, but it is less gregarious, and is more
shy. It is usually found in the chaparral, where it is put
up with difficulty, as it seeks safety by running on the
ground rather than by flight. On the first of August, at
the base of Lassen’s Butte, Dr. Newberry found a solitary
hen with a brood of very young chicks. The brood scat-
tered like young Partridges, uttering a piping note like that
of young chickens, and when all was still, again were re-
called by the mother with a ¢e/uck, much like the call of the
THE PARTRIDGES. 15
common hen. The party frequently saw coveys and broods
of these birds, the young of which were about half grown,
until they reathed the plains of Pit River. None were
seen in the Klamath Lake basin, the country being too
bare and flat. They were again met with among the hills
bordering the Willamette Valley, and were found from the
Columbia, almost uninterruptedly through the Siskiyou,
Calapooza, and Trinity Mountaing, to California. They are
favorite pets with the miners, by whom they are frequently
kept in confinement, and not unfrequently command a high
price. Their flesh is said to be white and excellent, and
fully equal to that of any of the family.
According to Dr. Cooper, this Quail is very rare in Wash-
ington Territory, a few small coveys having been met with
about Vancouver, as he was informed by the officers in the
garrison. He never succeeded in finding any, though he
hunted for them several times with a dog. They became
quite common south of the Columbia, towards the prairies
of the Willamette. He inquired especially for them in
other parts of the Territory, but never heard of them. In
California, south of San Francisco, this bird is said to bea
rare curiosity to the market-hunters, one or two sometimes
occurring among flocks of the California Quail. It is known
to them as the Mountain Quail. Dr. Suckley states that
the birds in the Willamette Valley were introduced there, .
and that they are now multiplying rapidly upon the prai-
ries back of Fort Vancouver. With a very little care it is
thought the whole of the Territory may become well stocked
with them, as the absence of foxes west of the Cascade
Mountains and the mild open winters are favorable for their
increase.
Dr. Heermann found the birds of this species wild and dif-
ficult to procure, flying and scattering at the least symptom
of danger, and again calling each other together with a note
expressive of great solicitude, much resembling that of a
Hen-Turkey gathering her brood around her. During the
survey he observed these birds only once, and then but for a
few minutes, as they were passing through a deep canon
16 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
:
leading down to Elizabeth Lake. They were seen by the
hunters on the mountains surrounding Tejon Valley; but
though he went several times in search of them, he ob-
tained none.
Mr. Ridgway met with the Mountain Quail on the foot-
hills of the Sierra Nevada, in the vicinity of Genoa and
Carson City, and also in the mountain ranges lying imme-
diately to the eastward of the Sierra. It was quite rare
and very difficult to discover, and when found was gener-
ally met with accidentally. He obtained it in November
in the thick chaparral at the eastern base of the Sierra Ne-
vada. In May he secured a pair in the cedar woods a little
to the eastward of Carson City, and in December a flock
was met with on the Comstock Mountain, near Pyramid
Lake. Its call-note when a flock is scattered is almost ex-
actly like that of a Hen-Turkey, only proportionally weaker.
When a flock is startled, they utter a confused chuckling
note, something like that of the common eastern Quail. The
male has a very pleasant crowing-note which sounds some
like koo-koo-koo’e. The settlers in Nevada, say that, previ-
ous to the settlement of that country by the whites, this
Quail was not found east of the Sierra Nevada, and affirms
that they followed the wagon-roads over the mountains, in
the rear of trains and wagons, for the purpose of picking
up the grain scattered along the road. Mr. Ridgway does
not give full credit to the truth of these statements, as he
was informed by the Indians at Pyramid Lake, that, within
the memory of the oldest members of their tribe, it had
always been found in that vicinity.
An egg of this species taken by Dr. Canfield, near Mon-
terey, California, measures 1.45 inches in length by 1.10 in
breadth. It is oval in shape; one end is considerably more
pointed than the other. It is of a very rich cream-color,
with a reddish shading, and unspotted.— Vol. L/L, Baird,
Brewer and Ridgway.
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by Sp cate NO black. Anterior half of body and upper
part plumbeous; ; the wings and back glossed with olive-
hat fos pf the stiff feathers black; behind this a white trans-
rse band which passes back along the side of the crown;
this white, anter iorly 2 and laterally, isa black suff:
n. The vertex and occiput are light brown. Chin-and—
roat black, margined laterally and behind by a white
beginning behind the eye. Belly pale buff anter bork! #4
ge-brown rounded patch in the middle) and white
he feathers all margined abruptly with black.
ers OM the en af badly ‘Wha the back, sivcaked -
rally with white, Beatie tm Of fh and sides of neck
fs the margins smd dba. black. Under tail-coverts
bavawellyy: vinoaked ventrally with brown.
gintihar without, ne white and black a the head;
2; tail, 4.12, -
ung. feat as in the dal female. qa parts pale
n Joie mptsied tr BPevENIO | with black; sia
em
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-vieular. spot. Beneath plain dull white,
-Hazn.—Valley portions und foot-hills of the Pacific Prov-
ince of the United States, south fo Cape St. Lucas. }
- Hasirs.—This beautiful species, acéording to Dr. New- .
~ herr y, is called the. Valley Quail in California, to distinguish a
it from the Plumed Quail, which inhabits the hills and the t by:
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CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE; VALLEY QUAIL. ;
—
THE PARTRIDGES. 17
CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE; VALLEY QUAIL.
Lophortyx Californicus.—Bonap.
Sp. Coar.—Crest black. Anterior half of body and upper
parts plumbeous; the wings and back glossed with olive-
brown. Anterior half of head above brownish yellow, the
shafts of the stiff feathers black; behind this a white trans-
verse band which passes back along the side of the crown;
within this white, anteriorly and laterally, isa black suffu-
sion. The vertex and occiput are light brown. Chin and
throat black, margined laterally and behind by a white
band, beginning behind the eye. Belly pale buff anteriorly
(an orange-brown rounded patch in the middle) and white
laterally, the feathers all margined abruptly with black.
The feathers on the sides of body like the back, streaked
centrally with white. Feathers of top and sides of neck
with the margins and shafts black. Under tail-coverts
buff, broadly streaked centrally with brown.
‘Female similar, without the white and black of the head;
the feathers of the throat brownish-yellow, streaked with
brown. The buff and orange-brown of the belly wanting.
The crest short. Length, 9.50; wing, 4.32; tail, 4.12.
Young.—Head as in the adult female. Upper parts pale
brown, finely mottled transversely with black; scapulars
and feathers of the back with yeillowish-white shaft streaks,
widening at the end of the feather, and with a large black
spot on each web. ‘
Chick.—Ground-color dingy white, tinged on the head,
wings, and upper parts with pale rusty. A ———— NN . S \ SSS SSS
FUNG ee CANT CREEL BELAY SS | | mM !
MESSENA PARTRIDGE.
THE PARTRIDGES. ae
cies. He reports them as very difficult to shoot, for the
reason that, whenever a bevy is disturbed, the birds scat-
ter, and, running with outstretched necks and erected crests,
dodge through the bushes like rabbits, so as soon to be out
of reach. He has thus seen a flock of ten or fifteen disap-
pear so entirely as to render it impossible to obtain a single
one. If left undisturbed, they commence their call-note,
which is not unlike the chirp of a chicken, and soon re-
unite. It was utterly out of the question to get them to
rise, and the only way to procure specimens was to shoot
them on the ground. Near the small villages in Mexico he
found them very tame ; and at Presidio, on the Rio Grande,
he noticed them in a corral, feeding with some poultry.
He did not meet with their eggs, but they were described
to him, by the Mexicans, as dull white, with minute red-
dish spots.
The egg of the Callipepla squamata is regularly oval,
being much more elongated than with any other species of
this family. It measures 1.35 inches in length by .95 in
breadth. Its ground color is a creamy white, and its sur-
face is minutely freckled with specks of a pale drab.
MASSENA PARTRIDGE.
Cyrtonyx massena.—GouLp.
Sp. Coar.—Male.—Head striped with white, black, and
lead color; chin black. Feathers above streaked centrally
with whitish, those on the outer surfaee of the wings
with two series of rounded black spots. Central line of
breast and belly dark chestnut ; the abdomen, thighs, and
crissum black ; the sides of breast and body lead color, with
round white spots. Legs blue. Length, 8.75; wing, 7.00;
tail, 2.50.
Female.—Prevailing color light vinaceous-cinnamon, the
upper parts barred and streaked as in the male. Head
5
34 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
without white or blatk stripes. Sides with a few narrow,
irregular streaks of black.
Young.—Somewhat similar to the adult female, but lower
parts whitish, the feathers, especially on the breast, with
transverse blackish spots on both webs.
Ohick—Head dingy white, with a broad occipital ellipti-
cal patch of chestnut-brown, and a blackish streak behind
the eye. Above rusty-brown, obscurely spotted with black ;
a white stripe on each side of the ramp. Beneath almost
uniform dull white.
Has.—Chiefly on the Upper Rio Grande from the high
plains of the Pecos. Fort Whipple, Arizonia; Northern
Mexico, southward, on the west coast, to. Mazatlan.—
Baird, Brewer and Ridqway.
Hasitrs.—Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s description of
this bird’s habits, in the North American Birds, is as follows:
“This Quail was first met with by Lieutenant Couch in the
canon Guyapuco, about twelve leagues south of Monterey.
Though rather shy, they seemed quite at home in the cul-
tivated fields and stubbles of the ranches.”
My. Clark first noticed the species among a flock of the
Ortyx texana. Once, on flushing a covey of the latter, a
bird was seen to remain behind, and showed no inclination
to follow the rest. It attempted to hide in the grass, but
did not fly, and, when shot, proved to be a Massena Quail.
He says they occur either in pairs or in flocks, and when
once flushed fly farther than the Virginia Quail, but do not
lie so close. They may be approached within a few feet,
and followed up, particularly when in pairs, running along
before one like so many domestic fowls. They are of quiet
as well as of retired habits, and a subdued though sharp
note is the only noise that Mr. Clark ever heard them make,
and that only when frightened. He has known them to be
pursued, and all the barrels of a six shooter fired one after
another without alarming them; and they were forced to
fly at last only by an attack of stones and clubs. He first
met with them in the neighborhood of San Antonio, and
found them thence sparsely distributed as an inhabitant,
¥
THE PARTRIDGES. 35
both of prairies and mountains as far westward as Sonora.
They are wilder than the Scaled Partridge, are less con-
spicuous and noisy, and are never seen in flocks, or, like the
latter, living about old camps. Their haunts are generally
far removed from the habitations of man, and the indiffer-
ence they sometimes manifest to his presence seems to be
due to ignorance of the danger from the power of that
enemy. Though distributed over the same country as the
C. squamata, they are never found in such barren regions,
always seeming to prefer the districts most luxuriantly coy-
ered with vegetation.
Dr. C. B. R. Kennerly states that this bird was never
seen farther south in Texas than Turkey Creek. In that
vicinity it was very common, and it also occurred at vari-
ous points thence to the Rio Grande. In the valley of this
river it was very rarely seen, giving way apparently to the
Sealy and to Gambel’s Partridge. West of the river it was
very common, as far as the party travelled, wherever there
was a permanent supply of fresh water. In the valley of
the Santa Cruz River and among the adjacent hills it was
extremely abundant. In the months of June and July it
was observed there always in pairs, while in Texas, in the
months of October and November, it was found in very
large flocks, sometimes of various ages, from the very small
and partly fledged to the full grown bird. When hunted,
they hide very closely in the grass, and Dr. Kennerly has
often known the Mexican soldiers in Sonora kill them with
their lances by striking them either while on the ground or
just as they rise. Some of these men were very expert in
the business, and obtained a good many in the course of a
day’s travel.
Dr. Woodhouse met with this species a few miles above
the head of the Rio San Pedro, where he secured a single
specimen. He was informed by Captain 8S. G. French that
when he first passed over exactly the same route in 1849,
he met with a number of them in different localities,—at the
head of San Pedro, Howard Springs, and also at Eagle
Springs,—showing evidently that they have a range over
36 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
:
the country lying between the Rio Grande and the San
Pedro Rivers. He also stated that he had never met with
any near the settlements, but always among the wild, rocky,
and almost barren hills of that country. They are more
sociable and not so shy as the other species of this family.
Their food appears to be principally insects.
Mr. Dresser states that this bird is iocally known as the
Black Partridge. For some time he sought for it near San
Antonio without success, but ultimately found it, in No-
vember, among the Bandera Hills. In its habits he states
it is more like the Texan Quail than any other; but on the
wing it is easily distinguished, it flies so heavily, though
very swiftly. When disturbed, they squat very close, and
will not move until approached very closely, when they
generally rise up from under one’s feet. He did not meet
with this Quail in any other part of Texas than Bandera
country, but was told that it is abundant in the hilly coun-
try at the head of the Leona, and that it is also found near
Laredo.
In some remarks on the birds of Western Texas, pub-
lished in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy in
1851, Colonel McCall gives the first information to the pub-
lic touching the habits of this interesting species. We
learn from his narrative that it was not met with by him
before crossing the San Pedro River, but that it was soon
after seen in the rocky regions into which he then entered ;
and thence as far as the Rio Pecos, a distance of one hun-
dred and forty miles westwardly, it was frequently seen,
though it was not anywhere very common. This entire re-
gion is a desert of great extent, north and south; the gen-
eral face of the country is level, and produces nothing but
a sparse growth of sand plants. Water was found only at
long intervals, and except at such points there was appar-
ently neither food nor cover. There, among projecting
rocks on the borders of dry gullies, or in loose serub, this
bird was met with by Colonel McCall.
The habits of this species appeared to him to be different
from those of any other kind of Partridge he had ever met
THE PARTRIDGES. 37
with. They were in coveys of from eight to twelve indi-
viduals, and appeared to be simple and affectionate in dis-
position. In feeding they separated but little, keeping up
all the while a social cluck. They were so gentle as to
evince little or no alarm on the approach of man, hardly
moving out of the way as they passed, and only running ~
off or flying a few yards, even when half their number had
been shot. Colonel McCall was of the opinion that they
might, with very little difficulty, be domesticated, though
naturally inhabiting a barren waste nowhere near the habi-
tation of man. The call-note is spoken of as very peculiar.
The bird was not seen by his party after crossing the Pecos
River. Mr. Gould, without any information in regard to
the habits or economy of this species, in his Monograph of
American Partridges, judging from the comparative short-
ness of the toes and the great development of the claws,
ventured the opinion that the habits would be found very
different from those of other members of the family, which
opinion is thus confirmed. Mr. Cassin thought he could
trace in the circular spots, numerous in the lower part of
the body, an analogy in character to the Guinea-fowls,
which is further shown by their habit of continually utter-
ing their notes as they feed, and by other similarity in their
manners.
Captain S. G. French, cited by Mx. Cassin, mentions meet-
ing with this Partridge in the summer of 1846, when cross-
ing the table-lands that extend westwardly from San
Antonio, in Texas, to New Mexico. On the sides of a high
rocky mountain near the summit, he observed several of
them only a few feet in advance of him. They were run-
ning along over the fragments of rocks and through the
dwarf bushes, which grew wherever there was sufficient
soil. He was attracted by their handsome plumage and
their extreme gentleness. A few days after, when encamp-
ed on the head-waters of the river, he again met with a
covey, and from that point occasionally encountered them
on the route to the Pecos River, a distance of over a hun-
dred miles. He did not meet with them again until he
38 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
came to Eagle Springs, in a mountainous region about
twenty-five miles from the Rio Grande. In the spring of
1851, on the same route, he saw only two of these birds,
and was led to the’belief that they are not at all numerous.
They appeared to inhabit the rocky sides of the mountains
and hills, in the desolate region of elevated plains west of
the fertile portions of Texas. In no instance did he meet
with any of these birds near the settlements. Wild and
rocky hillsides seemed to be their favorite resort, where
trees were almost unknown and all vegetation was very
scant. The coveys showed but little alarm on being ap-
proached, and ran along over the rocks, occasionally
attempting to secrete themselves beneath them. In this
case they could be approached to within a few feet. When
startled by the firing of a gun, they fly but a few yards
before again alighting, and exhibit but little of that wild-
ness peculiar to all the other species of Partridge. The
contents of the crop in Captain French’s specimens con-
sisted exclusively of fragments of insects, principally grass-
hoppers. No trace whatever of food of a vegetable char-
acter was found.
Don Pablo de la Llave, quoted by Mr. Cassin, furnishes
the following account of the habits of this Partridge, ob-
served by him in specimens taken near the City of
Mexico.
“Tt is only a few days since the third species has been
brought to me. It is rather smaller than the former, (C.
squamata,) and its deportment is entirely different. It car-
ries its head habitually resting on its shoulders, the neck
being excessively small and deflexed, and in everything it
shows an amiability, and, so to speak, kindness of charac-
ter (una bondad de caracter), which is not found in any other
species of this genus, and it is naturally so tame and do-
mestic as to permit itself to be caught with the hand.
These birds are always united, forming a covey, and when-
ever one is separated the others follow it. They do not,
like others, wish to sleep on elevated places, but sit on the
ground, drawing very near together. Their notes, which
THE PARTRIDGES. 39
are not varied, are very low and soft, and I have never
heard loud cries from the male. When they are frightened
they show much activity and swiftness; at other times
their gait and movement are habitually slow and deliber-
ate, carrying the crest puffed up. (Hspayada).”
40 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
s
.
THE GUN; HOW TO CHARGE; SIZE OF SHOT.
¥HE gun for shooting Partridges, whether breech or
=; muzzle loader, must, to my mind, be a short barrel
EY smn, and No. 12, 13 or 14 guage, and about eight
? pounds weight. The length of barrel must not be
more than twenty-nine inches. This size of guage, and
weight of gun and length of barrel, day in and day out,
under all circumstances, in the open field, in bogs, swamps,
woodland, and in entangled vines and thickets, and in brush
and bushes, I have found in my experience to be the best
and most desirable. For a gun of this description I would
recommend as the best killing charge, in my opinion, for
shooting Partridges, to be:
For a 12 guage, 3 drachms of powder, flask measure, and
13 ounces of shot.
For a 13 or 14 guage, 3 drachms of powder, 1} ounces
of shot.
As the best killing size of shot for shooting Partridges,
I would recommend No. 8 for October, No. 7 for Novem-
ber, No. 6 for December and the season through.
HOW TO AIM, AND SHOOT. 41
é
HOW TO AIM, AND SHOOT.
‘ O shoot Partridges on the wine, or any kind of game
RS) 5 >) y 5
a that is moving rapidly, it is not necessary to close
picy
eres = ay c
nl
eet one eye to take aim. Game can be killed as well,
and as quick, if not quicker, by the sportsman, with
both eyes wide open. The quickest shot is the best; the
quickest aim makes the best shooting with ashot-gun. In
shooting fast-flying birds on the wing, or any kind of game
that is moving rapidly, aim with both eyes wide open, and
follow the game with the eyes, keeping them wide open,
and riveted on the object you are shooting at. Don’t wink,
or bat the eyes, but keep them firmly fixed with penetrat-
ing force on the flying, or moving object of your aim, and
draw the trigger of the gun only by the dictation of the
eyes. Under no other circumstances allow your finger to
draw the trigger, except by the promptings of the eyes.
The eyes, when properly fixed upon a moving object, are
seldom wrong in their aim, and if the finger obeys the
promptings of the eyes, the trigger is most always drawn
correctly. Concert of action must he with brain, finger,
arm, and eyes. These movements, in obeying the eyes,
must be as instantaneous as an electric shock. The con-
cert of action must be as quick as a flash of lightning.
