Anglo-American

In Old England of a winter's morning, almost anywhere in the hedge-rowed counties, you may see a solemn line of gruff-looking gentlemen proceeding down a quiet lane or across a close-cropped field to a pheasant wood. The "stands," where the killing is done, will be an open stretch hard by the wood's edge. The gentlemen implant their seat-sticks and have a cigaret while the beaters are surrounding and entering the copse at its distant end. Behind each gentleman will be a rough-looking chap, or a trim chauffeur, with cartridge-boxes and the gentleman's other gun. His is the job of ejecting and reloading. Gentlemen do nothing but shoot.

From the deep heart of the copse comes a multilateral clickety-clacking--the beaters' sticks upon the tree boles. A quiet, low-flying shape is seen among the younger saplings, headed straight at the line of patient gentlemen. "Yours, I think," says Col. Crumpetsworth-Crampington, V. C. (retired), to his neighbor. "Thanks, awfully," replies young Lord Whiffington-Spankworthy, and raises his gun.

If the young Lord misses, it doesn't matter very much. The doughty Colonel and his guns can kill anything the size of a bumblebee at 60 paces. He will "wipe the eye" of His Lordship if necessary. It is for that purpose, largely, that the Colonel was invited to the shoot. English estates are partly supported by the pheasants that are raised upon them and slain by gentlemen and marketed.

From his Lordship's point of view a miss means nothing because a dozen, a score, a hundred more pheasants will presently come sailing out over his head for him to shoot at. The air will tremble with a cannonading. The sky will rain dead birds or crippled. No one (except the Colonels) will know precisely who killed exactly what. But then there will be a nip of brandy to restore everyone's spirits. A pushcart will come by to collect the tumbled creatures (100 brace at one '"stand" is not uncommon), and the whole parade will move on to the next "stand," perhaps at a low hedge, along a field of stubble, out of which great flocks of partridges will be driven.

U. S. bird-shooting is different. In pheasant, woodcock, quail or partridge country, of a frosty morning, you may see one or two but never more than four figures--not always "gentlemen"--moving quietly along behind a dog or a pair of dogs. The dogs, noses out, are searching the ground. They become agitated, increase their pace--and suddenly stiffen in a "point." The nearest hunter moves forward cautiously. Up burns the bird, or maybe a dozen birds. They fly away from what has frightened them. Of course, he shoots straight and promptly who cuts a feather. . . .

President Coolidge had tried bird-shooting, U. S. style. On his Thanksgiving vacation he had missed five successive quail and gone home chagrinned. On his Christmas vacation he tried the English manner at the edge of Howard Coffin's bird-infested woods on Little Sapeloe Island, Ga. As might have been expected, the English system worked better for an eager but unpracticed executive, The President of the U. S. in his ten-gallon (South Dakota) hat, slew two wild turkeys and three pheasants at a single "stand." Col. Sterling Starling of the U. S. Secret Service, the Presidential bodyguard, was credited with two pheasants. President Coolidge was visibly elated.

P: While the President was sitting, Mrs. Coolidge went out with Mrs. Coffin and with a 20-gauge shotgun. She killed nothing. Another morning the President was up at dawn and out in a clearing with Col. Starling. The beaters frightened forth three deer which stopped and gazed at the large-hatted human who was pointing a gun. President Coolidge fired the gun but missed. Col. Starling showed his pupil how it is done.

P: The Negroes on the estate staged a Georgian "rodeo" for their President and his lady. They rode their island steers, sang spirituals, had a race between ten diamond-backed turtles. President Coolidge and Mr. Coffin paraded in an ox-cart past "Movietone" cameras and discussed, mock-seriously, a tax upon the hay consumed by Sapeloe animals.

The President, going hunting again, paid a visit to the Jekyl Island tycoon colony.

P: Mrs. Coolidge did not use holly or mistletoe in decorating the White House. These plants are gradually disappearing and Mrs. Coolidge is interested in their conservation. So White House wreaths were made of pine needles and evergreens.