164 THE EED GEOUSE. 



very scarce on the Lammermuirs, for in a diary kept by 

 Captain Bell of the Berwickshire Militia in 1812-14, I 

 find the following entries : — " 1812, Aug. 18th. — Went to 

 the moors at Kettleshiel and Bedshiel from nine till after 

 two o'clock. Saw only fourteen birds — did not get a shot. 

 1813, Aiig. 12th. — From one to three o'clock tried the 

 muirs of Scarlaw, and saw only a few birds, and they 

 were very shy — got only one. Aug. 13th. — Tried the 

 muirs at Longformacus — saw none ; then Barnside, Gods- 

 croft, Monynut, Quickswood — saw very few, which were 

 very shy. Got only one shot. 1814, Aug. 20th. — Tried 

 the muirs of Kettleshiel and saw six birds, and did not 

 get a shot. Sept. 10th. — Killed at Whitchester one muir- 

 fowl ; a very long shot with No. 7." 



In the Neiv Statistical Account (1835) only one writer 

 mentions Eed Grouse as inhabiting his parish in Berwick- 

 shire — the Eev. Andrew Baird, minister of the united 

 parishes of Cockburnspath and Oldcambus, who says that 

 " it is tolerably abundant ; " but this must be due to omis- 

 sion. The following is a list of the various parishes in the 

 county where this bird is now to be found : — Abbey St. 

 Bathans, Channelkirk, Cockburnspath, Coldingham, Cran- 

 shaws. Duns, Earlston, Gordon, Greenlaw, Langton, Lauder, 

 Legerwood, Longformacus, Mordington, Oldhamstocks, Pol- 

 warth, and Westruther. It is considered to be very plentiful 

 in the neighbourhood of Byrecleugh, the Duke of Eox- 

 burghe's shooting lodge, in the parish of Longformacus, and 

 at Carfrae, in the parish of Channelkirk. As instances 

 of the abundance of Grouse in these two localities, I 

 may mention that Mr. James Smith, shepherd, Byre- 

 cleugh, told me in July 1886 that the Duke, about 

 1871, killed on the 13th of August, between nine A.M. 

 and six p.m., 69 brace of Grouse to his own gun; and at 

 a Grouse drive in 1885 his Grace shot 35 birds from one 