When the eyes say fire, brain, finger, and arm must obey
the command without an instant’s deliberation. By the
slightest variation of the finger in drawing the trigger at
this critical moment, the steadiness of the aim will be lost—
consequently the game is missed. If a Partridge springs,
pitch the gun quickly to your shoulder and fire—down with
it without a moment’s thought. This is the only way to
become a keen, quick shot. The first aim when a bird is
flying, is the most perfect one—don’t hesitate a second, but
6
‘
42 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
draw the trigger and bring it down. If a Hare bounces
up under your feet, pitch the gun quickly to your shoulder,
cast your eyes on it, draw the trigger and knock it over—
don’t poke about it. The sportsman who can shoot his
game the quickest is the best shot. It is not necessary to
see a bird to kill it, at the time of fire. Birds are killed by
calculation, and in fact in covert shooting, three out of four
birds are killed without even beingseen. When a Partridge
springs ina thicket which has grown up dense, and the small
trees and bushes are full of leaves, it will be out of sight in
an instant, and will escape, unless you knock it down by
guessing, or calculation, shooting in the direction it is going,
and that must be done in a moment, for you have no time
to reflect, but must be as quick as a flash in judging the
flight of the bird, and the distance it is off. You must also
know by practice the exact location where to shoot to kill
it; if the least moment of time is lost in following the
course it has taken, or a moment of reflection given in
judging its exact location, the bird will not be killed, but
will go on, and in one second will be out of killing range
of the shot. To be a keen, quick, accurate shot, you must
have quick movements, and good judgment in all your ac-
tions. You should be able to handle and level the gun as
quickly and readily as thought. You must be able to pitch
the gun to your shoulder and point the muzzle accurately
in an instant. You must be able to aim in every direction
with ease, and must follow all kinds of moving objects,
whether flying or running, as accurately and unerringly as
a bloodhound follows his prey. You must acquire quick-
ness in shooting fast-flying birds, and if your movements
are naturally slow, you can never become a keen, quick
shot. Quickness and good judgment are the landmarks
to observe in shooting fast-flying game. In taking aim
draw the trigger and fire, if it is only where you expect a
bird to appear, or about where one has disappeared. Birds
often fly when in thick undergrowth very singularly
some frequently twist and dart, others fly off in a direct
line behind bushes and trees, and it requires quick move-
) |
HOW TO AIM, AND SHOOT. 43
ments and good shooting to bring them down. These are
difficulties that good judgment alone will overcome. At
some seasons of the year most shooting is done in wocd
and thicket—in thick cover through which you can scarcely
force your way. ‘This kind of shooting requires consider-
able practice. One half the time you are not able to see
vour game, and you cannot judge correctly their position
and distance, but you must learn to guess at it from all the
circumstances. To kill birds under these circumstances it
requires a quick eye, a clear mind, and a ready hand. The
sportsman will have to serve an apprenticeship at the busi-
ness before he can attain the art. Shooting birds in open
fields on the wing, is entirely different from shooting birds
in thick cover, such as you find in the mountains and hills,
swamps, densely grown-up clearings and thickets. In open
ground you can see the birds, you can judge with what
velocity they are flying, you have no bushes, trees, or ob-
structions to interfere with you in taking aim.. You will
have more time to judge the distance they are off at the
time of drawing the trigger. You will therefore perceive
that shooting birds out in the open on the wing will admit
of taking more deliberate aim than shooting under thick
cover, because you have more time for deliberation. You
can close one eye in taking aim with ease and shoot very
accurately when a bird rises in open fields, flying in certain
directions. But when shooting in woods, bushes, and
thickets, or difficult places, you have no time to lose in get-
ting aim, and the only plan to pursue to be successful, is to
shoot with both eyes wide open. After years of experi-
ence in the field and in shooting all kinds of fast-flying,
and running game, I offer you my method of shooting and
aiming where game is found in different locations and un-
der certain circumstances. When a bird springs in a thicket
and flies straight off through bushes and hanging branches,
pitch your gun quickly to your shoulder, cast both eyes cn
the bird, draw the trigger and fire, without an instant’s
deliberation. When a bird springs in thick cover and flies
to the right or left behind bushes, pitch the gun quickly to
44 PRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT ‘SHOOTING.
your shoulder, cast both eyes upon it, or the direction it
has taken, or where it is likely to appear, or close to where
it disappeared, draw the trigger and fire, and keep the
gun moving for an instant after the trigger is drawn.
When a bird springs close under your feet out in the open
fields and goes off slowly, offering a fair shot, pitch the
gun quickly to your shoulder, catch aim on the bird by
looking down the barrel of the gun with one eye closed,
and when your eye informs you that your aim is correct,
draw the trigger and bring it down. When a Hare boun-
ces up in open field, where you have a clear, open shot, and
it gets up close under your feet and runs straight off, pitch
the gun quickly to your shoulder, catch aim on the Hare
by looking down the barrel with one eye closed, and when
it is at the proper distance, draw the trigger and knock it
over. But when a Hare bounces up in open field and darts
for cover which is but a short distance off, pitch the gun
quickly to your shoulder, cast both eyes upon the Hare,
and draw the trigger without an instant’s deliberation.
ood
When a bird springs in open field, and flies to the right or
left, or rises some distance off and makes for the woods, or
thicket, pitch the gun quickly to your shoulder, cast both
eyes upon it, and draw the trigger and fire, and keep the
gun moving for an instant after the trigger is drawn. But
when a bird springs close to your feet in a thicket, or clear-
ing, and flies out in open ground or fields and goes straight
off, pitch the gun quickly to your shoulder, catch aim on it
by looking down the barrel of the gun with one eye clos-
ed, and when your eye says it is at the proper distance to
be killed, calmly draw the trigger and fire. When a bird
springs far in advance, and comes directly towards you fly-
ing over head, and in fall flight, pitch the gun quickly to
your shoulder, cast both eyes upon it, draw the trigger and
fire in an instant, and before it gets directly over head.
But if itis driven by a north-wester, and comes directly over
head, turn and pitch the gun quickly to your shoulder, catch
aim on it by looking up the barrel of the gun with one eye
closed, draw the trigger and fire. Where game is found in
HOW TO AIM, AND SHOOT. 45
different locations and in difficult positions, where it re-
quires keen, quick shooting to bag it, my method is to aim
and shoot with both eyes wide open. But wherever an
open, flying, or running shot offers, to aim and shoot with
one eye closed.
46 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
.
RANGE OF THE GUN.
fANGE of the gun is the distance the shot travels
¢ from the mouth of the gun, through the air, to where
eos they fall to the ground; and you must be able to
cg judge with your eye the best killing distance at
which to fire. Range is a rock over which many sports-
men lose their briliancy; because they cannot correctly
judge distances. I have often seen sportsmen shoot at
Partridges flying too far off, and awaly out of killing range
of the gun, thinking the birds were in killing range, and I
have seen others neglect to fire upon Partridges flying a
short distance off in killing range; because they would
fancy the birds were out of range of the gun. To become
a good shot, you must learn to be an accurate judge of dis-
tances, when in the field, and you must know by a flash
of your eye the proper distance at which to fire upon a
bird to bring it down. ‘To be successful in your shooting
you should be able to measure at a glance, with your eye,
thirty, forty, or fifty yards distance with ease and cer-
tainty. Unless you learn to judge distances accurately
when in the field, you will never become certain-of stop-
ping your birds, but will often find yourself shooting at
birds too close, or far out of reach or killing range of the
gun. It is more difficult to guess distances correctly in
large open fields, than it is in small fields or wood. On
‘rolling land, and on hills in mountainous districts, you are
liable to make mistakes in calculating distances; especially
if you have been in the habit of shooting in open fields, or
on level ground. To remedy these mistakes when in the
field, practice measuring distances with your eye. Mea-
sure off first thirty yards, then forty, and so continue on
RANGE OF THE GUN. 47
up to one hundred yards, and by practicing measuring
these distances with your eye, you will be able in a short
time to judge the distance of thirty up to one hundred
yards with ease, certainty, and with skill.
48 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
.
THE KILLING RANGES OF THE GUN.
JHE killing ranges of the gun, are short range, ordi-
; hary range, and long range. Short range is that
an distance at which you fire upon Partridges flying
? with certainty, without making any allowance in
the aim for the shot to fall, or for the shot to be drifted
from the aim by wind. All Partridges you fire at with
certainty, at any distance from the spot where you stand
up to twenty-five or thirty yards, are short range. Ordi-
nary range of the gun is that distance which is something
farther than short range, but not quite the distance of long
range. It is that distance at which a Partridge flying is
likely to be killed, by taking good aim, and covering the
bird carefully. It may be said to be from twenty-five to
thirty, up to the distance of forty-five yards. All shots
you fire beyond the distance of forty-five yards cannot be
relied upon for ordinary range. Long range is one of the
killing ranges of the gun. It is that distance at which you
fire upon Partridges flying, where the result would be
doubtful and uncertain about your killing them, even
though the aim may be ever so accurate. All distances you
fire beyond forty-five yards, are long range. Whenever a
Partridge is flying at such a distance off, that you are
doubtful and uncertain about killing it, and it is over forty-
five yards distant, it is at long range, but not out of killing
range of the gun. Partridges flying may be killed at fifty,
sixty, and up as high as one hundred yards distance,
with most any ordinary gun, if the gun is charged prop-
erly, and you have a fair open shot. But all such distan-
ces are doubtful and uncertain. Where one Partridge fly-
ing is killed at the distance of one hundred yards, there
ure twenty missed. All such distances are long range; be-
vot
THE KILLING RANGES OF THE GUN. 49
cause it is doubtful, and uncertain, about killing the bird
fired at, even though the aim may be ever so perfect.
Twenty-five to thirty yards, is the utmost limit of distance
of certainty. No gun, muzzle or breech loader, will throw
shot close enough every time it is fired, to make sure of
killing Partridges every time outside of these distances,
I care not by whom, or how the gun is charged, nor do I
care how the gun is sighted, or by whom. From the dis-
tance of thirty yards up to forty-five the chances are one
out of two against killing every Partridge at which you
fire. From the distance of forty-five yards up to eighty,
the chances are three out of four, against killing every
Partridge which you fire upon. A Partridge flying straight
off presents a very small mark to hit, not more than one
inch square, and this space is nearly all bone, and one
smail pellet of shot lodged in a Partridge’s back is not
always sufficient to bring it down. Sportsmen who fire
Jong shots at Partridges should remember this.
50 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
STRAIGHT FORWARD SHOTS.
FITRAIGHT forward shots are very uncertain shots
a to fire, and they are the easiest of all flying shots to
waves catch aim upon. A bad marksman will be more apt
8 to kill upon astraight forward shot, than any other
flying shot. When a Partridge rises and goes straight
off, if it is within twenty-five or thirty yards, aim directly
at the bird. If within twenty-five or thirty yards up to
forty-five, aim to just cover the bird. From the distance
of forty-five yards up to sixty, seventy, or eighty, aim two
or three inches above the bird. A Partridge flying straight
off is a very uncertain shot to kill—you have nothing but
its rump to shoot at, and there are three chances out of
four, that unless you hit it with two pellets of shot, it will
not be brought down, and the chances are, that the shot
will pass around it, and it will escape being hit. Straight
forward shots are uncertain for the sportsman—they are
not likely to hit, no matter how perfect the aim may be,
and if they do hit, are not apt to kill, as the vital parts of
the bird are more or less protected by the rump bone, and
the bird is likely to get off with a wound, or the loss of
a few feathers. I have killed Partridges flying straight
off at fifty, sixty, and as high as one hundred yards dis-
tance, but they were all chance shots—where you would
kill one Partridge flying straight off at one hundred yards,
you would miss twenty. A Partridge is a small object
when it is divested of its feathers, and when it is flying
straight off it presents a very narrow and small mark to
shoot at. Sportsmen when they shoot straight shots at
long distances, should bear this in mind. Twenty-five or
thirty yards is the very outside limit of distance of cer-
tainty to fire upon Partridges flying straight off. Beyond
STRAIGHT FORWARD SHOTS. 51
these distances, notwithstanding the aim may be all right,
the scattering of the shot makes it very uncertain as to
killing them. To prove this statement let the sportsman
place a target off thirty yards distant, and fire at it, and
he will be surprised to see how widely scattered the shot
strikes at that distance. Then let him take into consider-
ation that so small a space as one inch square would be
sufficient to let a Partridge through flying straight off,
and he would readily be convinced how easily a Partridge
could escape being hit ‘beyond this distance. As I have
already stated a Partridge flying straight off presents a
small mark to hit. It is not so when it is flying around,
or across to the right, or the left—you have a larger mark
to shoot at, and the bird exposes all its vital parts to the
fire, and one pellet of shot will be sufficient to bring it
down, because the shot hits a vital part. But when a Par-
tridge flies straight off all its vital parts are protected, and
if you hit it with one pellet of shot, it is in the rump, and
that would not always be sufficient to bring it down, and
the only chance that is left is to break its wing. If the
shot fails to do this, the bird goes on wounded, or perhaps
escapes through the shot without one happening to hit.
When in the field always choose a Partridge that is flying
to the left to fire upon in preference to one that is flying
straight off. The chances are two to one in your favor of
killing the bird flying to your left. A Partridge flying
straight off is a beautiful and easy mark to get aim at, and
this is the reason that youug beginners, and bad marks-
men, are more successful in shooting Partridges flying
straight off than in any other direction, because they al-
ways shoot in a hurry—being excited, they fire upon the
bird very close, at short range, so that the shot are not
scattered, and if the gun happens to be pointed correctly,
the bird is generally killed. But it is not so with cross
shots—there must be a combination of movements to be
successful in catching aim, which requires judgment, prac-
tice, and experience of years, in perfecting the eye, and in
handling the gun.
02 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING,
CROSS SHOTS.
BROSS Shots are lines of flight taken by birds across
B) the sportsman, and may Geaciatic oblique, curved,
and the different angular flights. They may include
? all angles of flight a Partridge takes in flying across
the sportsman, whether acute or obtuse. Cross Shots are
more fatal if they hit than straight forward shots, as all
the vital parts of the bird, when crossing are exposed to
the fire. Never refuse to fire cross shots, as they most
easily kill of all flying shots if they hit. The shot strikes
harder and stronger a crossing bird, than one flying in the
same direction as the shot. A Partridge flying around to
Peasine
¢€
yh iy oe
G
the left is the best shot to fire at, and it is the easiest of
ull flying shots to kill; because the whole vital parts of
the bird are exposed to the fire, and if one pellet of shot
hits with force, the bird will be brought down and killed ;
and the gun being balanced in the left hand by stepping
forward with the right foot, the body can be turned with
ease to the left side, to aim and follow the bird in its flight.
It is not so with a bird flying to the right, or over head—it
is more difficult to turn the body to aim, as the gun cannot
be carried to the right side, or over head as readily as to
the left side. Therefore, when in the field take every op-
portunity to avail yourself of all the cross, or side shots
you can get at Partridges flying around to the left. When
a Partridge rises to the right or left of you, within twenty-
five or thirty yards distance, aim directly at the bird’s
body and fire. If within thirty yards up to forty-five, aim
to just cover the bird. From forty-five yards up to eighty
aim two or three inches higher than the bird’s body, or in
other words, aim just a little above the bird. It is not ne-
cessary to aim in the advance of a Partridge, flying around
OROSS SHOTS. 53
or across, no matter how fast it is flying, unless the wind
is blowing a gale, and you are shooting across the wind—
then the aim should be a little in the advance, as the case
may be, especially at long range. It is not necessary to
make any allowance for the motion of the bird’s flight, as
the shot travels from the mouth of the gun, up to the dis-
tance of thirty, to eighty yards almost instantaneously,
and it would not be worth while to calculate about the mo-
tion of the bird’s flight, because the shot scatters at this dis-
tance very widely, and would compass four or five feet, and
one or two inches aim in front or behind the bird would not
alter the case a particle. The secret in shooting cross shots
lies in not arresting the impetus of the gun at the time of
pulling the trigger. Ifthe impetus of the gun is stopped,
the bird will invariably be missed by the shot striking in
the bird’s rear. Ifa Partridge rises and flies to the right,
step back with your right foot, and aim at its body and
fire, and keep the gun moving in the line of flight of the
bird for an instant after the trigger is drawn. If a Par-
tridge rises and flies to the left, step with your right foot
forward, aim at the bird’s body and fire, and be sure not
to arrest the impetus of the gun at the time of drawing the
trigger. There is no necessity for aiming in the advance
of a bird flying around, or across to be successful, as some
writers allege. The secret of cross shooting, or killing a
bird flying across, lies not in aiming in front of the bird,
nor does it lie in aiming behind the bird, but in aiming right
at the bird, and in catching perfect aim on the bird, and in
holding on to the aim, and in not losing it, and by not ar-
resting the impetus of the gun at the time of drawing the
trigger.
54 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
DESCENDING SHOTS.
A; Partridges flying downward from the sportsman,
S” and may include all directions of flight a Partridge
flying takes descending. Partridges when flushed
on a hill, instead of flying straight off, more usually
dart down along the side of the hill in a downward direc-
tion, and unless the sportsman takes good care he will
find himself invariably missing these birds—even the fairest
shots—by shooting too high, because a Partridge flying
down hill is all the while lowering, and if the aim is directly
at the bird, and the impetus of the gun is stopped at the
time of drawing the trigger, the bird will undoubtedly be
missed, as the shot will pass over the bird, being driven
too high. To be successful in shooting descending shots, or
Partridges flying down hill, or sinking or lowering, apply
the same rules as I have given for cross shooting. If within
twenty-five or thirty yards, aim directly at the bird, and
fire, and so on, and always remember to keep the gun
moving in the line of flight of the bird, for an instant after
the trigger is drawn. Descending shots are like, cross
shots—nine times out of ten, it is by arresting the motion
of the gun in the line of flight of the bird, at the time of
drawing the trigger, that causes you to miss your mark.
Sometimes Partridges fly straight off, and all of a sudden
will ascend in flight over a fence, or a clump of bushes, or
the like, and immediately on clearing the fence, bushes, or
the like, will descend again. These minute matters, though
seeming of little importance, should never be lost sight of,
and it is well not to allow yourselfto be thrown off of your
guard. It is by these minute considerations, an observant
sportsman and good shot surpasses in excellence in shoot-
~
eee
e DESCENDING SHOTS. 55
ing, his companions, and fills his game bag. The secret
of shooting descending shots, ora bird flying down hill, or
sinking or lowering, lies not in aiming below the bird as
some sportsmen affirm, nor does it lie in aiming above nor
in front, nor behind the bird, but in aiming right at the
bird, and in catching aim on the bird, and in not losing
it; and by not stopping the motion of the gun at the time
of drawing the trigger.
56 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
OVER HEAD SHOTS.
¢ VER head shots are among the most difficult of all
f shots by which Partridges are killed on the wing,
eS” and most sportsmen who are good shots in every
other particular, and can kill Partridges flying in all
other directions, when they come to fire upon Partridges
flying over head, invariably miss them. The fault lies in
shooting directly over head, or too quickly when the bird is
advancing, and not quick enough when the bird has passed
over head. By handling yourself and gun quickly and swift-
ly, there is plenty of time to catch aim on the bird when
the bird is advancing towards you, and before it gets over
your head, and this is your best chance to fire upon it, to
kill it, and this is the time to bring it down. But if the
bird is close on you, and flying very rapidly, and coming
with the wind with great velocity advancing directly over
your head, and would not admit of your catching aim on
it, withhold your fire, and let the bird pass over your head,
then turn quickly and take a fair shot at it going off. But
when a Partridge is advancing, and will admit of your
taking aim at it before it gets over your head, lose no time
nor opportunity, but draw the trigger and fire, and if you
miss it you will have a chance to bring it down with the
second barrel, after it has passed over head, by turning
and taking a fair shot at it flying off. Some sportsmen
seldom shoot at Partridges advancing towards them, they
are under the impression that if the shot hits a bird when
it is approaching, the shot will glide off of the feathers
without penetrating through the skin. Thisis altogether
a mistaken idea. I have killed hundreds of Partridges
flying, coming directly towards me, and when the gun
would crack the shot would knock the life right out of
OVER HEAD SHOTS. 57
them, and they would fall dead as a rock, and often I have
shot them coming under full headway, right on me, and
when the gun would crack, they being so close the shot
would fairly riddle them, and I have often killed them fly-
ing down hill, coming directly at me, and flying so swiftly,
being frightened, that when the shot would hit them, they
would be coming with such velocity, that they would
fall ten feet behind me, and on several occasions I have
caught them when they were falling, with my hand, and
have had them to fall dead at my feet. And I have even
had birds that were wing-tipped, when falling, to pitch
and hit me. I have killed Partridges flying in every con-
ceivable direction, advancing towards me, or passing over
my head; and I have always found, that when the gun
was pointed right, and the aim correct, and the bird in
killing range of certainty, it was brought down and killed.
