GROUSE-SHOOTING. 77 



elusion that, in parts of the country where grouse may 

 be found in fair numbers, they afford rare sport, and, 

 at the present time, grouse-shooting seems to me " head 

 and shoulders " above all other sport with dog and gun, 

 because he is the hardest to hit, the hardest to bring to 

 basf, and the most wilv of the feathered tribe of this 

 country. 



When hunting grouse, you require a dog well up to his 

 work ; he should work very carefully, and be satisfied 

 with his points, as a rule, at long distances. I prefer a 

 dog that is not a slow one by any means, as the country 

 to be worked over must necessarily be large. I prefer a 

 high-headed, wide-ranging dog ; one that is broken to 

 hand, as it is essential to hunt without speaking to your 

 dog or companion. 



On the first of September the shooting season begins, 

 when the young birds are nearly and often quite full- 

 grown, and then may generally be found by those who 

 are familiar with their haunts. Then they will be found 

 in coveys of a dozen or more, yet a stray bird, usually an 

 old male, may often be flushed. The first flight of the 

 covey is a short one, and is usually in a straight line from 

 where flushed. By following them up they may gene- 

 rally be flushed again in an irregular way ; that is, one 



