THE RED GROUSE. 165 



" box." ^ Sir George Houston-Boswall, Bart, of Blackadder, 

 informed me, on the 6th of September 1886, that when 

 he was shooting with Lord Tweeddale near Carfrae Mill on 

 the Lammermuirs on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of August 

 in that year, the following bags of driven Grouse were got 

 by a party of nine guns : — 12 th August, 161 brace j^ 13 th 

 August, 85 brace; 14th August, 122 brace; in all, 368 

 brace. The 85 brace were got between Lammerlaw and 

 Carfrae Mill. Colonel Brown of Longformacus tells me that 

 very large bags of Grouse were got during the shooting 

 season of 1872 on the whole of the Lammermuirs, the 

 greatest number being obtained on the Byrecleugh ground, 

 where over 700 brace were shot in a fortnight by three 

 guns. 



On the 12th of August 1882, Mr. George Turnbull of 

 Abbey St. Bathans, Lord Low, and another gentleman, 

 whilst shooting on EUemford moors, bagged 2^^ brace of 

 Grouse; on the 12th of August 1889, 20 brace; and on 

 the 12th of August 1891, 20^ brace; all killed over 

 dogs. On the 25th of November 1887, 21 brace were 

 got there by Mr. George Turnbull, Mr. Hunter of Thurston, 

 Mr. John Miller, Manderston, Mr. Brooks, Oxenden Tower, 

 and Mr. George Muirhead, Paxton, the birds being driven 

 over the guns. These moors have long been celebrated 

 as a favourite resort of Grouse, and as early as 1639 we 

 find David Hume in his Poemata Omnia ^ thus referring 

 to them : — 



1 The following note appeared in the Berwickshire News of the 13th of September 

 1888: — "On the Byrecleugh moors a party consisting of the Duke of Roxburghe, 

 the Marquis of Bowmont, Lord Kensington, and Lieutenant-Colonel Brown of 

 Longformacus, have bagged 450 brace of Grouse. Birds reported to be strong and 

 plentiful." 



- Colonel Brown says this is the largest bag of Grouse ever killed on the 

 Lammermuirs in one day, and, with the exception of 1872, the season of 1886 

 was the best for Grouse on these hills in his experience. 



3 Davidis Humii, Wedderbumensis, Poe/mata Omnia, Parisiis, 1639. 