It made no difference in which direction the bird was fly-
ing, whether it was advancing towards me, or going away
from me. When a Partridge has passed over head, flying
in full flight, be quick in your movements, turn your body
and catch aim on the bird in an instant, draw the trigger
and fire. The aim should be quick, and very accurate, be-
cause the bird is in full flight going at the top of its speed,
and flying very swiftly, and unless you catch aim on it, in
an instant, and shoot quickly, it will get out of killing dis-
tance of certainty of the gun, and unless the aim is perfect
the bird will be missed, because it is flying at an acute an-
gle with theshot. To be successful in shooting Partridges
flying over head, all you have got to do, is to aim directly
at the bird, and keep up the motion of the gun with the
flight of the bird, and always remember to shoot the first
barrel when the bird is advancing towards you, and before
it gets over your head, so if you should happen to miss
your mark, you will have another chance at the bird with
the second barrel, by turning and taking a fair shot at it
flying off. Unless strict attention is paid to these rules,
you will miss the fairest marks offered by Partridges flying
over head.
8
58 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
PARTRIDGE; QUAIL; BOB-WHITE.
Ortyx, Virginianus. Var. Virginianus.—Bonap.
wee. CHAR.—Forehead, and line through the eye and
IMs along the side of the neck, with chin and throat,
I white. A band of black across the vertex, and ex-
tending backwards on the sides, within the white,
and another from the maxilla beneath the eye, and cross-
ing on the lower part of the throat. The under parts are
white, tinged with brown anteriorly; each feather with
several narrow, obtusely V-shaped bands of black. The
forepart of back, the side of the breast, and in front just
below the black collar, of a dull pinkish-red. The sides of
body and wing-coverts brownish-red; the latter almost
uniform, without indication of mottling. Scapulars and
upper tertials coarsely blotched with black, and edged in-
ternally with brownish yellow, top of head reddish; the
lower part of neck, except anteriorly, streaked with white
and black. Primary quills unspotted brown, tail ash.
Female with the white markings of the head replaced by
brownish-yellow ; the black ones with brownish.
Young.—Head ashy, with a narrow post-ocular white
stripe, and the crown spotted with black; throat whitish.
Beneath pale dingy ash, with whitish shaft streaks, and
without black bars or other markings. Above reddish or
olivaceous drab, the feathers with whitish shaft-streaks,
and a large black spot, mostly on upper web.
Chick—Head dingy-buff; an auricular dusky elongated
spot, and a vertical patch of chestnut-rufous, widening on
the occiput. Length, 10.00; wing, 4.70; tail, 2.85.
Haz.—Eastern United States to the High Central Plain,
Devil’s River, Texas.— Baird, Brewer and Ridgway.
tia
Sy
: : |
Li \
rs Wh
Ny
———
= A
SI
ot
~
~
—
S
HABITS. 59
HABITS.
* HIS beautiful game bird is well known by all sports-
~men, and by most persons of our country. For in
” summer the loud, clear, distinctive whistle of Bob-
White, is as well-known, and familiar an utterance
as proceeds from the fields. The geographical description
of this bird’s habits, is as described in the “North Ameri-
can Birds, Baird, Brewer and Ridgway.” They state, this
species, known in New England and in certain other parts
of the country as the Quail, and in the Middle and Southern
States asthe Partridge,—either of which names belonging
to other and quite different birds, is inappropriate,—is found
throughout the Eastern portion of North America from
Florida to Maine, and from the Atlantic to Texas on the
South and to the Central Plains. Partially successful at-
tempts have been made to introduce it in Utah, and its
area promises to extend much farther than its original
limits. This species has also been acclimated in Jamaica,
and now abounds in all parts of that island. There they
are said by Mr. March to make no nest, but to lay on the
ground, in tufts of grass, roots, or under clumps of bushes
usually from twelve to twenty eggs. These are smaller
than with us. This species has also been introduced into
the island of St. Croix, and is now very common in almost
every part of it, being especially abundant,in the grass
lands of the Southwestern part. This bird is probably
found in all the New England States, though its presence
in Maine is not certain; and, if found there at all, is only
met with in the extreme Southwestern part. It is also
rare in Vermont and New Hampshire, and only found in
the Southern portions. It is not given by Mr. Boardman,
nor by Professor Verrill. Farther West it has a more
a
60 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
Northern distribution, being found in Northern New York
and in Southern Canada. Mr. McIlwraith gives it as resi-
dent in the neighborhood of Hamilton. In many parts of
Massachusetts the Quail has become a very rare bird, owing
to the ravages caused by sportsmen and the severity of
winters, heavy falls of snow being frequently particularly
fatal to them. In heavy falls of snow they frequently hud-
dle together on the ground, and allow themselves to be
buried in the drifts. If the snow is light, they can easily
extricate themselves and run over its surface in quest of
berries, and the seeds of shrubs; but if the fall be followed
by a partial thaw, and a crust forms, the birds are made
prisoners within its impenetrable cover, and miserably
perish of hunger. In the severe winters of 1866 and 1867,
large numbers of Quail thus perished throughout all parts
of Massachusetts. When the snow melted, they were
found, in numerous instances, crowded close togther, and
embedded in the frozen drifts. Unlike most birds they
never collect in large flocks, but usually move in small
family groups, varying in numbers from ten to thirty, but
too often reduced to a mere remnant by the inroads of the
sportsman. These birds are often found in grounds more
or less open, preferring those in which there is abundance
of low trees and clusters of shrubs in which they can shel-
ter themselves. The Quail is esteemed a great delicacy as
an article of food, and is sought for the market by means
of traps, nets and various kinds of snares, and by sports-
men with the gun and dogs. It is naturally unsuspicious,
is easily approached, and in the thickly settled parts of
the country its ranks are already greatly thinned. It is
gradually disappearing from New England, and is now
very rare in large tracts where it was once quite abundant.
In some localities they have only been retained by the im-
portation of others from a distance. They are of gentle
disposition, are apparently much attached to each other
both in the conjugal and in the parental relations, and
always keep closely together in the small flocks associating
HABITS. 61
together. In the fall the old birds remain with their off-
spring of the season, and direct the movements of their
family. They always keep close together, by day as well
as by night.
62 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
PAIRING AND NESTING.
{CA RCELY*thave the winter months passed, the snow
“ disappeared from the ground, and early in spring,
when the returning sun begins to arouse the different
‘tribes from their winter homes, and when the Wil-
son snipe is on the meadows, this is the season of the year
when the Partridges begin their courtship. With us in
Maryland, the Partridges commence mating in the month
of March or April, or even earlier, or later according to
the season. After mating they separate in pairs, and
should the weather change, and become rough and cold or
snow fall, after being separated in pairs, it is not unusual
for them to reassemble into coveys again. In separating
in pairs there are frequently more females than males, and
more frequently more males than females. When there
are more males than females, it detracts much from their
production, as the overplus of males not being provided
for, will single out a female, and will run, and so harass
her, will not give her an opportunity to build a nest, and
she will drop her eggs indiscriminately from place to place,
no two together. Should there be more females than
males, it does not detract so much from their production,
for sometimes a single male will associate with more than
one female, and on doing so, their joint products will be
laid in the same nest or in one close by.
Mr. William Jacobs, living in the Linganore hills, who
is aman of fair veracity, informed me that he found one
of these nests, near his home. The nests were on the side
of a hill, in open ground, under some dewberry vines, the
two hens were setting about two feet apart, one upon fif-
teen, and the other seventeen eggs, making in all thirty-
two eggs. He visited the nests regularly every day until
——
PAIRING AND NESTING. 63
e
the eggs were hatched. When the females departed with
their young brood they left but one egg unhatched. The
Partridges build their nests in the month of May. The
nest is always constructed on the ground, frequently at
the foot of a stump, or by a thick tuft of grass, or bush,
often in the corners of a worm fence which is grown up
with grass, weeds, or briars, and frequently in the open
fields, as wheat, clover or timothy. The nest is very sim-
ply constructed, it is slightly sunk below the surface of the
ground. The materials consist of dry leaves and grass, or
stubble and straw, and are so arranged as to form a cover
with an opening at the side for an entrance, but they are
as often open above, as covered. The female lays from
twelve to twenty- four e eggs, of a pure brilliant white color,
sharply pointed at one end, and obtusely rounded at the
other, and is assisted by the male in hatching them. The
period of incubation I do not exactly know, but it is said
to be about twenty-three days. When the eggs are placed
under the domestic hen, it is said to take four weeks to
hatch them. During the period of incubation, and when
the female is laying, the male may be heard, a short dis-
tance off, standing on the fence, stump, log, or the low
limb of a tree, keeping his paramour company, by repeat-
ing at intervals his well-known and familiar love notes,
Bob- White. ‘The young leave the nest as soon as they
are freed from the shell, and are led around in search of
food by the female, and are nestled under her wing in the
same manner as a brood of young chickens. Should the
little brood be come upon and surprised by an enemy, ora
huntsman, or a dog, the greatest alarm and consternation
take place. The female places herself inthe way, flutter-
ing along and dragging and beating the ground with her
wings, as if badly wounded, at the same time using every
artifice to decoy the intruder in pursuit of herself, crying
at the same time notes of safety, which are instinctively
understood by the young birds, who squat and hide among
the grass, and keep themselves close until all danger is
passed. The female after having succeeded in leading the
64 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
pursuer a short distance off, disappears in the cover by
running, or spreads her wings and flies from fifty to one
hundred yards and lights, and returns by a circuitous
route to the place she has just abandoned, and collects
around her the young brood, and leads them away to a
place of safety. This well known manoeuvre, which the
female resorts to for the safety of her young, is well under-
stood by all sportsmen of experience, but to the young and
inexperienced, or a dog, the decoy eight times in ten proves
successful. Their notes, when calling the young brood to-
gether, is a low twittering sound, very much like that of
young chickens. When a covey of full grown birds, and
those that are nearly so, are flushed and separated, their
call note to reassemble themselves together again, is very
different from the male’s love notes in summer, Bob- White.
It is a clear, loud whistle, suggestive of fear, timidity and
anxiety, and is familiar ad well understood by all sports-
men, as this whistle is often imitated by the sportsmen to
draw a response, and the birds from their hiding places.
The Partridges, with care, pains and attention, may be
easily raised in confinement, and may be induced to propa-
gate and may be trained into a condition of partial domes-
tication. Baird, Brewer and Ridgway state that Rev. Dr.
Bachman, of Charleston, 8. C., succeeded in obtaining, by
hatching under a Bantam Hen, a brood of young Quails.
Confining them with their foster mother for a few days,
they were soon taught to follow her like young chickens.
They were fed at first on curds, but soon began to eat
cracked Indian corn and millet. They were permitted to
stray at large in the garden, one wing of each having been
shortened. They became very gentle, and were in the
habit of following Dr. Bachman through his house, seating
themselves on the table at which he was writing, occasion-
ally in play, picking at his hands, or running off with his
pen. At night they nestled in a coop in the garden. AI-
though these pets had no opportunity of hearing any other
sounds than those of the poultry, the male birds commenc-
ed in the spring their not unmusical note of Bob- White, at
PAIRING AND NESTING. 65
first low but increasing in loudness until they were heard
through the whole neighborhood. Their notes were pre-
cisely like those of the wild birds. As the spring advanced
the males became very pugnacious, and continued contests
took place among themselves, as well as with the pigeons
and the poultry that intruded on their premises. Their
eggs were placed under a hen and hatched out. The ex-
periment went no further, but was quite sufficient to de-
monstrate the possibility of their domestication.
Baird, Brewer and Ridgway further add, that Wilson re-
lates that in one instance a female of this species set upon
and hatched out the eggs of the common hen. For sey-
eral weeks after, his informant occasionally surprised her
in various parts of the plantation with her brood of chick-
ens, on which occasion she exhibited every indication of
distress and alarm; and practiced her usual manceuvres
for their preservation. She continued to lead them about
until they were larger than herself, and their manners had
all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young Quails.
66 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
FIRST AND SECOND BROOD.
33 18 to have two broods of young in a season. If the
Spring is early and fayorable, they have the first
brood in the latter part of June, if otherwise, in
July. The second brood they have usually in August, or
September, but it depends upon the season. The first brood,
when about one-third grown, is taken charge of by the
male, who is a very watchful and attentive guardian.
When there are two broods in a season, the second brood
unites with the first, and, if undisturbed, they will keep to-
gether under the guidance of their parents through win-
ter until spring. In Maryland, and I may say in the Mid-
dle and Northern States, especially in the thickly settled
and highly cultivated portions, the Partridges more fre-
quently have one than two broods a season. This can be
accounted for. The warm weather in Maryland, and in
the Middle and Northern States, except in some instances,
is hardly long enough to allow the females sufficient time
to lay, and hatch their eggs, and have two broods in a sea-
son, before cold weather sets in, and, in the thickly settled
and highly cultivated portions, the nest and eggs are con-
stantly being trespassed upon and destroyed. So much so,
that the females in many instances are set back late in the
season with their first broods, and as far as I am aware,
when these occurrences take place, the females content
themselves usually with having only one brood in the sea-
son. The young broods the sportsmen find in October and
November too small to shoot are more frequently the first
and only broods that have been hatched in the season,
than they are the second broods of the season, unless there
FIRST AND SECOND BROOD. 67
are two sizes of birds found in the covies. When this is the
case, I will say nine times out of ten, then you can be sure
that the smaller sizes are the second broods that have been
hatched by the females in the season.
68 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
ROOSTING.
¥HE Partridges always roost on the ground. Their
=< favorite roosting places are the stubble fields and
Ge swamps where the ground is low, and the tall grass
? and rag-weed most plentiful. They roost on the out-
skirts of thicket and wood, in grass patches and in clear-
ings, sheltered in the like manner, but as often on high
ground sparingly covered as otherwise. When roosting
they arrange themselves in a circle with their bodies closely
pressed against each other, their tails forming the interior
of the circle, their heads the exterior. In arranging them-
selves in this manner, it adds greatly to their comfort in
extreme winter, also to their safety, as they present an
outlook on every side against their enemies, and if they
are disturbed in the night they can all fly straight off with-
out interfering with each other. When undisturbed and
the weather proves favorable, they frequently resort to
the same spot, or close by to roost, for a number of nights.
When going to roost it is not uncommon for them about
dusk to take a short flight to an adjoining field, swamp,
clearing, or the like, and settle down and roost immedi-
ately about the spot where they strike the ground. This
adds greatly to their protection during the night, for they
leave no trail behind, as they would when going on foot,
for their enemies to follow or scent them to their roost-
ing places. When the day is fine and clear they leave
their roost at a very early hour; if rough and cold they
frequently remain on their roosting places until the day is
farther advanced. When leaving their roost in the morn-
ing, the whole covey travels off in search of food, or takes
au short flight to some regular feeding ground.
YA
ft
a2
Vl LPANK SCL
8S; QUAILS.
.
u
PARTRIDG
AMERICAN
FOOD OF THE PARTRIDGES. 69
FOOD OF THE PARTRIDGES.
® feed on berries, buds, and insects. Their principal
food in autumn and winter is wheat, corn, buck-
wheat, berries, and seed. Their favorite food is corn
and buckwheat. They prefer it to any other kinds of grain,
but during the shooting season they are more frequently
found in swamps, thickets, clearings, and in second growth
wood skirts, briar patches bordering wheat stubble and
corn fields, and in wheat stubble, more than they are in
corn and buckwheat fields. This is owing in a great mea-
sure to the want of sufficient cover, more than to the pref-
erence for the food found there. They feed on different
species of berries, gum, sassafras, poke, wild cherries and
the like, and are very fond of black haws, and wild chicken
grapes, and eat ants, grasshoppers, and other insects. In
extreme winter and in spring, when the ground is cover-
ed with snow, and food is scarce, when driven by neces-
sity more than love, they feed on different species of seed,
plants, and buds, such as rag-weed seed, and then they are
said to partake of the tender buds and leaves of the marsh
laurel (Kalmia Glauca), which may be found in the low-
lands, and the mountain laurel (Kalmia Latifolia), which
shades and crowns, and in summer adorns with its beauti-
ful flowers our unshorn primitive, wooded hills, and moun-
tain sides, and possesses like properties as the other species.
This well known evergeen inhabits all sections of the Uni-
ted States. It is from three to ten feet in height—the
leaves are possessed of poisonous narcotic properties. They
are said to prove fatal to sheep and some other animals,
but are eaten with impunity by deer, goats, and partridges.
It is said that death has been occasioned by eating the
70 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
flesh of Partridges and Pheasants which have fed upon
them during winter. I cannot vouch for the correctness
of these statements; as far as 1 am concerned, I have
eaten hundreds of Partridges and Pheasants, and so far I
have never experienced any bad consequences after having
partaken of the flesh, though when I take into considera-
tion the respectability of those, some of whom are respect-
able and eminent physicians, who have particularized and
published in Medical Journals cases where it has proved
injurious and even fatal, Iam more than inclined to be-
lieve there is some foundation for these charges. Baird,
Brewer and Ridgway state that in confinement they eat
beechnuts, acorns, and other kinds of nuts, if broken for
them. In villages where they are not molested, they be-
come very tame, freely approach the barn-yards to feed
with the poultry, and will even come at the call of their
friends and pick up food thrown to them. This is espe-
cially noticeable in Florida, where the representatives of
the small race of the species found there are very numer-
ous and remarkably confiding.
FOES OF THE PARTRIDGES. val
FOES OF THE PARTRIDGES.
HE Partridges, like the Pheasants, have numerous
; foes to contend with, and are destroyed in various
ways, independent of man. To enumerate the foes
which destroy them, I shall begin with the snake,
which crawls and creeps by day and night, through field,
wood, and brake, and is ever ready to spring upon its
prey. This reptile destroys numbers of young birds be-
fore they can fly. The little sparrow hawk is a foe of the
Partridges, and is a very active bird by day. It sits perch-
ed upon a fence stake, or upon a dead tree top, and there
watches, and, if any young birds cross its pathway it will
pounce upon them with great quickness. This little hawk
only destroys the birds when they are weak and quite
young. In the summer season, crows are bold, cunning,
and persistent plunderers of the nest of these birds. The
red and grey fox are destructive foes; they travel their
rounds by day and night throuzh woods, fields, and brakes,
and with their acute sense of smell, sight, and hearing,
they can readily detect these birds, and, creeping within
springing distance, they leap upon them like a cat. These
cunning robbers destroy great numbers of these birds,
both young and old. Minks also make sad havoc among
both the old and young birds, in winter as well as in sum-
mer. These nimble roaming animals mostly prey upon
them in the night, and in travelling their run-ways, they
search every nook, hole, and corner in their beat, and from
their love of killing they destroy more than they can con-
sume. The little weasel is a very destructive foe, it puts
to death more than it can carry off. This active wiry little
animal seizes its prey near the head, and the place where
its teeth enter is so small a wound that it can scarcely be
72 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
perceived. The raccoon has an acute sense of smell,
and a keen appetite for such, food. It seldom passes a
roosting covey without leaping upon them. The Pole Cat
destroys large numbers of these birds, not only when
pressed for food in the winter season, but in summer when
the birds are young. The Chicken Hawk, Goshawk (Astur
atricapillus) is a great foe of the Partridges. This swift,
strong, bold hawk lurks around their haunts from early
morn until dewy eve, and it never hesitates to sweep down
and catch up a bird and make off with it almost in a
breath. When they are flushed by this bird they fly in
every direction, and make for thick cover, and will hide
themselves in brush piles, high grass, or the like, and then
they are hard to flush. Remember this, whenever you see a
Chicken Hawk lurking around particular fields, and sitting
about on certain trees in autumn or winter, you may then
be sure that there is a covey of birds not far off, for they
will haunt a covey of birds until every bird in the covey
is destroyed. Of all the foes of the Partridges, I shall
award the palm to the Pigeon Hawk, American Merlin,
(Falco columbarius), as the most destructive of all the
hawks. This quick flighted, bold and daring hawk, is but
a trifle larger than a Partridge, but it is bold, savage and
strong, and very swift and quick on the wing, and darts
upon its prey with the swiftness of an arrow. I have seen
it pitch as it were from the clouds, and it would cut the
air when coming down after its prey, with the impetus and
speed of a rocket. The daring and boldness of this hawk
areremarkable. I have often shot Partridges flying in full
flight and they would be darted upon by this bird and car-
ried off, before they would reach the ground, and I have
often had the pleasure, when out Partridge shooting, of
stopping a Partridge with one barrel of my gun, and bring-
ing to the ground, this quick flighted assassin with the
other barrel, when it was in the act of carrying off the
bird that it had seized, and I had just killed. The great
horned owl (Bubo Virginianus), is a destructive foe. It
preys upon them in the night when they are sleeping.
