Pheasants, or partridges, as they are commonly called, live in the thickest of the woods, so that it is hard to hunt or get them without a good dog. They live on wild berries and wild grapes and are among the choicest of table birds.

They lie very close in heavy cover and where a dog cannot hunt fast and are very hard to shoot on the wing, as they continually dodge among the trees.

In hunting them, have your dog go slow and keep close to you. He will work best on ground scent. Teach him to hold his point and let you select your location before you order him to flush.

Train him to bark when the bird rises, and the curiosity of the bird will prove its destruction. Instead of trying to escape, the bird will settle on an adjacent tree to find the meaning of the strange noise, and if there is danger of missing a wing shot, the bird can be shot sitting.

After the bird is killed, he is very hard to find, as in color he resembles the leaves in the fall, and a good retriever is necessary if the birds are to be found.

To teach a dog to bark, tie a piece of red cloth on a long string and then throw it over a limb of a tree in such a manner that it can be jerked up and down. As it flutters among the leaves hiss the dog on to bark, and teach him to bark every time it moves.

The best load for pheasants is No. 9 shot.