AUTUMN ON THE MOORS 195 



shot when you come across them ; but must never follow 

 them up. Treat them as tenderly as you will, they never 

 increase. A series of favourable seasons may help them 

 along for the time ; but one severe winter almost wipes 

 them out. 



In the larger valleys are grown small patches of oats ; 

 but the moorland districts lie too high and exposed to 

 lend themselves to agriculture. Even in favourable 

 seasons, these little oat-crops are rarely gathered before 

 the end of September. In autumn these stubbles are 

 extremely attractive to game, and it is a pretty sight to 

 witness the blackcocks flying in to feed towards dusk. I 

 do not, however, think that game should be shot on 

 such occasion, unless urgently wanted or for special 

 reasons. The bits of stubble, as a rule, are so small that 

 the gunner has too great an advantage — the birds have no 

 escape. In younger days, one is apt to be less scrupulous, 

 and enjoys hearing that rush, as of a whirlwind, when a 

 big pack sweep close over the fowler hidden inside an oat- 

 stook. Next moment, the narrow space commanded from 

 the peep-hole is crowded with upright, flight-checking wings 

 — great blackcocks by the dozen, plumping down on the 

 stubble, or balancing on the tiny stooks, which often 

 capsize under their weight. But even in those unregener- 

 ate days, I was content with my one shot, and walked away 

 to watch from a distance those same blackcocks sweep 

 down again, fifteen minutes later, and this time to enjoy 

 their supper in peace. 



Considering the numbers of game-birds that are shot, 

 variations from the normal are remarkably scarce. Only 

 three cases have come under my notice — the first, a 

 partridge, shot near Scots' Gap, in which the parts 

 usually chestnut-red were quite black ; the second, a 