FOES OF THE PARTRIDGES. ie
This monster owl glides with noiseless pinions, and sweeps
and skims over fields, wood and thicket, and with the eye
of faith, in the darkest nights, gobbles up its prey. Severe
winters, and heavy falls of snow, are particularly fatal to
the Partridge, especially if there is a heavy crust formed
on the snow, for they frequently perish in its impenetra-
ble cover, besides they are exposed to all their foes, and
they are frozen to death in whole coveys; and hundreds
of them perish from starvation, and many of them die
from the absence of water. Heavy rains, and floods, and
a long showery spell of weather in June or July is destruc-
tive to them. It spoils their eggs, and destroys many of
the quite young birds. Domestic animals do the same.
Mowing machines, wheat reapers, hay and grain rakes,
and a close cultivation of the soil, are engines of war that
wonderfully lessen the ranks of these native American
game birds.
10
74 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
FLIGHT OF THE PARTRIDGE.
HE Partridge is one of the swiftest birds on the
* wing that exists. There are but few birds that I am
‘ aware of that can excel them in rapidity of flight.
The Partridge, when springing from the ground, and
when on the wing, makes a loud whirring noise. This
sound is produced by the construction, and rapid motion
of the wings. On rising from the ground and going off,
the Partridge flies by a succession of quick flaps, until
they get under full headway; they then spread their
wings and sail with wonderful rapidity, on well balanced
pinions, usually lowering as they go until nearing the
ground, then sail in a straight direction, or turn to the
right, or to the left, and sweep around, where they break
their fall by a few more quick flaps of the wings. With
wonderful speed and command of wing, the American Par-
tridge will fly and dart through the most intricate, entan-
gled thicket, or brake, and even the silent leaves are often
made to tremble by the electric speed of the wings of this
passing bird, and it seldom makes a mistake, or gets en-
tangled through vines, boughs, or bushes, that often inter-
cept the flight of other birds. On being suddenly flushed
the Partridge rises from the ground into the air, with
great rapidity, and will rise from three to ten feet at its
first spring. As the season advances, the Partridge rises
wilder and swifter, on being disturbed, especially if their
alarm and fright be very great. Their slowest flight is in
the morning on first being found. Their swiftest and long-
est flights are made when flying with the wind, and fleeing
from fright and danger, after having been shot at. To kill
them flying at this rate of speed, you will have to bestir
yourself very swiftly, yet deliberately withal, and must
FLIGHT OF THE PARTRIDGE. 75
have a quick eye and ready finger, and you must handle
yourself and gun, and shape your movements very quickly
to cut them down. When they are flushed on a moun-
tain, or on a hill, they usually make longer flights than
they do when flushed on the level ground. Their flight is
considerably increased in velocity by a strong wind, and
nine times out of ten, they will fly with the wind, even
should they be flushed against the wind. When the wind
is blowing a gale, or a north-wester, to bring them down
your movements and actions must be very quick, and
keen, or they will not be stopped. The flight of Partridges
varies very much as regards distance, according to the
ground where they are flushed, the season of the year, and
the strength of the wind, and whether they have been
much disturbed or not. In the first of the shooting season,
when the birds are young, and have not been too much
shot at, their flight rarely exceeds more than three hun-
dred yards in distance, and many will come down inside of
half this distance. In thicket and swamp, where the cover
is dense, they seldom fly very far before they settle. In
open country where the cover is thin, and the ground
bare, they usually fly much farther on being flushed. On
rolling land, or on hills, they often make very long flights,
and if they once get in the habit of making long flights,
they are sure to repeat them on being much disturbed.
Late in the season I have often seen whole covies, when
they were wild from frequent flushing, take wing from the
side of a hill, and fly entirely out of sight to an adjoining
hill, over the tops of the highest trees, and I have often
had a quarter of a mile, or more, to walk, before reaching
them again. When Partridges rise of their own free will,
the whole covey flies in the same course. When flushed
by a sportsman they invariably seek safety by separating.
When flushed in the open fields they usually fly for thick
cover, in swamps, woods, thickets, and the like, and if you
are standing between them and the cover, when they-are
flushed, they are just as likely to fly to the right, or to the
left, or over your head, as they are to fly off in a straight
76 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
direction. And on following them into such places, and
springing them singly, or by twos, threes, foyrs or more,
and firing at them when they come to the end of the cover,
if you flush them there, they then are more likely to wheel
and fly over your head, and go back into the cover again,
than they are to go out into the open, unless there is an
adjoining cover close by. And I am not aware of any
shots that are more awkward to kill, than these, when
they are disposed to fly in this way, especially when you
are in thick second growth timber, and hugging a steep
hill or mountain side, where you can scarcely stand or walk,
except by using one hand and holding on to branches.
MIGRATION—WANDERING BIRDS. 77
MIGRATION—WANDERING BIRDS.
WeARTRIDGES do not migrate, but similar to the
me Pheasant (Bonasa umbellus) on the approach of
S% winter, many of them shift their quarters to thicker
? cover. The distance is not extensive, nor general ;
they rarely move, of their own free will, to any great ex-
tent from where they have been hatched, not even in quest
of food, nor from the severity of the winter season. Al-
though they do not migrate, many of them, at the com-
mencement of autumn, are driven for miles from their for-
mer haunts, and from where they have been hatched, in
various ways and from various causes. Some of the prin-
cipal causes which drive them off, are ploughing up fields,
where they have been hatched, and in cutting the corn off
of fields where they have been in the habit of roaming,
and were protecting themselves in its cover. When these
changes take place; which they do regularly every autumn,
many of them are compelled to travel off in search of new
ground to find cover; and they often travel from one field
to another, and are driven in this way for miles, from
where they have been hatched, and reared. And in wan-
dering around on strange grounds, they frequently become
lost and bewildered, and often times they do not know
what course to pursue, or where to go» These are the
birds that we usually hear of in autumn, being scattered
in the towns and villages of our country. When these
birds are moving, some persons call it their running season,
others calling them travelling birds. When they are moy-
ing they will not always lie for a dog to point them; they
usually fly and alight, and commence running again before
the dog gets up to them. Whenever you are sure that
your dog is trailing a moving covey of wild and running
78 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
birds, make him go slowly; if you do not, he will be almost
sure to flush them wild, and they will get up too far in
advance to get any kind of a shot at them, and should
they fly, it will then be a toss up whether you will find
them again inside of an hour, or find them at all. When
the dog is on the trail, if he attempts to run, or go fast,
check him, and make him go slow, and follow him up
close, and make as little noise when following as possible.
When the birds come to long grass, brushwood, thicket, or
swamp, there are nine chances out of ten, that then here
they will stop and settle, and when the dog gets up to
them and points, if he is broken properly, as he should be,
so that he will obey the command, all you have to do, is to
hie him in, and flush the birds and scatter them; then they
will tie for the dog to point them; and if the dog goes in
at the command with a rush, as he should go, this will
scatter the covey, and they will fly in all directions; and
when they get up fire at them, and take your chances on
using them up, in marking them down, and in following
after them, as soon as the gun is recharged. In this way
I have often broken up many covies that were wild and
running, and have had good sport with them. When the
snow covers the ground, and a crust is formed on the top
of it, | have seen covies act much in the same manner.
The snow covers up their hiding places, and changes the
appearance of their haunts, and they get confounded, and
do not know where to go. They, however, all keep to-
gether, and run over its surface, and are generally very
wild, and they will but seldom allow a dog to get close
enough to point them, but will fly and alight, and com-
mence running again, before the dog gets up to them.
Whenever you come across covies on the snow, that are
disposed to act in this way, the only plan to pursue, to be
successful, is to call the dog in, and keep him behind you,
and follow them up. On coming up to the covey, if they
rise, fire into it, and scatter the birds. If they fly to a hill
or mountain side with a southern exposure, where the-
snow is soft, or to a broken hillside where there are pro-
MIGRATION—WANDERING BIRDS. 79
jecting rocks, where the ground is bare, or to the edge of
a streamlet bank, where there are patches of bare ground,
then you may follow them up, and you may have pretty
good sport with them, because here, ten to one, they will lie
for the dog to point them; but should they fly and alight
where the snow is hard, it is only time lost to follow after
them to have sport, and you may as well credit yourself
with an endless tramping, and give them up.
80 "HAUNTS AND HABITS OF PARTRIDGES AND WHERE FOUND.
HAUNTS AND HABITS OF PARTRIDGES AND
WHERE FOUND.
WHE knowledge one sportsman possesses over ano-
‘ther, of the haunts and habits of Partridges, is
very often the difference between one man’s good
luck, ina day’s hunt, over that of another, who hunts
in a hap-hazard way, without giving these matters atten-
tion. I shall give my knowledge of the haunts and habits
of Partridges, and the best places where to find these
birds. In dry, fair weather, Partridges are found feeding
most generally in wheat stubbles and cornfields, from sun-
rise until about ten or eleven o’clock inthe morning. From
abgut ten or eleven o’clock in the morning, until about
three in the afternoon, they most frequently resort to the
sides of fields in clumps of bushes, or in patches of wood,
or along the sides of creeks that are grown up with bushes,
where they go to drink, and pick up gravel, and where they
often spend some time in picking, scratching, and dusting
themselves. About three o’clock in the afternoon they
commence to run, and feed again, and usually return back
to the wheat stubbles, and cornfields, where they remain
until sunset, when they go to some favorite spot to roost.
They do not always roost in the same fields they feed in;
they frequently take a short flight to an adjoining field or
swamp, and there settle and huddle together, and remain
in this position until morning. They rarely ever run after
they alight, which makes them more secure from their
foes, as they leave no trail behind by which they might be
followed to their roosting places, and detected. On wet
and foggy days, they can most frequently be found in the
woods, and in thin open cover, and on high ground, and
in the dryest places. In cold, windy weather, they can be
HAUNTS AND HABITS OF PARTRIDGES AND WHERE FOUND. 81
found most frequently in thick cover, where they can pro-
tect themselves from the cold and wind, and where they
are exposed to the sun, as in second growth wood, along
hill sides that are exposed to the south, where there are
patches of grassin hollows where the rag-weed is rank and
thick, and along the edges of wood, thicket, and swamp,
where there are patches of weeds, grass, and briars. In
hot, dry weather they most frequently resort to low ground,
along swamps, creeks and ditches, in moist and cool places.
When the day is wet and cold they remain on their roost
until late in the morning. If pleasant and fair they leave
their roosting places, and are on the move at a very early
hour. Ifsnow should fall they remain on their roosting
places until the day is far advanced, and are often covered
up by a deep fall. When the snow is very deep and drift-
ed, they shelter and protect themselves along the sides of
hills that are grown up with wood, and are exposed to the
south, and along the streams and creek banks, where
there are always more or less patches of bare ground, and
where the snow soon melts. In other localities they resort
to swamps, thickets, clearings, brushwood, thick sedge
grass cover, and in the corners of the worm fences that
are grown up with weeds and briars, and here they often
remain closely huddled together, in their snowy prisons,
sometimes for days.
Ld
82 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
.
WITHHOLDING SCENT.
HERE are many sportsmen who believe that the
‘American Partridge has the power of withholding
its scent, on bene hotly pursued by its enemies, be-
cause the very best of dogs, at times, cannot discover
Partridges, even after they have been accurately marked
down in places where they have been seen to settle. Very
often on flushing a covey of Partridges, they fly off all well
together, and after having been accurately marked down,
and the full covey amounting perhaps to fifteen or twenty
birds, have been seen to settle at a particular place, it fre-
quently happens that not more than two-thirds of the
birds in the covey can be flushed up again, at the place
where they have been seen to settle, and the dogs fail to
find and point them, even after having been closely hunted
about the spot. This isa great mystery to many sportsmen,
why all the birds in the covey cannot be found at the place
where they alighted; and many a good dog has been un-
justly lashed for not finding the birds under these circum-
stances. Some sportsmen account for it by supposing the
birds are still at the spot where they alighted, in a state of
quietude, withholding their scent from the figa which pre-
vents the dog from finding them. Other sportsmen ac-
count for it by supposing the birds are still at the place
where they alighted, but being frightened, terror checks
the secretions nnicl are Fae emitted by the bird, and
which renders the dog unable to scent them. I believe nei-
ther; my observation and experience have taught me to look
upon the cause, and account for it, in an entirely different
way. I unhesitatingly say, that I do not believe the Ameri-
can Partridge possesses the power of retaining its scent from
the dog, nor do I believe excessive terror checks the efflu-
WITHHOLDING SCENT. 83
vium that is given out by the bird, which enables the dog
to find and point them. There are various causes why
the very best of dogs at times cannot find and point Par-
tridges, even after they have been accurately marked
down, and have been seen to settle themselves at a partic-
ular spot.
A Partridge, us a general rule, when it strikes the ground,
does not set quietly at the identical spot where it strikes
the ground, but at the instant of its fall it walks or runs
off a short distance, and hides and secretes itself so that
you cannot find it. The distance it runs from the spot,
where it strikes the ground and hides, as a general thing
is not more than a few feet, but it frequently occurs, that
they run off a long distance from the spot where they
alight and hide and entirely escape pursuit. It frequently
happens also outside of the general rule that a Partridge,
on striking the ground, willset perfectly quiet at the very
identical spot where it strikes the ground, and will not stir
a peg, nor move a muscle, and on doing so, in high thick-
matted grass, it often occurs there is no scent by which
the dog can find it, except at the very identical spot it
strikes the ground; and the dog is not likely to find it, be-
cause the scent is not dispersed sufficiently around the spot
for the dog to detect it. Not that the bird is withholding
its scent from the dog, and thus preventing the dog from
finding it, but because the scent is confined, and covered
up at a particular spot, and does not rise and diffuse itself
around sufficiently to enable the dog to detect it. I have
often observed on getting these birds up again, that when
they would fly off, and settle in open cover, and at the mo-
ment of their fall would walk or run a few feet or so, and
then hide, that immediately on coming up to the spot the
dog would come down, and point them most beautifully.
I have often observed on the snow, that when a Partridge
alights, and runs a few feet or so, and hides under the
snow, the dog is not apt to miss it, but if it pitches straight
down like a stone into the snow, and remains perfectly
quiet at the spot where it strikes, and is covered up by
/
84 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
the snow, there is no scent around that spot, and the dog
is not apt to find it. It frequently happens on flushing a
covey of Partridges, amounting perhaps to fifteen or
twenty birds, that after they have been accurately marked
down, and the full covey has been seen to settle at a par-
ticular place, on flushing the covey up again, not more
than two-thirds of the birds in the covey can be flushed
up at the place where they have been seen to settle, and
the dogs fail to find them, even after having been closely
hunted about the spot. Why all the birds in the full covey
cannot be flushed up again is easily accounted for. Do
not suppose that the birds all set quietly at the spot where
they alight; if you do, you will be often mistaken. Some-
times they may, sometimes they may not. Do not sup-
pose the birds are withholding the scent from the dog; if
you do, you will be disappointed, for the American Par-
tridge does not possess that power. The reason why every
bird in the covey cannot be flushed is because they are
not all there to flush. Some have left. It frequently hap-
pens when a covey of Partridges settles, every bird in the
covey at the moment of striking the ground will remain
quiet within a few feet of the spot where they alight, but
this is not always the case, and do not suppose so, for I
assure you it often happens that part of the birds in the
covey run like race horses, directly their feet strike the
ground, and in this way they oftentimes entirely escape
pursuit, and when part of the covey does so, on coming up
to the place where you have seen the full covey settle, the
dogs will generally come to a stand and point those birds
that remain around the spot where they alighted, and on
vetting these birds up, the dog’s attention is fixed upon the
birds that rise up, and is drawn immediately around the
spot where they spring from, and is entirely withdrawn
from the trail of that part of the covey that took to their
heels and ran as soon as their feet touched the ground, and
the stronger scent from the feet of so many birds that have
just arisen will transcend that of the few birds that have
run off, and will bewilder the dogs, and the few birds that
WITHHOLDING SCENT. 85
ran off will not be found, and will escape pursuit. But by
coming up to the place, in the course of an hour or so, some
of these birds may be flushed at the identical place where
they took to their heels and from which they escaped, as
they frequently return back to the place after the lapse of
an hour or so to get together again, and on going up to the
place the dogs will soon find and point them. I will give
you a case in point. I recollect once while out Partridge
shooting in Frederick county, Maryland, accompanied by
two companions, both of whom were excellent huntsmen,
and capital shots, we were in a large stubble field owned
by Daniel Kolb. Running at the edge of this field was a small
stream of water called Keller’s branch, which runs into the
Monocacy River. We were accompanied by three fine dogs
and as good hunters and finders, I think, as ever winded a
stubble. The first was a blood-red setter, called “ Rover,”
which for sagacity and nose I never saw excelled. The
second was snow white, except the left ear, which was gold
and yellow, a pointer called “ Rake,” which for staunchness
and trail I never saw surpassed. The third was a sky blue,
a cross, (half pointer and setter,) called “ Ponto,” which for
dash, range, wind, and speed, I have never before or since
seen equaled. The day was clear, and the air clean and
fresh ; the red setter, “ Rover,” came to a point, where the
ground rose slightly. The white pointer, “ Rake,” was busy
with his head down trailing at the time close by the red
setter, but on noticing him, the white dog Rake edged him-
self close up to the red setter, and came down flat just a
little in his rear. The blue dog “ Ponto” we had lost sight
of at the moment, but on looking around we saw him stand-
ing on the bank of a small gully, from which he had just
emerged, and seeing the white and red dog on the brow
had back-pointed them. My two companions and myself
advanced up to the two dogs in good style, and with due
caution. Arriving at the spot, we were stationed as follows :
One of my companions on the left, the other on the right,
and myself occupying the centre. We advanced in front
of the dogs. One bird arose, and was cut down by my com-
86 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
panion to the left. At the report of the gun, the covey
arose, and it was rigidly fired into by all three of us. My
companion to the left got in his shot in good style, and
bagged his second bird. My companion to the right got
both his first and second shots in beautifully, and bagged
two birds. I got my first shot in, and bagged one bird, but
the second shot I was balked in, by the bird being shot
away from me by one or the other of my companions, and
I fired my second shot at the balance of the covey of seven
birds a long distance off. At the report of my second bar-
rel I saw the feathers fly out of one bird among the seven,
and I knew one was hit, and I called upon my companion
to watch them and mark them down, at the same time do-
ing so myself. The seven birds went on, and dropped close
together in the same field, near a large locust stump, which
was some two hundred yards distant. After charging our
guns we followed them up. On arriving at the stump, my
two dogs, Ponto and Rake, stood almost simultaneously,
the third dog, Rover, back pointing a short distance off.
(lose by the stump stood a small clump of pokeberry bushes.
Some of the branches were broken and hanging down; un-
der these branches the ground was perfectly bare, and from
there one bird sprang. I dropped it in a moment. The
dogs moved at the discharge of the gun, and three more
birds arose and flew in a scattered direction. One of my
companions dropped one of them, and the other got the
other two down. The dogs I dropped in a moment, fear-
ing they might move the remaining three birds yet un-
flushed. We reloaded and bagged the four birds, and then
hied on the dogs. They went up to and under the poke-
berry bushes, and nosed every inch of ground over and over
again where these birds sprang from, but not a feather could
they find. My companions and myself marked the seven
birds well and closely. Wondering what could be the mat-
ter, we made the doyvs hunt very closely around the spot,
but not a bird could they find. We hunted the ground over
and over again, the dogs crossing and recrossing, checker-
ing it, but not a sign of a bird could they find. We eyed
WITHHOLDING SCENT. 87
every inch of ground under the poke bushes. We hunted
and kicked the stubbles around and around the spot, at
least one half an hour for the three remaining birds of the
seven which we marked settled at this particular spot, but
in vain, and finally left the grounds in disgust and despair.
We leisurely pursued our hunt through the field, and coming
up to Keller’s branch we rested at a small spring and ate
our lunch, the dogs at the time at our heels. We spent two
hours along this branch, and while we were being amused
in dissecting a large turtle we had prized out of the mud
from its winter quarters, we heard the calling notes of two
Partridges, apparently sounding as if they came from the
spot we had left two hours before. I asked my two com-
panions to go back with me to the small clump of poke
bushes again, which they both readily assented to. We
took the field, the blue dog Ponto leading the van. On
getting up to the poke bushes Ponto made a point. I
called to Rake and Rover, who were running wild, and
they turned their range, and backed him. Ponto com-
menced drawing a little, and the three were soon together
circling the clump of poke bushes. We now walked up.
