BLACKGAME 93 



be familiar to many of my readers in " Murtlily Moss," a 

 landscape by my father, exhibited in the Royal Academy, 

 1888. On this little bit of moor and marsh and wood one 

 can go out any day in October and kill everything in the 

 game-list with the exception of Ptarmigan and Red and 

 Fallow Deer.^ A more thoroughly sporting spot for its 

 extent it would be difficult to imagine. The illustration 

 at the head of this Chapter is a photograph, by my 

 brother, of the different kinds of o-ame killed on the Boo-. 

 The examples are taken from a bag of eighty head killed 

 on October 7, 1889, by three guns. It includes Partridges, 

 Pheasants, Hares, Rabbits, Roe, Woodcock, Capercaillie, 

 Snipe, Teal, Wild Duck, Pochard Duck, Orouse, Blackgame, 

 and Wood -Pigeons. (Shoveller, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, 

 and Golden Plover were also seen when rising w^ith the 

 first flush of the Duck.) Every year Fallow Deer come on 

 the ground, but seldom stay after the middle of August, 

 and consequently are seldom shot. In 1885 a stag made 

 his way into the cover near Birnam Hall, and though I 

 hunted for him for two days, he could not be found or 

 seen by any of the keepers or myself, but was passed by 

 my sister within a few yards wdien feeding quietly near 

 the house. 



In 1885 and 1886 I spent the early winter at Murthly, 

 and enjoyed some delightful days in the autumn, wander- 

 ing by myself over my favourite haunts. There were no 

 other sportsmen staying at the house at that season, and 

 with my old dog Jet, a better retriever than whom never 

 stepped, and James Keay, our head-keej^er, the personi- 



1 Sand-Grouse were seen there (1889) by James Haggart, the iimler- 

 keeper. 