As we came within three or four yards of the clump we
halted, the dogs were firm as a rock, and true as steel, and
under the poke bushes were three Partridges close together,
on the bare ground. Two birds arose and were cut down,
the third bird remaining perfectly quiet at the spot, and
on going up to it, it proved to be dead, and on examining
it we found a shot had hit it in the back, and gone through
the skin, and ran around and passed through its breast,
it evidently being the bird I hit, and out of which the
feathers flew from my second shot at the Seven birds when
the covey first sprang, and the three birds we found on re-
turning to the poke bushes, after the lapse of two hours,
evidently were a part of the seven birds which we
marked settled at this particular spot. Why they were not
found on first going up to the poke bushes is easily ac-
counted for. Not by supposing the birds were still quietly
at the spot where they alighted, withholding their scent
a
88 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
from the dogs, but because they were not there. They had
left. The hit bird and two of its companions, at the instant
of striking the ground, ran off and hid, and after the lapse
of two hours they returned to the spot where they alighted
to get together again, and the three huddled, and the
wounded bird died, and, on coming up to the spot the second
time, the dogs soon found and pointed them.
I have never known pointers or setters to have the slight-
est difficulty in finding or pointing crippled Partridges when
they had tumbled about, or ran on striking the ground. I
have seen pointers and setters find and point dead Part-
ridges fifteen minutes after the breath had left the body,
that is, when they had tumbled about or ran a few feet or
so before expiring. A Partridge, alighting in open cover,
and running a few feet or so, and settling and remaining at
the spot where it settled, will not be missed once in a thou-
sand times, if the day is clear, and the air clean and fresh,
and the dogs are good, provided you advance to the spot at
once, and search the ground close, and give the dogs ample
time.
LATE IN THE SEASON. 89
LATE IN THE SEASON.
I vitce is a vast difference between shooting Part-
. ‘ridges during the first of the shooting season, and
REY “sana Part tridges when the season is far sidvanced.
a At the first of the shooting season in October the
birds are young and tame, they have not the power of wing
and strength that they would have later in the season; they
rise slowly, and offer a beautiful and easy mark to shoot at,
and if hit are easily brought down and killed. But late in
the season they become full grown and full feathered, and
are stronger on the wing, and are wild from frequent flush-
ing, and are suspicious of both man and dog, and oftentimes
they will not allow either to approach them close, but will
rise ten feet in the advance with startling suddenness, and
fly with great velocity, and pitch for cover as swift as. bul-
lets. Then it is, and it is at this season of the year that
the sportsman finds some difficulty in bringing them down.
To kill them flying at this season of the year truly requires
an art, and the skill of the sportsman is fully tested. It is
at this season of the year that you see amateur sportsmen
and bad shots banging away their powder and shot without
filling their game-bags. The number of birds bagged by
amateur sportsmen and bad shots, at an advanced period of
the season, are very few, unless by chance.they should rake
a covey huddled on the ground. The very best skill of the
sportsman is required when the season is far advanced, as
the birds then are extremely swift and wild, and often, with
skill and experience, the very best of sportsmen fails to bring
home a heavy bag. Late in the season always try and get
started and pen your shooting early in the morning, and
at sunset in the afternoon is late enough to continue it. It
makes birds very wild to shoot at inter hours, besides being
12
90 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
a certain plan to make them change their haunts. Late in
the season, when birds are wild, be always on your guard,
and always ready to fire, and in shooting double shots be
quick in making your first shot. Killing double shots,
when birds are wild, requires quick action on the part of
the shooter, and is a test of good marksmanship. Late
in the season be always ready to take advantage of all
and every opportunity that offers a chance to be hit. Use
your gun liberally, do not be afraid to miss if you wish
to fill your bag, and become a good shot. Many sports-
men wait for good opportunities, and as they are always
few and far between, especially where birds are scarce, an
ordinary shooter by firing oftener, and at doubtful chan-
ces, will sometimes beat the better shot who makes a
too careful selection. The result of the day’s shooting,
when all is equal, will always be in favor of the man who
shoots at all and every bird that offers a chance to be
killed. Late in the season, in the month of December,
when the birds have become strong and wild, every bird
is on the lookout on the approach of a sportsman, or his
dog. Then, according to my idea, the sport of shooting
Partridges is sport indeed, and a bag of birds bagged in
this month, being full grown, is worth almost two bags
bagged in the first of the shooting season in the month of
October. I have often killed a bag of birds along the
Monocacy and Potomac bottoms, in Maryland, in the
month of December, that would average eight ounces for
each bird,
HUNTING. 91
HUNTING.
{NLESS you understand thoroughly the art of search-
ing for game, you need not expect to make a heavy
bag. You should know something of the ways,
haunts, and habits of the game you are in pursuit of,
and their haunts, and habits on different days, according to
the state of the weather, and at different times in the day,
and you should be able to judge from your own knowledge
of their habits where to find them after they have been
once disturbed. When hunting certain classes of game you
should be quiet, and your tread should be as noiseless as
possible, especially when approaching close to the where-
abouts of the object of your search. Loud talking, whist-
ling for your dog, hallooing for your companion, treading
upon sticks and bushes, dragging the feet along the ground,
instead of raising them up, all have a tendency tq frighten
the game, and are fatal to any attempts to approach close
to them. Young sportsmen should remember that silence,
when hunting for some varieties of game, is as essential for
the success of the sportsman as stealthiness and cunning
are for the fox in pursuing his prey. Some sportsmen get
into the habit of talking aloud to their companions, others
are constantly bawling after their dogs. The successful
sportsman is watchful and silent, his tread is light and noise-
less, and there are times when he directs his companion by
the motion of the hand, or by a point of the finger, or by
a shake or nod of the head; and the dog is directed in si-
lence, by the wave of the hand, or made to stop by squat-
ting, or by an angry shake of the head, or by an ugly look,
or by the click of the hammer, or by pointing the gun, and
other such quiet, noiseless signals.
92 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
HUNTING PARTRIDGES.
PO ‘
/HEN hunting Partridges always try and find your
you will be fresh and not fatigued, and you will be
able to kill more than if tired and worried, as you would be
late in the day after a long tramp. Always hunt your
grounds very closely, search them well, and do not be
in too much of a hurry to get over the ground. This is
a great mistake with many sportsmen. They run over
the ground too fast entirely. They do not hunt slow
enough, and they do not give the dog sufficient time to find
the birds. Partridges sometimes are huddled together, and
they lay very close, and they give out in this way but little
scent, and unless the dog runs close to them he will not find
them, and to walk hurriedly over the ground does not give
the dog sufficient time to search the ground closely. And
if the birds are huddled together in long grass, or in some
grassy knoll, or hollow, in close cover, giving out but little
scent, the dog will not be apt to find them. But by going
over the ground slowly, and by giving the dog plenty of
time to search the grounds properly, the birds will most
generally be come upon by the dog, and perhaps be pointed
within twelve inches of his nose. A covey of birds some-
times, that lie very close in this way, is worth two or three
coveys that flushes wild. Whenever you flush up a covey
of Partridges, especially when birds are scarce, do not be
too anxious to find another, but stick to them as long as
there is a chance left to get one up. “A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.” And in the course of the day’s
hunt to adhere to this rule will add to your success won-
derfully. The better you know the ground, in any particu-
HUNTING PARTRIDGES. 93
lar locality, the more it will be to your advantage, and the
better you will know how to arrange your hunt. When
the season is advanced, during the middle of the day, look
well to the sides of the meadows and grass lands, also the
old fallow fields, on coming across them, especially if there
is a stream of water running in the locality. These are
the places in which you may often find birds about midday,
and are thought by most sportsmen to be the most im-
probable places to find them, and they seldom pass through
them, but generally pass by without even letting the dog
range over them. Both sportsman and dog think these
places the most unlikely of all others for birds to frequent ;
whereas, sometimes, of all others, they are the most likely.
Partridges very often resort to the old fallow fields to pick,
scratch, and dust themselves, and to remain quiet for an
hour or two, as these fields, of all others, are the most quiet,
there being seldom any hands there to disturb them, and
instead of the sportsman passing around the old fallow
fields, scarcely giving them a glance, let him and his dog
hunt them as well as the stubble fields. On cold days
birds are often found in the meadows and grass lands, and,
on coming across them, you should always allow your dog
to range over them. Partridges, as a general thing, lie very
close in a meadow, or high grass land, and on finding them
you will have a good chance of filling your bag. They
seldom get up wild, but on the contrary lie very close and
often times will allow you to kick them up. This makes
beautiful sport, and I have often killed every bird in the
covey when found in such localities, though I have often
taken pity on them, and left part of the covey remain,
when I knew I bad them at my mercy: Partridges that
are wild from frequent flushing are hard to kill, and they
must be marked down very accurately, and if they have
been much disturbed they make long flights and settle,
and hide sometimes in unaccountable places. After hav-
ing been flushed and shot at, and made very wild, they
fly sometimes and alight into very bare places. It is
not an uncommon occurrence for them to alight, when
94 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
very much frightened, in open roads, in ploughed fields, and
in open spaces entirely destitute of vegetation. When you
have them scattered be always on your guard, and always
ready to fire, for where you least expect to find them often-
times one may spring. Whenever you mark a Partridge
down, search for it, and always try and find it; this will
give your dog confidence in you, and by pursuing this plan
you will get more birds in the end. When hunting Par-
tridges, if possible, always give the dog the benefit of the
wind, by walking the field up wind, or side wind. In wet
und forey weather search your grounds well, or the birds
will not be found; because the scent becomes partially de-
stroyed by water dropping on their trail. In hunting the
ground always prefer to hunt the sides of the fields in pre-
ference to the middle, especially if the fields are large.
Partridges are more apt to feed along the sides of fields
than they are in the middle, especially when the fields are
bounded by wood or thicket. Always flush the birds
yourself, and never allow your dog to do it, unless he is
properly broken, and mark the birds down, and follow im-
mediately on after them, as soon as the gun is recharged.
During the first of the season, when the weather is warm,
always arrange your hunt so as to be near water, for the
benefit of your dog.
104 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
agony ; would often come directly towards me, bleeding from
the eyes, and be captured, a single shot having hit them in
one or both eyes, going through and blinding them. Tow-
ering Partridges should be marked down very accurately,
if not they will not be found, as the distance between is
very deceptive; they give out but little scent, and unless
the dog gets his nose right on them he will not find them.
But I have often noticed on finding these birds that they
were not as far off as they seemed to be when first marked
down. When a wounded Partridge mock towers, and
comes down with wings extended, you should approach
with due caution to bag it; the bird not being dead will
often rise and fly away when you are in the act of picking
it up, and even when in your hand.
THE SPORTSMAN WHO NEVER FAILS TO HIT. 105
THE SPORTSMAN WHO NEVER FAILS TO HIT.
One I en shot with sportsmen who had
the reputation of killing twenty-five Partridges out
of twenty-five shots, it made no difference where the
birds were found, and with others who had killed every
bird that would rise. I have shot with some who had
the reputation of killing every time they would fire, and
again with those who have said they could kill nine
Partridges out of ten all day long, one day after another,
the season through, in cover or out of cover. I have heard
such romancing a thousand times, and I have always found,
when the experiment was tested by actual experience in the
field, that the sportsman who had the reputation of never
failing to hit a bird was always a slow, miserable, poking
shot. Where he would kill one bird, a good, quick, expert
sportsman would kill and bag a half dozen in the same
time. It is impossible to kill every Partridge you fire at
Some times the shot spreads widely and the bird escapes
being hit, it matters not how perfect your aim may be. At
other times you may have perfect aim, and by a slip, or a
stumble, or by the sun getting in your eyes, or a bush or a
tree intervening, or the bird darting or turning off just at
the moment of drawing the trigger, you may miss. When-
ever you hear of a sportsman who can kill twenty-five
Partridges out of twenty-five shots, and can kill such a
number without missing, and he can prove it by some of
his sporting friends, you can rest assured that, if he is tell-
ing the truth, the way it is done is by picking out in the
open fields all the slow flying, easy, and certain shots, and
refusing to fire upon all birds that he is uncertain of’ kill-
14
106 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
ing. Itis the difficult and uncertain shots that try the skill
of the sportsman, and it is these shots particularly that a
good sportsman loves to make successfully. One difficult,
cramped, and uncertain shot, at long range, that brings
down the game, gives more real enjoyment and pleasure to
a good shot than forty slow-flying certain ones, because it
tasks his skill to the utmost to bring the-bird down. It is
the number of doubtful, difficult, cramped, and uncertain
shots by which a sportsman kills game in a day’s hunt that
makes him superior in skill to the man who refuses to fire
except when an easy, certain chance offers at short range.
The sportsman who takes every chance when in the field,
or in the thicket, or wood, and fires whenever a bird offers
a chance to be hit, if he kills three birds out of five, day
in and day out, is doing excellent shooting, and where one
sportsman comes up to this standard of shooting you will |
find five hundred that will not. A good shot can go out in
the open fields the first of the shooting season, when the
birds are young and tame and fly very slowly, and by pick-
ing out his birds to shoot at, he can kill, if birds are plenty,
a large number in a day’s hunt, and by only shooting easy
and certain shots at short range, and refusing all long range
and difficult ones, he can kill in this way a good number
of birds before he misses. But late in the season, in De-
cember, when the birds are strong and wild, and fly like
bullets, it takes a good, quick shot to bring them down. I
have yet to see the sportsman who can, at this advanced
period of the season, kill every bird he fires at, whether he
picks his shots or not. It is not the sportsman who kills
the greatest number of birds without missing, in a day’s
hunt, that is the best marksman, but the sportsman that
kills the greatest number of birds, or bags the most game,
in the day’s shooting. I. haveseen sportsmen, when in the
field, who had the reputation of being expert marksmen,
and men that never failed to hit, and in order to sustain this
character would manufacture all kind of excuses for not
shooting at birds that offered the fairest mark. Being afraid
of missing they would go poking about, aiming at every
THE SPORTSMAN WHO NEVER FAILS TO HIT. 107
bird that would rise, and dwell on the bird in its line of
flight, and then, perhaps, would not fire, “it being a beau-
tiful mark too.” And the whole day would be spent in this
manner, in poking and sighting at birds in order to fire six or
seven certain shots where there was no possible chance of
missing, and keeping a correct account how many times
they would fire, so that they could tell their friends that
they had been out shooting and had killed every bird they
had fired at. All such shooting is too tame to talk about.
In order to sustain a reputation as the sportsman who never
fails to hit, you must fire upon all Partridges that offer a
chance to be killed, in bush or out of bush, the difficult,
cramped, and uncertain shots, as well as the easy, certain
ones, at long as well as short ran ge.
108 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
THE EXCITABLE SPORTSMAN.
papae. 3 ,
“omy. OME sportsmen, when shooting, are subject to ungov-
ernable excitement, and all they can do to restrain
Oe’ this feeling, at the time, seems to serve only to in-
a crease it, and they find it impossible to become cool
and calm. Therefore, it is a great drawback, and prevents
them from becoming accurate marksmen—(sportsmen who
are so unfortunate as to be inflicted in this way.) It will
depend altogether upon the state of his mind or nerves as to
whether the sportsman will shoot well or ill. If he shoots
wellit will be at the time when he has the least anxiety about
killing his game, or when he is most successful in his shoot-
ing. One or two clean misses, or unsuccessful shots, or
balks in the morning, will generally upset the whole day’s
shooting with him. He will become over-anxious to kill,
and over-anxiousness will bring on nervousness, and over-
whelmed with excitement his nerves will become unstrung,
and under these circumstances he will be likely to continue
to shoot badly the balance of the day. But should the ex-
citable sportsman be successful in the morning, and kill,
clean, two or three birds, or bring down a doubtful shot,
this will give him confidence, and he will continue to shoot
good the whole day, or at any rate so long as everything
oes evenly and smoothly with him. But if the least tri-
fling circumstance should change the case, or make it other-
wise, it will cause him to shoot badly, or at all events very
uncertainly. An excitable sportsman is very precarious in
his shooting. When a covey springs suddenly the noise or
whirr of the birds’ wings throws him off his guard. He
excitedly pitches the gun up, and in a flash blazes away, in
a hurry, without taking any aim. When walking up toa
dog that is pointing a covey, where the birds are all scat-
THE EXCITABLE SPORTSMAN. 109
tered around, he gets into a nervous trepidation, and when
the covey springs he fires away with an uncertain aim, and
shoots altogether differently from a man who is perfectly
collected and cool. ‘To remedy this excitement when shoot-
ing at a covey, or walking up to a dog when he is point-
ing, the excitable sportsman must learn to regulate himself.
He must practice coolness, and must learn calmness. He
should make it his duty to master his feelings and become
less anxious, and not care so much about killing his game.
If he makes these things his study he will accomplish much
towards making himself a cool, accurate marksman. I
have seen sportsmen who, when the dog would point a
covey, became so excited and nervous that the whole frame
would shake as if with an ague, and I have seen others who,
when a Partridge would rise suddenly from under their feet,
would be so frightened by the noise that they would fire
before the gun would be to theshoulder. I have seen others
again, when a hare would bounce up unexpectedly from out
of the grass, stand and gaze at the hare as it was bounding
off until its form melted in the distance, or disappeared in
the cover, and forget they had a killing piece of machinery
in their hands. I have seen others who, when a bird would
be advancing toward them, would fire before the bird would
get within killing distance of the gun. I have also seen
others who, when they were taking aim, became so excited
that their limbs would shake so violently it would be im-
possible for them to hold the gun steady. Some I have
seen completely paralyzed for a moment when the game
would spring, and they would stand and look at the game
going off without firing at it. Again, L have witnessed
others sneaking cautiously up to the game, so as to get a
close shot, whose hearts would beat so rapidly that, after
they had fired, on asking them a question, it would be im-
possible for them, for want of breath, to answer it; and
others I have seen chase game, which they had wounded
with one barrel, until they were nearly exhausted, and
then let the game escape, and forget the other barrel of the
gun was charged. I have seen sportsmen so nervous and
5S
110 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
excited, after they had fired, that their hands would shake
so violently that it would be the greatest difficulty for them,
at the moment, to charge the gun again—all because of
their excitement. An excitable sportsman shoots best
when he is alone ; in the presence of others he generally
shoots badly, being too anxious, and afraid of missing or
of losing his reputation by being beaten. An excitable
sportsman will generally shoot differently every day, accord-
ing to the equilibrium of his nerves. He may go out one
day and shoot exceedingly well, the next day he may go
out and shoot miserably; the least excitement or annoy-
ance will upset his nerves at any time, and consequently
his shooting will vary accordingly. My advice to all ex-
citable sportsmen is to practice self control, and learn to be
calm ; be less eager, master yourselves so as to be able to reg-
ulate your every motion when in the field, and when in the
act of shooting. When this is accomplished you have
gained that which all good marksmen possess—a steady
hand, and firm, and quiet nerve.
THE RECKLESS SPORTSMAN. 111
THE RECKLESS SPORTSMAN.
% GUN isa very dangerous weapon, even in the hands
5; of the most careful sportsman. Thousands of acci-
* dents have occurred by guns in the hands of the
most careful and experienced sportsmen, and how
often, after they have used every care and precaution for
years, do we hear of sad and melancholy accidents occur-
ring which destroy the peace and joy of a whole family, by
the loss of a father or a brother. How often do we hear
of a father losing his arm, a brother his eye, or a particu-
lar friend his hand or finger, or being injured for life
by the accidental discharge of a gun through reckless-
ness, or in the hands of some reckless person. Such acci-
dents frequently occur with guns in the hands of the most
careful and experienced sportsmen, and they will certainly
occur sooner or later with reckless sportsmen. So in hand-
ling such a dangerous death-dealing weapon as a gun you
cannot be too careful. When out shooting never have the
muzzle of the gun pointing towards the person you are
with; be on your guard and be watchful of this under any
and all circumstances, and never have the gun pointing in
such a direction that you could possibly shoot yourself un-
der any circumstance, but always remember to keep the
muzzle of the gun pointing in a direction that, if the gun
should accidentally go off, the charge would be harmless.
If you are shooting a muzzle loader, after discharging one
barrel of the gun, never forget to throw the muzzle of the
gun downwards, and give it a slight tap or so before charg-
ingitagain. This will empty the gun of any little remnant
that may remain in the barrel, which sometimes contains
a spark of fire, and if the gun is charged, especially in a
hurry, without getting it out, the spark will ignite the
112 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
powder, and you may lose a finger, or one or both eyes by
the explosion. On entering a house with a loaded gun, if
it is a breech loader, withdraw the charges. If it is a muz-
zle loader always remove the caps off of the nipples of the
gun, especially if you set the gun away; if the caps are
not removed from off of the nipples a blow on them will
discharge the loads, and if itis drawn towards a person, as
it often will be by thoughtless people in lifting it, or re:
moving it from place to place, it will be likely to go off, and
perhaps cause a serious accident. The same precaution
should be used when getting into a vehicle, and in carry-
ing the gun on long tramps, where it is frequently removed
from vehicle to shoulder and from shoulder to case. The
proper way is to withdraw the charges, or leave the nipples
without caps, and place on the nipples, in place of caps,
cotton or tow; you can then let the hammers down and the
gun will besafe. Never put caps on the nipples of a muzzle
loader until you have finished charging the gun. Never
toss the gun up whilst drawing the charge when the gun
is capped. Never charge one barrel of the gun when the
other is cocked and capped. When in the field, and in ex-
pectation of a shot, always carry the gun with the ham-
mers raised, so you will be ready at the instant for any
chance that may offer. But on coming up to a fence let
the hammers down, and in getting over the fence push the
muzzle of the gun in front of you. Don’t pull the gun
through the fence, or stick the gun between the rails of the
fence, and then get over. It is better to push the muzzle
of the gun in front of you, and climb over the top. In this
way you will run no risk of having an accident by the
hammers catching in drawing the gun through. Many
sportsmen have been shot by pulling the gun recklessly
through the fence instead of climbing over the top, and
pushing the gun in front of them when getting over.
When running around making a circuit to get a near shot,
or running after or chasing wounded game, always remem-
ber to keep the muzzle of the gun pointing upwards, for if
you should happen to stumble and fall when running, and
THE RECKLESS SPORTSMAN. 83
the point of the gun is downward the muzzle will be driven
into the ground, especially if the ground is moist and soft,
and if the gun goes off, or is discharged in this situation
the barrels will be almost sure to explode, and you may
lose your life by the explosion. But if the muzzle of the
gun is pointed upward, there will be no risk of an explo-
sion. When standing on a fence, or walking a log, or
jumping a ditch, or getting in or out of a wagon or boat,
or walking along in a road going or returning from a hunt,
when stopping at a spring to drink or resting for awhile,
always have the hammer of the gun down. Whenever
you stop at a spring to drink, or to eat your lunch, or in
any manner rest for awhile, instead of standing the gun
up against a bush, twig or tree, as all reckless sportsmen
do, lay the gun down on the ground, and you will have
less chance of an accident. Should the gun be standing up
it might fall and strike the hammers and go off, and per-
haps shoot you, your friend or dog. When shooting in
swamps, woods or thicket with a companion never fire
upon a bird or animal, it makes no difference how fair the
shot may be, unless you are certain of the whereabouts of
the position of your companion. You had better let the
bird or animal escape without firing, than to fire recklessly
and perhaps hit your companion. In walking in thick
undergrowth with a friend, where it is difficult to force
the way, and you are compelled to walk on behind the
other, let the foremost man hold the muzzle of his gun in
front, and the rear man hold the muzzle of his gun point-
ing backward, so that if a twig or bush should happen to
catch and raise the hammer, and discharge either of the
guns, there will be no damage done. Thé same precaution
should be used in sneaking or crawling up to get a close
shot. If one man is behind the other the foremost should
carry his gun with the muzzle pointing in front of him,
and the rear man should carry his gun with the muzzle
pointing backwards. When in the field, where the birds
are all scattered around, and in expectation of a shot, the
gun should be carried with the hammers raised. Ifthe ham-
15
114 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
mers are down, in the excitement of raising the hammers,
when a bird rises unexpectedly, the thumb will oftentimes
slip, especially if the hammers are damp, or the thumb
moist or wet, orthe thumb benumbed by cold, while the gun
is ready for immediate use, and only has to be pointed to
be discharged. When shooting with a muzzle-loader, and
you make a mistake, and put two charges down in one bar-
rel of the gun, or get the ramrod fastened in the barrel, do
not fire the gun off, as some reckless sportsmen do, and run
the risk of losing a limb or your life by the gun bursting,
which is often the case when discharged in such a condi-
tion, but remove the charges, or the ramrod, and do not run
any risk by recklessly discharging the gun. When firing
off the gun never hold the butt against your stomach or
bowels, the kick or recoil of the gun sometimes is very se-
vere, and death has been caused repeatedly by such care-
lessness. Never lie down flat on your back, or lean your
back against a rock or tree when firing your gun off, for
the recoil of the gun may be the means of breaking your
collar bone. Such accidents frequently befall ignorant and
reckless sportsmen. In carrying a gun, when in expecta-
tion of a shot where the birds are all scattered around,
carry it with the muzzle pointing downward, but when just
walking the field, and not expecting a shot, carry your gun
on your shoulder, with the muzzle pointing, upwards.
When you stop for a moment never rest with your hands
over the muzzle of the gun, this is a dangerous, reckless
fashion. Some sportsmen have this habit, and it has been
the cause of many accidents. For instance, when the dog
comes in he may run and jump up against you, and should
his foot happen to slip and strike and raise the hammer the
gun will be discharged, and the probability is you may lose
your hand, or perhaps both by the explosion. In conclu-
sion I shall say, not only to reckless sportsmen, but to all
gunners, and to all shooters, and to all those who handle
guns, be careful when handling a gun, and never forget for
one moment, not even if you have been told that the gun
THE RECKLESS SPORTSMAN. 115
is not charged, that you are handling a death-dealing
weapon, which requires the greatest care and watchfulness,
not only to prevent it from destroying your own life, but
also the life of some fellow being.
116 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
THE BAD SHOT, OR UNSKILLED SPORTSMAN.
HE bad shot or unskilled sportsman is generally a
=; man who possesses but little idea of discrimination,
and one who lacks keen observation and judgment.
ver He is an excitable and self-willed sort of fellow, and
when a Partridge rises he becomes so overwhelmed with
anxiety, being afraid he will not kill the bird, that, very
often, he fires without taking aim, and of course the bird
goes on without being hit. When a covey of Partridges
‘rises he bangs away in a hurry without selecting out one
bird of the covey to fire upon. The consequence is he fails
to kill, but thinks he ought to have killed at least half a
dozen. He magnifies asmall covey of ten or twelve birds to
be the largest number he ever saw in one covey, and thinks
forty birds must have arisen, and that he ought have killed
five or six of them at the lowest. The whole covey flies
off without being watched, or marked down, and after the
excitement wears away, and the gun is recharged, he starts
off in a great hurry, and goes hunting around and about to
find where the birds have gone, and perhaps will spend a
half day searching before he finds them, whereas by a lit-
tle observation at the time of flushing the covey he could
have marked the birds all down to a certainty. The bad
shot or unskilled sportsman is no judge of distances when
in the field. Sometimes he fires way out of range of the
gun where there is no possible chance of killing. At other
times he fires so very close that if the bird is hit it is torn to
pieces, and, perhaps, will not be in a condition to carry
home. On the other hand, should the bird be hit at a long
distance, it will possibly just have its wing tipped. If this
is the case, a regular foot race will immediately ensue with
the dog and the man, and if you accompany him, unless
THE BAD SHOT, OR UNSKILLED SPORTSMAN. 117
you take good care and protect yourself by dodging behind
a tree, or a rock, you will stand a good chance of being
shot by the accidental discharge of the gun in the hands of
the unskilled sportsman while racing, especially if through
brushwood, hanging branches, or bushes. The bad shot’s,
or unskilled sportsman’s dog will become suspicious of him.
He will perform all kinds of little tricks. For instance,
when he points a covey he is anxious’to get his mouth on
the birds, and is conscious of his master missing, and of
seeing the birds fly off, as he has often done before, without
having a chance to mouth one; he will take the chances for
himself and pitch in before his master gets up to him, and
when the birds are on the wing he will take after and chase,
and try to catch them. If his master tries to check him
from racing he will pay no attention to his call, but wil
become hard of hearing, head strong, and ungovernable.
Should the bad shot, or unskilled sportsman, by chance
happen to kill a bird, the dog will be likely to bite it or
chew it up before he gets up to him, because he so seldom
gets one to mouth, and when he does he makes much of it,
by biting or chewing it up. The bad shot, or unskilled
sportsman, when shooting with other marksmen, has many
false excuses for not killing. For instance, when a Par-
tridge rises and flies off he fires in a hurry, without taking
aim, of course he misses clip and clear. He will then say,
“1 would have killed that bird, but just as I pulled the trig-
-ger my foot slipped, and it threw me clear out of kelter.
The next shot I hope I will be more fortunate.” Again, a
bird rises and flies off, he bangs away; the bird is missed
clear as a whistle. He then says, “did you hear my gun
hang fire; what a pity, such a beautiful Shot, too. I would
have riddled that bird if my gun had not hung fire. It
hung fire so long I did not think it was going off, and just
as I was in the act of taking it from my shoulder, to my
utter astonishment, it went off.’ The next bird rises and
flies across the bad shot, and he being no judge of distances,
and having no knowledge of shooting cross shots, or birds
flying around, or across to the right, or left, he fires, and
118 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
?
again he misses—the bird flies on most beautifully. He
exclaims, “did you see the feathers fly out of that bird.
Why, I almost picked it. If my shot had been larger I
would have bored a hole right through it, but my shot is
too small entirely.” The next bird rises and flies off; he
bangs away with the same result. The feathers carry off |
the meat, and he contends the bird hangs a leg, and will
die; that his aim was perfect, but the powder was good
for nothing ; that if he had good strong powder his shoot-
ing would be more effectual, it not being strong enough to
kill the birds when hit. He goes the whole day long shoot-
ing at Partridges and missing them, and every time he
misses he manufactures some excuse to suit the occasion.
A bad shot, or unskilled sportsman, shoots in too much of
a hurry as a general thing. He makes no allowance in
shooting in a strong wind for the shot‘to be drifted off from
aright line. He makes no allowance for the falling of shot
in shooting at long range. In shooting cross shots he ar-
rests the motion of the gun, at the time of drawing the
trigger, instead of continuing it in the line of flight of the
bird. A bad shot may start out and find a large number
of Partridges, in a day’s hunt, but will kill few. He will
return in the evening with an empty bag, stating to his
friends that he found plenty of birds but they were very
wild, or he saw plenty of game, but, after discharging his
gun several times, he unfortunately lost his shot out of his
pouch and was compelled to return home, but if he had
not lost the shot, he would have filled the bag. Other
times he may tell them when he has returned from a hunt,
that he found dead loads of birds, but he only fired two or
three shots and those were very difficult ones; that he sue-
ceeded in killing two out of three, and would have killed
the third, but just as the bird raised, a farmer cried out,
“get off of my land,’ which threw him off his guard and
he missed. The balance of the day afterwards he met with
the same luck—just as fast as he found a covey he was
driven off the land by farmers, and this prevented him
from filling his game-bag. Bad shots or unskilled sports-
THE BAD SHOT, OR UNSKILLED SPORTSMAN. 119
men only kill Partridges flying straight off, and that too
at short range; because they have no power of judging
distances, and no knowledge of shooting cross-shots, which
requires a combination of movements to be successful. A
young sportsman should beware of going shooting with a
man who has the reputation of being a bad marksman. It
is better to go out with a skilled marksman, for if he con-
tracts the habits of the bad marksman, it will be difficult
to get rid of them. A bad shot, or unskilled sportsman
will spoil the best broken dog in the world, and should a
sportsman want to purchase a-well-broken dog, my advice
is, never buy one from aman that isa bad shot. Never
loan a well-broken dog, pointer or setter, to a man who
shoots badly, for if you do you can rest assured that the
dog will be spoiled. He will contract bad habits; he will
learn to run in, or chase, or become careless, or run after
the birds without pointing them; he will become ungov-
ernable, and it will be almost impossible for you to control
him afterwards, unless you thrash him and keep strict
watch over him. The bad shot, or unskilled sportsman, is
a great protection to Partridges. He goes out and finds
and flushes the covies, and fires away both barrels with-
out killing any, and the covies become scattered in every
direction. Should the good shot come along, he finds it
impossible to get up a covey, because they have been flushed
and scattered by the bad shot. The good shot may get up
one or.two scattered birds and kill them, whereas if the
bad shot had not gone that way and flushed and scattered
the covies, the chances are two to one that the good shot
would have filled his bag out of the same covies, going
over the same ground. Bad shots frighten the Partridges
and make them very wild and shy. I have seen Partridges
fly clear out of sight over the tops of the highest trees, and
hide themselves in holes in the ground, and under cord-
wood and old drift, in musk-rat holes, stone fences, and
under roots of trees, stumps, hollow logs, stone-piles, wheat-
stacks, corn-shocks, piles of rails, sink-holes, and in every
120 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
conceivable place they could hide, where a dog oftentimes
could not scratch them out, so frightened do they become
by being driven up so often, and shot at by bad shots, or
unskilled sportsmen.
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. WA
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS—DRESS FOR PART-
RIDGE SHOOTING.
73
MITE olor of the Partridge shooter's clothing, pants,
34 coat, and vest, should as nearly as possible correspond
SWSt with his natural surroundings, or at all events it
8 should be of some dull drab color, that which would
not be likely to attract much attention. In autumn, when
the foliage and vegetation is turning yellow, a light brown
or yellowish-drab will be found to be as near the tint as
any. For material every sportsman has his own fancy.
As far as I am concerned I prefer strong fustian or cordu-
roy. The coat should be a short sack, and should fit easily
and comfortably, with plenty of pockets. The game
pockets should fill the whole of the inside of the skirt.
Being thus prepared you can carry a large bag with much
less trouble than with the ordinary game bag. THE OREGON GQUOUSE. 167
THE OREGON GROUSE.
Bonasa umbellus, Var, sabini.—Dovat.as.
ABITS.—The Western Ruffed Grouse was found
ae ‘abundant by Dr. Suckley in the timbered districts
ge vee Cue and Washington onan ies
? abits seemed to be identical with those of the East-
ern birds. Owing to the mildness of the season in the vi-
cinity of Fort Steilacoom, the males commenced drumming
as early as January, and in February they are heard to
drum throughout the night. In the autumn they collect
in great numbers in the crab apple thickets near the salt
marshes at the mouths of the rivers emptying into Puget
Sound. -There they feed for about six weeks on the ripe
fruit of the northwestern crab-apple, the Pyrus rivularis of
Nuttall. .
Dr. Cooper also speaks of this Grouse as very abundant
everywhere about the borders of woods and clearings. It
was common near the forests east of the Cascade Moun-
tains up to the 49th degree. These birds vary in plumage
there, a pale-grayish hue predominating. West of the
mountains they are all of a very dark brown. There was,
however, no perceptible difference in their habits or cries
from those of the same bird elsewhere.
Mr. J. K. Lord assigns to this species an extended geo-
graphical range west of the Rocky Mountains,—from the
borders of California, throughout Oregon and Washington
Territory, extending high up on the slopes of the Rocky
Mountains, plentiful in all the timbered lands between the
Cascades and the rocky ruts along the banks of the Co-
lumbia, over the ridge of the Cascades, and down their
western slopes to Frazer’s River, in all the islands of the
168 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
Gulf of Georgia, and everywhere on Vancouver Island to
its extreme northern end, and on the mainland as far north
as latitude 53°. The habits of this Grouse are described
as singularly erratic and its food as varied as its character.
In the spring their favorite haunt is in the vicinity of stag-
nant pools, or in the brush around a marsh in which the
wild swamp-crab, the black birch, and the alder grow. In
such places they mate, and during the breeding-season are
said to be very constant and devoted. During the time of
pairing, and at intervals after their young are hatched,
the male produces the sound known as drumming. The
bird is said to squat on a log or a fallen tree, motionless as
though it had no life. Suddenly all the feathers appear as
if reversed, the tailis erected, the ruff round its neck stands
out stiff and rigid, and the wings droop as if broken. These
slowly vibrate, and then produce a sound loud and clear,
like the thrum of a double-bass string. Then the wings
move with increased rapidity, and the sound becomes a
continuous throbbing hum. It then suddenly ceases, and
atter a few minutes the same performance is repeated.
My. Lord also states that he has seen the males of this
species fighting furiously during the pairing season. Ruft-
ing up their necks, with their heads and backs almost in a
straight line, and with wings dropped, they circle round
and round each other, striking and pecking until the van-
quished gives in, and the victor mounts upon a log and
proceeds to drum furiously. Their nest is completed about
the end of May, and is always placed under a log on the
ground, or at the foot of a bush. It is composed of a quan-
tity of dead leaves, lined with dry grasses, bits of moss,
and a few feathers.
Mr. Lord adds that he found at least ten nests of this
bird in one swamp near the Spokane Prairies. From ten
to fourteen eggs was about the average number; they are
described as in color of a dirty white, and without any
spots or freckles of a darker shade. The chickens at once
leave the nest and follow their mother, who calls them
with a clucking sound, in the manner of a Hen, covers
THE OREGON GROUSE. 169
them when resting, and uses all kinds of feints and strata-
gems to lure an intruder from her young, fluttering along
close to his feet as if her wings were entirely disabled,
and then, when her chickens have had time to conceal
themselves, suddenly darting off. When frightened, this
Grouse rises with a loud rattling sound; but its natural
upward movement is noiseless.
After the chickens are old enough, the flock removes
to open hill-sides where grass-seed, berries, and insects are
in abundance. This Grouse never packs, but remains in
broods. In the fall, before they begin to feed on the spruce
buds, their flesh is said to be delicious; but after the snow
shuts them off from other food they feed on the fir buds,
and then their flesh acquires a strong flavor of turpentine.
In the tree this Grouse is not an easy bird to discover:
so closely does its plumage resemble the lichen-covered
bark that it is difficalt to distinguish them, especially as
when alarmed, they crouch down lengthwise with the
limb, and thus become concealed.—Baird, Brewer and
Ridqway.
170 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
WILLOW GROUSE; WHITE PTARMIGAN.
Lagopus albus.~-Aup.
YA BITS.—Richardson regarded this species as an in-
W, habitant of the fur countries from the 50th to the
oe : 70th parallel of Leones being ipete ly ay
within those limits. It was found to breed among
the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, on the barren grounds,
and along the Arctic coasts. On the approach of winter it
collects in flocks, and retires southward as the severity of
the weather increases. They remain, however, in consid-
erable numbers as far north as latitude 67°, even in the
coldest winters. It was found to be tolerably abundant at
the 65th parallel all the year, assembling in vast flocks on
the shores of Hudson Bay in the winter time. Mr.
Hutchins states that ten thousand of these birds have been
captured in a single season at Severn River. Richardson
adds that in 1819 these birds made their first appearance
at Cumberland House, latitude 54°, in the second week of
November, and that they returned to the northward again
before the beginning of spring. In the winter they are
said to shelter themselves in thickets of willows and dwarf
birches, on the banks of marshes and lakes, the buds of the
smaller shrubs being the principal part of their food at
that season. Denuded sandy spots were their favorite re-
sorts in the day time, but they passed their nights in holes
in the snow. When pursued by sportsmen or birds of
prey, they often terminate their flight by hastily diving
into the loose snow, working their way beneath its sur-
face with considerable celerity. In thick, windy, or snowy
weather they were very shy, perching on the taller wil-
lows, where it required a sharp eye to distinguish them
WILLOW GROUSE; WHITE PTARMIGAN. 171
from flakes of snow. In the summer season they feed
chiefly on the berries of the alpine arbutus and other
shrubs and plants, which are laid bare by the thaw, and
which do not disappear until they are replaced by a new
crop. They incubate about the beginning of June, at
which time the females moult. The males assume their
red-colored plumage as soon as the rocks and eminences
become bare, at which time they are in the habit of stand-
ing upon large stones, calling in a loud and croaking voice
to their mates, which, still in their white wintry garb, are
hidden in the snows below. These birds are more usually
in motion in the miider light of night than in the broad
glare of day.
Captain Blakiston traced this Grouse across the interior
from Hudson Bay to near the Rocky Mountains, and ob-
tained a single specimen near Fort Carlton. It does not
come down every winter, however, so far south on the
Upper Saskatchewan. Near Lake Winnipeg, at Fort
Cumberland, and to the eastward, they are common every
winter, and numbers are obtained from the shores of Hud-
son’s Bay. Mr. Ross gives this species as common on the
Mackenzie. Mr. Robert Mac Farlane found it around Fort
Anderson, where, he writes, it was always very numerous
in that quarter at all seasons, and generally not difficult of
approach. During the breeding season the males were to
be found perched upon trees and stumps in the vicinity of
the nest, while the female would rarely leave the latter
until almost trodden on. They are also said, by Mr. Mac
Farlane, to assume their summer plumage earlier than the
males, differing in this statement from Dr. Richardson’s.
Their nest is always on the ground, and consists only of a
few decayed leaves placed in a depression. Sometimes
other materials, such as hay, moss, feathers, etc., are found.
While incubating, the female occasionally sits so close as
to allow herself to be caught rather than leave the nest.
They begin to nest early in June, varying a little with
the season, not commencing so soon where the ground at
that period was still covered with snow. Eggs taken from
172 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING,
the oviduct were almost invariably pure white in color. In
one instance an egg taken from the oviduct of a female,
June 5, that had previously deposited eight eggs the same
season, was covered with coloring matter or marking so
soft as to adhere to the fingers when touched. After the
female has once begun to lay, Mr. Mac Farlane observed
that she deposits one ege@ each day until the whole num-
ber has been reached. This varies from eight to ten.
The males were always observed in the immediate vi-
cinity of the nest, and began to assume their summer
moult about the 6th of June, most of their necks at that
time being already of a reddish-brown color. The nests
were always on the ground, and were mere depressions
lined with a few soft materials, generally leaves, occasion-
aly mingled with feathers, hay, ete., the feathers often
being their own. The same nest was often made use of in
successive seasons. Eges were found as late as the 24th
of June, and the female is supposed to sit about three
weeks before hatching. Occasionally eges were found
dropped on the bare ground without any signs of a nest.
In one instance the egg was pure white, like one taken
from the oviduct. It was found lying on the bare ground,
without the least appearance of a nest in the vicinity.
In one instance where a nest was met with, on the banks
of Swan River, by Mr. Mac Farlane’s party, en route, the
female was almost trodden under foot before she fluttered
off, when she at once turned about to face her enemies,
spreading her wings and ruffling her feathers as if to at-
tack or frighten them away. In another case a nest con-
taining only one fresh egg, in which the female had but
just begun to deposit, was found as late as June 25th.
Other eggs found June 27th, contained very large embryos.
Another nest, examined a fortnight later, (July 10), had in
it ten perfectly fresh eggs. Mr. Mac Farlane inferred that
this nest had been robbed at an early period of the season.
This time she apparently made no attempt at another
laying. In several instances where both birds were pres-
ent near a nest that was taken, the male bird would make
WILLOW GROUSE WHITE PTARMIGAN., Vie
his presence known by giving utterance to very peculiar
rough notes, indicative of alarm and distress at the pro-
ceedings. In one instance a nest was found in the midst,
of a clump of very small stunted willows, within thirty
feet of the spot where Mr. Mac Farlane’s tent was pitched.
This was on the 21st of June, but the nest escaped notice
until the 22d of July, when the female was almost trodden
on as she was sitting on her eggs, where she had probably
had her nest during their entire stay. The eggs were
warm when taken, and their contents were slightly de-
veloped. During the night the male Ptarmigan disturbed
the encampment by keeping up a constant utterance of
his rough and rather unpleasant notes. In another in-
stance the female fluttered off, calling, and pretending to
be badly wounded; while the male bird, in the vicinity,
made his near presence known by the loud manner in which
he expressed his disapprobation of such proceedings.
In one instance where an Indian had found a nest of
this Ptarmigan, which then contained seven eggs, the fe-
male was seen, and the notes of the male bird were heard.
He placed a snare about the eggs, but on returning to the
nest a few hours afterwards, he was surprised to find that
six of the eggs had disappeared during his brief absence.
He supposed a fox had taken them; but as no egg-shells
were left behind, Mr. Mac Farlane has no doubt they were
removed by the parent birds.
When the young are hatched they follow the parents.
both of whom keep about them, and display great courage
and devotion whenever there is any occasion, suffering
themselves to be very closely approached, and utterly re-
gardless of consequences in their desire to save their
young. The latter are very hard to recognize, owing to
their close resemblance to the grass, in which they squat,
and remain perfectly still.
In September and October of each season these Ptarmi-
gan assemble in large flocks, but during winter seldom
more than two or three dozen were ever noticed in single
companies. They would often alight and feed in the im-
174 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
mediate presence of the men, and would even permit a
very near approach. During the winter they were fre-
eduently to be met between Fort Anderson and Fort Good
Hope, in especial abundance about the last-mentioned
post. As the spring approached, they began to migrate
to the north; so that in the summer scarcely a Ptarmigan
was to be seen south of Lockhart River, on their usual
iine of march to that post. In February, 1859, Mr. Mac
Farlane found them numerous to the very borders of the
wooded country, along the banks of the Lower Anderson.
Mr. Donald Gunn states that this Ptarmigan is very
seldom to be seen south or west of Lake Winnipeg, but is
found in all the country north and east of that lake during
the winter season. In the summer they are said to breed
around Hudson's Bay, and during the winter to be found
along the whole extent of that bay, especially if the winter
is mild. During severe winters they go more inland. The
males of this species are said by Mr. Gunn to crow morning
and evening in the same manner as the Moor-fowl in Scot-
land, the tone and notes being very similar. The female is
said to lay from ten to sixteen eggs, but the largest number
taken by Mr. Mac Farlane appears to have been ten.
These birds are of great service to the Indians, serving as
food when larger game fails; and their feathers are also a
considerable article of trade, several hundred weight of
them being annually sent to London.
Mr. Dall found this Ptarmigan abundant in Alaska, from
Fort Yukon to the sea. In winter they feed exclusively
on willow buds, a double handful having often been found
in their crops. As soon as the ground was well covered
with snow they appeared on the river in covies among the
willow thickets. They were rather shy, and on an alarm
they flew immediately, but without noise. They made
regular paths along the banks of the river among the wil-
lows, along which they always ran. The Indians took ad-
yantage of these to snare them, and caught them by hun-
dreds. They were abundant in the fall and midwinter.
In February they gathered in immense flocks, and disap-
WILLOW GROUSE; WHITE PTARMIGAN. 175
peared, no one could tell where, returning about the mid-
dle of March as suddenly as they had gone away, remain-
ing a few weeks, then resorting to the mountains and open
country to breed. In 1867 they disappeared February
15 and returned April 1, leaving for the mountains May 3.
The following year they left February 10, returning March
21, and left for the mountains April 28, going and coming
in large flocks. They begin to moult about the middle of
April, the feathers of the head, edges of wings, and upper
tail-coverts, changing first. At this time the capillaries
in the skin of the abdomen become engorged with serous
fluid, and give to the bird a disgusting appearance. Mr.
Dall obtained eggs in an open tundra near the mouth of
the Yukon in the latter part of June. The female defend-
ed her nest bravely, and rather than desert her eggs allow-
ed herself to be torn to pieces by a dog.
Mr. Bannister was also struck with the strong attach-
ment shown to each other by both sexes during the breed-
ing season. He has known the male bird to sacrifice his
own life, rather than desert his wounded mate. He men-
tions them as common at St. Michael’s and the adjoining
mainland during the greater part of the year, but espe-
cially abundant in the spring, when they are fouud singly
or in pairs all over the country. In the fall and winter
they kept more to the thicket of willows. The greater
part of them were supposed to have gone into the wooded
districts of the interior for better shelter and more abun-
dant food.
The eggs of this species vary considerably in length and
breadth, they average about 1.85 inches in length and 1.20
in breadth and are oval in shape, one end a little less ob-
tuse than the other. They are all beautifully variegated
and marked with bold confluent blotches of a dark claret
color, upon a ground of a deep cream tinged with a red-
dish shading.—Baird, Brewer and Ridqway.
176 FRANK SCILEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
ROCK PTARMIGAN.
Lagopus mutus, Var, rupestris,—LEAcu.
ABITS.—According to Hutchins, this Ptarmigan is
a; numerous at the two extremes of Hudson’s Bay, but
cae does not appear at the middle settlements of York
? and Severn except in very severe seasons, when the
Willow Grouse are scarce; and Captain Sabine informed
Richardson that they abounded on Melville Island, latitude
75°, in the summer. They arrived there in their snow-
white winter dress about the 12th of May. By the end of
the month the females had begun to assume their colored
plumage, which was completed by the first week in June,
when the change in the plumage had only just commenced
in the males. Some of the latter were found as late as the
middle of June in their unaltered winter plumage. This
Grouse was also found on the Melville peninsula and the
Barren Grounds, rarely going farther south, even in the
winter, than latitude 53° in the interior, but, on the coast
of Hudson’s Bay, descending to latitude 58°, and in severe
seasons still farther to the southward. In its general man-
ners and mode of living it is said to resemble the albus, but
does not retire so far into the wooded country in the win-
ter. At that season it frequents the more open woods on
the borders of lakes, especially in the 65th parallel, but
the bulk of this species remains on the skirts of the Bar-
ren Grounds. They incubate in June.
Mr. Mae Farlane found this speeies breeding about Fort
Anderson, and on the Barren Grounds east of the Horton
tiver. They nest, in a similar manner to Z. albus, on the
ground, placing the materials in a depression on the
vround, and using hay, withered leaves, and a few feathers
and making a rather loose, il-arranged nest. This is
ROCK PTARMIGAN. alors
usually placed on an open common, sometimes near the
banks of a small stream. They were more early in their
breeding than the albus, as young Ptarmigans of a goodly
size are mentioned as having been seen June 30. The
egos ranged from four to eight in number.
The female sits very close, and rather than leave will
sometimes suffer herself to be taken by the hand. In one
instance when a nest was approached, the female crouched
as much as possible, in the hope that she might not be no-
ticed, which would have happened had not one of the
party observed her eye. Her summer plumage was almost
exactly of the same color with the soil, and hardly distin-
guishable from it. The man was within three feet, and,
making a swoop, caught her on the nest.
Excepting in 1862, Mr. Mac Farlane did not meet with
any of this species west of the Swan River, on his various
journeys to Franklin Bay. Every season, almost immedi-
ately on leaving the woods fringing Swan River, birds
began to be seen as far as and all along the Arctic coast.
Although constantly found feeding in large numbers on
the Barrens, it was always difficult to find their nests.
They were most numerous between Horton River and
Franklin Bay, and were frequently seen standing singly, or
feeding on the ground, or an occasional pair might be
seen, but it was seldom any number were observed in
company.
Mr. Dall states that this species was not uncommon in
the Romanzoff Mountains, northwest of Fort Yukon, but
did not know of its being found farther south or west. It
was obtained by 8. Weston at Fort Yukonyand among the
mountains by Mr. McDougal.
The eggs of this species closely resemble those of L.
albus, but are somewhat smaller in size. They measure
1.63 inches in length by 1.18 in breadth, varying slightly
in size. Their ground is a deep reddish cream-color, nearly
covered by large blotches of a reddish chestnut, giving a
beautifully variegated effect to the whole—Baird, Brewer
and Ridgway.
23
178 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN.
Lagopus leucurus.—Swainson & RicHARpDson.
I SA BITS.—This species was first procured by Mr.
; Drummond, and described by Swainson in the
cee “Fauna Borealis.” Five specimens were taken on
? the Rocky Mountains in the 54th parallel, and ano-
ther, by Mr. Mac Pherson, on the same chain, nine degrees
farther north. They were said to have all the habits of
the other Ptarmigans, and to inhabit the snowy peaks near
the mouth of the Columbia, as well as the lofty ridges of
the Rocky Mountains.
We have but little reliable information in regard to the
habits and distribution of this species. It seems to be con-
fined entirely to the range of the Rocky Mountains, and
to be found only among their highest points, occurring at
least as far to the south as Cochetope Pass, in latitude 39°,
and extending north to an undetermined extent. Speci-
mens were procured in 1858 by Captain R. B. Marcy, on
his march from Fort Bridger, in Utah, across the Rocky
Mountains to Santa Fe. They were met with near the
summit of the mountains not far from Cochetope Pass.
Mr. Charles E. Aiken writes me that he has been in-
formed that this bird is common on the Snowy Range, in
Colorado Territory. He was informed by an old miner,
who claimed to have met with these birds breeding near
the top of the range in June, that their nest, composed of
leaves and grass, is placed on the ground among bushes on
hill sides; that the eggs are fourteen in number, of a light
bluish-brown, marked and spotted with a darker shade of
brown.
Mr. J. A. Allen (Am. Nat., June, 1872), mentions finding,
among the snow-fields of the higher parts of the moun-
tains of Colorado, this Grouse as one of the essentially
Arctic species that were not met with below the region of
RUFFED GROUSE; PARTRIDGE; PHEASANT. alii)
snow. The Ptarmigans were quite common, and in the
winter descend into the timbered land, where a great num-
ber are killed by the miners for food.
An egg given to Mr. Allen as a genuine egg of this spe-
cies, was taken on Mount Lincoln, Colorado, by Mr. Arthur
Meade. It is of an oblong-oval shape, and measures, as
well as its imperfect condition permitted its length to be
estimated, about 1.80 inches by 1.20 in breadth. Its ground
is a deep ochraceous cream color, marked with small
rounded spots of a deep chestnut. These are pretty uni-
formly sprinkled over the surface. Except in size, it bears
a close resemblance to the egg of the European Tetrae
urogallus.—Baird, Brewer and Ridqway.
RUFFED GROUSE; PARTRIDGE; PHEASANT.
Bonasa Umbellus, Var, Umbellus.—StTEpuHens.
NBS very broad, as long as the wings; the feathers soft,
sone and eighteen in number. Tarsi naked in the lower
? half; covered with two rows of hexagonal scales
anteriorly, as in the (Ortygine.) Sides of toes strongly pec-
tinated. Naked space on the side of throat covered by a
tuft of broad soft feathers. Portion of culman between
the nasal fossee about one-third the total length. Top of
head with a soft crest.
“This genus, in its partly naked tarsi, with two rows of
scutelle anteriorly, indicates a close approach to the Amer-
ican Partridges, or Quails. It has a single European rep-
resentative, the B. sylvestris.” —Steph.
B. Umbellus—Rump with cordate light spots; sides with
transverse dark spots. Tail with two gray bands (one
terminal), with a-broad blackish zone between them. Cer-
vical tufts glossy black or dark brown, with a semi-metal-
lic steel-blue or green border. Prevafling color bright
ochraceous-rufous ; tail always rufous in the Middle and
180 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING,
Southern States, occasionally gray on the Allegany Moun-
tains, and in New England States; usually gray in Eastern
British America.
Has.—Eastern Province of North America. Var, uwm-
bellus.—Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, Vol. III, page 446,
447.
Descrrprion.—The Pheasant, from the tip of the bill to
the end of the tail feathers, sixteen to nineteen inches long.
From tip to tip of the outstretched wings, twenty-four
inches. Length of wing, seven inches. Bill of a brownish
color, eyes hazel, crested head. Neck variegated with
white, yellow, black and brown. A tuft of twenty to thirty
broad, soft, black, glossy feathers covers a small impennous,
and otherwise naked space on each side of the neck. Upper
parts of the body, rust color, marked with spots of light
yellowish gray. Lower parts of the body white, with
splotches of brown. The tail generally seven inches in
length, usually of eighteen feathers, rounding and of a ru-
fous brown color, marked with a broad, blackish zone be-
tween two narrow bands of light gray, one of which ter-
minates the tail. Tarsi naked in the lower half, covered
with scales. Feet grayish, sides of the toes pectinated,
two exterior ones joined at the base, and to the first joint
with a strong membrane. Weight 1 lb.6 to 13 oz. Flesh
white. The plumage of the female is similar to the male,
but of a lighter shade. The neck tufts of the female are
of a brownish color. The zone on the tail is not as dark
as that of the male. The above description was accurately
taken, from birds fresh killed by myself, in the Hills and
Mountains, of Frederick county, Maryland.
[SEE ENGRAVING]
Haxzits.—This beautiful game bird is known in New
Envland as the Partridge, in the Southern and Middle
States as the Pheasant. Neither of these names is its
proper one, for this bird belongs to neither the Partridge
nor the Pheasant tamilies. The true name of this bird is
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RUFFED GROUSE: PARTRIDGE; PHEASANT. 181
the American Ruffed Grouse. It derives its name from a
peculiar tuft of numerous (twenty to thirty) bread, soft,
glossy, black feathers, on the sides of the neck, which it
sometimes raises as a ruff. As this bird is known so gen-
erally in Maryland as the Pheasant, and by no other name,
I will call it the Pheasant, because many of our sportsmen
would not know the bird by its true name Grouse. The
Pheasant is found wherever wooded country is met with,
throughout the Eastern portion of North America, from
the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains, and from
Georgia to Nova Scotia. They also often occur in consid-
erable numbers in the low lands, and were discovered by
by Mr. Audubon, breeding in the thickest canebrakes of
Indiana and Kentucky. They are found in nearly all the
Southern States, being abundant in Virginia, the Caro-
linas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and it is said as far to the
Southwest as Natchez, Mississippi. Dr. Newberry, as has
been stated, did not encounter this bird within the limits
of California, but found them very abundant in the wooded
portion of the Cascade Mountains, and in the Willamette
Valley. The Oregon species were generally darker than
the Eastern varieties, but the habits were apparently every-
where the same. The Pheasant is generally found in small
flocks, except where they have been much hunted. When
this is the case, they are more frequently found singly, or
rarely more than two to five together. These game birds
have their homes in the woods, mountains, and hills of our
country. They delight in the rocky sides of mountains
and hills where springs and small running streams abound.
They are particularly fond of high, sloping, rocky, wooded
hill-sides, which border on such streams, especially those
which are sheltered by the pine, hemlock, laurel, and other
evergreens. They always prefer the densest woods and
thickets, and are but seldom found in open plains. They
love to frequent ravines and thickets, especially those which
extend out from the mountains and hills. These places
are their favorite feeding grounds. The Pheasant is more
or less polygamous. Their love season commences in
182 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHBASANT SHOOTING.
March. The male only remains with the female until the
latter commences setting. They then keep by themselves
unless recalled by the female, when its eggs have been de-
stroyed. Pheasants have been taken young and tamed,
and their eges have been hatched under the Domestic Hen,
but they seldom live until fall grown. The nest is very
rudely constructed, consisting of only a few leaves laid in
a depression. The female places her nest on the ground in
some retired spot, frequently at the foot of a stump, bush,
tree, orlog. The hen generally lays from six to twelve
eges, of a yellowish color, and of an elongated oval, pointed
at one end. The young brood, a8 soon as they are free
from the shell, follow their mother in search of food. She
calls to them with a chuckling note, and when come upon
by a sportsman the young birds hide, and the hen resorts
to the same artifice as the Partridge (Ortyx) does to allure
the sportsman away from her young. Ina short time the
voung birds become strong enough to fly a short distance.
The cocks do not assist the hen in taking care of the young
brood—they scatter around singly, and frequently get to-
gether in small bands until Fall, when they all again asso-
ciate indiscriminately together in search of food, both
young and old. If the Spring is early, warm, and dry, the
young birds will be large enough to shoot by the 15th of
August, but if the Spring is late, and cold, and wet, the
brood will be small both in number and size of the birds.
T have shot birds of the young broods in Maryland and
Virginia, on the first day of August, that were apparently
as large asthe old birds; and then again the next year, on
the first of the same month, [I have sprung them when they
were not much larger than a Partridge, which was owing
altowether to a difference inthe season. ‘Take the seasons
on an average, the first of September is the proper time
to commence shooting the voune broods. About the first
of September, as a general thing, the voung birds are
equal in size. but not in weight, to the old ones; and though
they have not the power and rapidity of flight of the old
birds, I have always found that by the first of September
RUFFED GROUSE; PARTRIDGE; PHEASANT. 183
the young birds could fly plenty fast enough to elude any
but well-practiced sportsmen. As the trees and bushes
are full of leaves in places where they are found, and they
get under way and out of sight in a wonderful short space
of time, unless the gun is handled and leveled quickly, and
the sight is taken true by a good shooter, they will not be
stopped. No. 6 St. Louis shot is the size to bring them
down. With any smaller size of shot you will often be
disappointed in bagging them if you fire at any distance
over thirty-five yards, even though your aim is true.
184 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
BEATING OR DRUMMING OF THE PHEASANT.
“‘Ffearest thou that bird?
T list’ned, and from ’midst the depths of woods
Heard the signal of the Grouse,
A sound like distant thunder;
Slow the strokes at first, then faster and faster,
Till at length they passed into a murmur and were still.”’
Bryant.
iN some of our districts, the woods, mountains, and
d hills of our country resound far and wide with the
(og sound of the beating or drumming of the Pheasant.
a ? This sound is a very singular noise. It is a kind of
rumbling sound, or a tremor in the air, very much like the
rumbling of distant thunder. When this sound vibrates
from hill to hill, it is a difficult matter to locate the exact
spot from whence it comes. This rumbling sound is called
beating or drumming of the Pheasant, oad on a clear, still
day, may be heard a long distance off. This peculiar
sound is made by the beating or drumming of the Cock
Pheasant, as has been described by Mr. Audubon, in this
way.
“The male bird, standing erect on a prostrate decayed
trunk, raises the feathers of its body in the manner of the
Turkey Cock, draws its head towards its tail, erecting the
feathers of the latter at the same time, and raising its ruft
around the neck, suffers its wings to drop, and struts about
on the log, a few moments elapse when the bird draws the
whole of its feathers close to its body, and stretching itself
out, beats its sides with its wings in the manner of the
Domestic Cock, but more loudly, and with such rapidity
of motion, after a few of the first strokes, as to cause a
tremor in the air not unlike the rumbling of distant
thunder.”
BEATING OR DRUMMING OF THE PHEASANT. 185
I have many times detected this bird by this peculiar
sound, and shot him, but it always required my greatest
skill of observance to distinguish his exact location, as this
rumbling sound in the woods and hills is very deceiving.
Toiling, I have often climbed to the top of a rugged moun-
tain, under the impression the sound came from that direc-
tion, all the while keeping a sharp lookout in the advance,
and proceeding cautiously with my finger upon the trig-
ger of my gun, for, by the repeated thumping, I would
think I was close on the bird, but I have been too often
mistaken. After all my trouble, it would frequently turn
out, when I had thought I was right, that the rumbling
sound proceeded from the hill opposite the one I was on,
or some other neighboring locality. This beating or drum-
ming of the Cock Pheasant is a very singular manceuvre,
and why this bird resorts to this peculiar performance, and
makes this sound, is left only for us to conjecture. Some
suppose that the male bird resorts to this means to draw
the hen to his presence; others suppose that this peculiar
noise is the male bird’s only plan of drawing the hen from
her hiding place during the period of incubation; others
suppose that this sound is produced by the bird when he
is in search of worms in a log. From my observation of
the beating or drumming of the Pheasant, I am compelled
to reject the reasons which have been assigned for it. I
am unable to attribute it to any special cause, and I have
concluded that it is altogether a natural habit for the bird
to perform this singular manceuvre. I have shot Pheas-
ants, when they were beating or drumming, in all the
months of Autumn; and I have heard them drum in the
night, and in all the months of the year, except when the
weather was cold, or when the ground was covered with
snow. The drumming by the male is frequently made on
a rock, stump, or stone, as well as on a log. The drum-
ming place of the male: This spot is situated in their
haunts—in places where they live. Around in the locali-
ties of these points, they may be found in all seasons of’
the year.
24
186 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
FLIGHT OF THE PHEASANT.
yur Pheasant is a strong and powerful bird on the
spo; Wing—there are few birds that can equal them in
“a rapidity of flight. On being disturbed the Pheasant
e rises from the ground with strong wing, and tremen-
dous whirring noise, and flies off with the greatest ease,
and with wonderful rapidity, through the thickest woods.
There is much variation in the flight of Pheasants—some-
times they will mount almost perpendicularly into the air
before flying off; at others they will rise and fly off just
above the laurels or along within four or five feet of the
ground; at others they will rise and fly, skimming along
elose to the ground, then slyly disappearing from view.
Pheasants generally fly straight off in a bee-line, but before
settling they usually take a turn to the right or left, sweep
around and alight. The flight of Pheasants varies greatly
in regard to distance. During the first of the shooting
season, when the birds are young and tame, and the trees
and bushes are ful! of leaves, the flight of Pheasants is
about equal in distance to that of the Partridge (Ortyx);
but as the season advances and the trees become leafless,
their flight is much longer, particularly if they have been
much disturbed; should this be the case, they spring in
greater terror, and usually fly out of sight before they
alight. Pheasants generally fly with the wind, and when
the wind is blowing a gale, they fly like a streak of light-
ning, especially the old ones, and in order to bring them
down, the shooter must be alert and quick in handling the
gun, or they wili not be stopped—they will soon get out,
of sight, or killing range of the shot. Their movements
are very quick when they spring, and in a gale, unless the
shooter bas a keen, quick eye, they will fly twenty feet be-
FLIGHT OF THE PHEASANT. 187
fore he gets a glimpse of them. The startling noise and
flutter that a Pheasant makes, when springing from the
ground, is very apt.to shake the shooter’s nerves, or throw
him off his guard, and by this means, as much as any other,
the bird escapes being bagged. I have seen Pheasants
spring at the feet of sportsmen and fly off and escape
without being fired at, “offering a beautiful mark, too.”
The sudden spring, accompanied by the startling whirr
and flutter, would throw the shooter off his guard, and the
bird would fly away and escape with impunity, while the
shooter would stand and gaze with astonishment at the
unexpected and lightning flight of the bird. A full-grown
Pheasant, late in the season, flies at the rate of ninety miles
an hour, at least—that is, twenty-six hundred and forty
yards a minute, or forty-four yards in a second, and in a
breeze the bird will fly one-third swifter. If, therefore, a
Pheasant springs at your feet at this velocity, and you re-
quire one second to bring the sight to bear upon him, he
will be out of ordinary range, and the chances are three
out of four against the bird being stopped. If it is flying
across, and you dwell one second on the aim, the chances
are three out of four you will miss him. If it springs at
your feet and flies off in your rear, and you lose one sec-
ond in turning and getting aim, there are three chances
out of four the bird will not be bagged. If it springs ten
yards in advance, and flies straight off, and you require
three-fourths of a second to pitch the gun to the shoulder,
and draw a bead on him, the chances are three out of four
the bird will go freely on and escape unharmed. If it darts
down the moment after being fired at, and flies and skims
along close to the ground, and your dog pursues it close
and hotly, there are three chances out of four it will mount
and light upon a tree, and unless you are very careful, un-
derstand your business, and have a sharp eye, there are
fifty chances to one he will escape your notice and evade
being bagged. When brought down among thick laurel
growth only wing tipped, unless you have a smart, swift
dog to give chase, or fire upon him with the second barrel
188 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
and stop him, there are a hundred chances to one he will
outrun you and escape. It frequently occurs that when
you come upon them suddenly, that they will squat and
lie close, until you stop or have passed by, when they will
whirr up, and fly off like lightning to the densest part of
the cover. When the snow is soft, deep, and drifted, Pheas-
ants, when they are hard pursued, will occasionally fly
right into it, and get covered up, or pitch into it and come
out again, a short distance in advance, and in this way fre-
quently escape pursuit. When a brood of Pheasants are
dispersed they bave no call to reassemble them together
again—they wait until chance brings them together, which
it generally does, at their haunts, or feeding grounds, or
places where they go to scratch or drink.
MIGRATION.
fHEASAN'TS do not migrate, but like the Partridge,
(Ortyx), shift their quarters on the approach of
Winter to thicker cover. The distance is not ex-
? tensive nor general. Pheasants will stray some
distance from the woods, let the cover and food be ever so
good. Rarely I have found them two or three miles from
the woods in open fields, and shot them. Then again I
have come across single Pheasants in the open fields, among
covies of Partridges, at least four miles distant from any
woods or thickets. I recollect once, while Partridge shoot-
ing in company with Thomas W. Morgan and Major B. H.
Schley, in Frederick county, Maryland, of coming across a
single Pheasant among a covey of Partridges in the open
field, some three miles distant, apparently, from any woods
or thickets, and we drove the bird at least two miles
through the open country, before we brought it to bag... It
FOES OF THE PHEASANT. 189
would always rise and fly before we got in killing range of
it. Then again, I recollect once, while Partridge shooting,
of springing a single Pheasant out in the open field near
the Monocacy River. The nearest wood to this point was
on the Linganore Hills, about two miles distant. The bird
escaped from me by flying across the river. One month
afterward I traced this same bird, by sportsmen springing
it from place to place, and from time to time, through Fred-
erick Valley, until the bird was driven to the Catoctin
Mountains, about six miles distant. These birds had stray-
ed from the woods and lost their way and did not know
which course to pursue in order to return,
FOES OF THE PHEASANT.
HE Pheasant has many foes to contend with, inde-
pendent of man, that continually haunt and lurk in
oe their wake: The red and gray Fox; the roving,
? rambling Mink, travelling its roundsin the darkness
of night; the industrious, enterprising little Weasel, search-
ing every nook, hole and corner for its prey; the fidgity
Raccoon, with his acute sense of smell; the quiet, sneak-
ing Polecat; these animals all prey upon the Pheasant
whenever an opportunity offers, and they destroy a large
number of these birds, both young and old. There are
several species of birds which also prey upon the Pheasant,
and attack them whenever a favorable chance is presented.
The large Chicken Hawk carries off the strongest and old-
est birds. The Pigeon Hawk, (falco columbarius), this
quick-flighted, daring guerilla preys upon the Pheasant,
and there is no animal or bird whose attack is more fatal,
than that of this quick-flighted assassin. The American
Crow is a great foe of the Pheasant. This nest robber de-
190 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
stroys a large number of birds when they are quite young
or on first being hatched, and it takes every opportunity
to pilfer the eggs from the nest of the laying and setting
hen.
FOOD OF THE PHEASANT. 191
FOOD OF THE PHEASANT.
¥HEIR food consists of berries, seeds, grain, and in-
; sects. In Summer their principal food is grosshop-
as pers, ants, ant-eggs, wild strawberries, dewberries,
a blackberries, raspberries, and whortleberries; later
in the season and in the Fall, dogwoodberries, sassafras-
berries, gumberries, the different species of wild grapes;
later in the Fall, and in the Winter, their principal food is
chicken grapes, blackhaws, persimmons, greenbriarberries,
sumacberries, and different kinds of seed; also, nuts, acorns,
and beach nuts, wheat, corn, apple seeds, &c.
In extreme Winter, towards Spring, when the ground is
covered by a deep snow, and they can find no more food
hanging upon the vines and branches to subsist upon, when
they are forced by hunger and starvation, they feed upon
the buds and leaves of the mountain laurel, (Kalmia Lati-
folia), which is said to impart a poisonous character to the
flesh. Instances of poisoning have been known to occur
from eating Pheasants, when laurel leaves have been found
in their crops. As for myself, I have never experienced
any inconvenience after having partaken of the flesh, but
there is good authority for these charges, some of which I
will quote:
“This well known evergreen inhabits all sections of the
United States, being especially abundant on the sides of
hills and mountains. It is from three to ten feet in height.
The leaves are possessed of poisonous narcotic properties.
They have been analysed by Mr. Charles Bullock, of Phila-
delphia, and found to contain gum, tannic acid, resin, chlor-
ophyll, fatty matter, a substance resembling mannite, an
acrid principle, wax, extractive albumen, yellow coloring
matter, lignin, and salts of potassa, lime, and iron.”—
American Journal of Pharmacy, XX., 264.
192 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
“Dr. N. Shoemaker published, in the North American
Medical and Surgical Journal, two cases of poisoning which
resulted from eating a Pheasant, in the craw of which lau-
rel leaves were found. The symptoms were nausea, tem-
porary blindness, pain in the head, dyspncea, pallid counte-
nance, cold extremities, and a very feeble pulse. In both
cases relief was afforded by vomiting, produced by a table-
spoonful of flour of mustard mixed with warm water.
A case of similar poisoning is related in the Edinburgh
Medical Journal, (May, 1856, page 1014), Wood d& Bache,
Sid:
Pheasants feed by moonlight as well as by day. They
roost on the ground. They can see in the night and can
fly then, as well as by day. They roost just where sleep
overtakes them.
I have frightened them up at all hours of the night. On
approaching them they would become alarmed and fly as
readily as they would in the day. I have frequently seen
it stated that when a number of Pheasants are in the same
tree feeding, several may be killed if you are careful to
shoot the lowest one each time. I have never found this
to be the case. In their native haunts, where I have pur-
sued them, I have frequently found Pheasants, in dogwood
trees, feeding on the berries. I have found them in gum,
and haw trees, and also in grape vines, and when I had the
luck to find more than one in a tree, I was always careful
enough to kill the lowest one first, but not in one instance
did I ever succeed in getting more than one shot at them
in the same tree; at the report of the gun the upper ones
would spread their wings and speed away swift as bullets.
AUTUMN PHEASANT SHOOTING. 193
AUTUMN PHEASANT SHOOTING.
“Tt is brilliant Autumn time, the most brilliant time of all,
When the gorgeous woods are gleaming ere the leaves begin to fall;
When the maple boughs are crimson, and the hickory shines like gold,
When the noons are suliry hot, and the nights are frosty cold ;
When the country has no green but the sword-grass by the rill,
And the willows in the valley, and the pine upon the hill;
When the pippin leaves the bough. and the sumach’s fruit is red,
And the Quail is piping loud from the buckwheat where he fed ;
\
When the sky i is blue as steel, and the river clear as glass,
When the mist is on the mountain, and the network on the grass ;
When the harvests all are housed and the farmer’s work is done,
And the woodland is resounding with the spaniels and the gun ”’
ANON.
iF all the sports with dog and gun there are but few
| in which nature presents such charms, beauty and
scenery, to an observant sportsman, as the sport of
w Pheasant shooting in Autumn, in America. Among
ua Nee hills, ravines, rocky rifts, and secluded wood-
land dells, amidst moss-covered rocky hillsides, where
mountain springs, and small running streams senate shel-
tered by the boughs of pine, nemioes laurel, and other ever-
greens, amidst woodland foliage, rich and ripe, with every
tint of Autumn shade and color, among mountain rills,
streams, and brooks, and waterfalls clear as crystal, among
these native haunts of the Pheasant, nature reveals her
sweetest charms, and most beautiful scenery. Here in
Autumn she revels in her most luxurious garb, and mocks
the feeble efforts of the Poet’s pen, the Painter’s eye, and
Artist’s pencil to portray her inimitable splendor. Among
such landscapes the true sportsman will conduct you with
dog and gun, without a thought, for this is the place, as «
25
194 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
rile, where the home, haunts and habits of these wild,
watchful, secluded, mountain birds are found. These game
birds are brought to bag in various ways—they are taken
in traps, in nooses and snares, and, when on the wing, with
dog and gun.
To be successful in shooting Pheasants on the wing, it
requires great skill and excellence in handling the gun; at
the same time there is no sport that so much depends on
the perfect coolness, and quick action of the sportsman, as
Pheasant shooting, and I am not aware of any other sport
in which the nerves of the sportsman are more fully tested,
than in this delightful recreation. Pheasants require careful
watching to mark them down. You must eye them very
closely in their Ime of flight, and when you lose sight of
them through the cover, or in the distance, keep your eye
on their line of flight, and far in advance; they very often
show themselves when coming down, by a motion of their
wings, or in some other way, long after you have lost sight
of them. Our Pheasants are found usually in the most
dense covers, and the dog that is best adapted to their pur-
suit is a well-broken, easily controlled, diligent and steady
Pointer or Setter. I have no preference for the Pointer
over the Setter for this sport, when either possesses the
following qualities. He should have a good nose, and should
stand firm, and should carry his head well up, and when
the weather is calm, or going either with or against the
wind, he should scent his game from twenty to forty yards
distance, and draw upon the scent slowly with cat-like
vaution, and have judgment enough to be content to stand
before flushing up his game, fast and firm upon the scent,
with head high, and tail stiff, from ten te twenty yards
from his game, as these wild birds will not always lie to
allow a much closer point. With a Pointer or Setter with
these qualities, and these alone, will Pheasants, over dogs,
be suecessfully shot. ‘Phe Pheasant, when frightened from
the ground, offers the best and fairest mark to be killed,
when they mount up into the air before getting headway
on the wing. Flying around or across they offer a fair
AUTUMN PHEASANT SHOOTING. 195
chance to be killed, as the shot hits with full force, and one
or two pellets will stop them. Flying straight forward
they offer a bad chance to be killed, and you must draw
upon them very quick, or they will be out of range, and
they must be hit hard to be brought down. With a dog
that_you can depend upon, and it is best to have with you
a companion, go into the woods where you know Pheas-
ants abound, hunt out the ravines and gullies, and the
thickets which extend out from, and along the edges of
the woods, hunt regularly the sides of the hills, especially
if they are rocky and grown up with bushes and laurel,
look well to the ground where grapevines abound, especi-
ally if there are grapes hanging on the vines. If possible,
hunt the dog so be will have the benefit of the wind in his
favor, as he will scent his game much farther when the
wind is in his favor, than he would otherwise. When your
dog trails or scents a Pheasant and comes to a stand, and
you can depend upon him standing to his point, make no
noise, speak not a word, and if the ground will admit of it,
make a circuit to the right and left of the dog, slowly and
cautiously upon the bird, so you will encircle him between
your friend, dog, and yourself. When come upon in this
way and flushed, he will mount up into the air and fly off,
and will offer a beautiful mark. Now, if you are a good
shot, and you are quick in handling your gun, and are care-
ful not to let your nerves get in a flutter, but take the bird
quick, before it gets too well on the wing, it will be yours.
Should the lay of the ground be of such a character that
it would not admit of your making a circuit to the right,
and left of the dog, to encircle the bird, other tactics should
be used—advance slowly and cautiously behind the dog, to
within six or eight feet of him; on coming up to this spot
let your companion stop and stand fast, you make a circuit
around to the right or left to one side, and a little in ad-
vance, as the nature of the ground will admit; the advant-
age is that when the bird is flushed, whatever direction it
should happen to take, it will be impossible for it to fly off
and escape, without offering a fair chance to be killed, by
196 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
exposing its vital parts to a cross or side shot, from one or
the other of you. Remember, these stragetic movements
should never be attempted, except over well broken, staunch
dogs. When Pheasant shooting with dogs of such a char-
acter that you cannot depend upon them to stand firm upon
their game, the best plan to pursue to be successful, is to
mark the birds down, keep your dogs behind you, and walk
the birds up. In this way, when your dogs start a Pheas-
ant, watch the bird in its flight, mark the course it has
taken, call your dogs in and keep them behind you, and
follow on the bird’s line of flight the course it has taken,
and when you have gone far enough, or close to the place
where you thought it settled, step off right or left from
this line twenty or thirty feet, turn squarely to the right
or left, have your finger upon the trigger, and keep a sharp
lookout, taking a direct course running with your first line ;
when you have reached your limit of distance that you sup-
posed the bird to he, turn to the right or left from twenty
to thirty feet, according to the thickness of the cover, and
take a course backwards parallel to your first line. So con-
tinue on in this way until you have been over, in parallel
lines, all the ground that is likely to contain your bird.
Should you fail to get the bird up, let your dogs out, hunt
them close around and in your sight, give them plenty of
time and they will be apt to find it. Should it get up too
far in advance, or escape by plunging into thick cover,
which it-is almost sure to do, don’t get in a rage or curse
your luck, or get discouraged, but take it coolly, call your
dogs in and keep them behind you, and follow on after the
bird as before. Stick to him, for the oftener it is driven
up, the more chances you will have of bagging it. After
being driven up several times in succession, it will lose its
courage, and lie closer, and become tamer and tamer, and
less capable to evade pursuit, and finally will offer you an
excellent opportunity to bag it, by rising close at your feet.
A Pheasant generally flies straight off in a bee line, but
before settling he usually turns to the right or left and
sweeps around and alights, and by this trick he is apt to
AUTUMN PHEASANT SHOOTING. 197
mislead you, and escape being found, which frequently saves
his life. By following the rules I have given, and perse-
vering in them, if you are a good, quick shot, not one Pheas-
ant in a hundred will miss your bag.
198 FRANK SCHLEY’S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING.
SHOOTING IN WOODS AND THICKETS.
Fast flying shots and running game
Shoot without closing either eye to aim.
SCHLEY.
(¥ [LE gun for shooting in the woods and thickets should
* be ashort barrel, No. 12, 13, or 14 guage. The length
wey of the barrel should not be more than twenty-nine
o inches. ee
eee
arte.
%e
Panis 8
fa ier
45
IVA