SHOOTING AT THE LEK. 87 



fires, and as the distance is usually short, commonly with 

 deadly effect. Many of the birds, the hens especially, 

 now take wing, though to return shortly afterwards ; but 

 the cocks, a portion of them at least, are generally so 

 engaged in hostilities with eacli other as to pay little 

 attention to ths shot, and continue to huttra and bldsa, 

 and fight amongst themselves as bravely as ever. 



The savage disposition the cocks display in tlieiv 

 combats almost exceeds credence. " I have myself," says 

 EkstrSra, " seen a recently-shot Black-Cock, whilst 

 fluttering in the agonies of death, furiously fallen upon 

 by a comrade, who continued to revenge himself on the 

 corpse of his late rival until I had reloaded, when I killed 

 him likewise." 



And M. "Wilhclm von Wright, when describing his 

 own exjieriences at the Orre-Lek, testifies to the same 

 effect. " They seldom iiy up at the shot," he says, " but, 

 on the contrary, fiercely attack their late associate, who 

 in his lifetime perliaps had ])een their great persecutor, 

 until a fresh discharge from the koja hits one of the 

 revengeful assailants." 



If the fowler on these occasions be an adept in 

 imitating the "spel" of the cock, or the call-note of the 

 hen, it is a great advantage, as he may then often succeed 

 in luring both the one and the other to within gunshot. 

 Often, indeed, in the grey of the morning, the birds 

 will of themselves approach immediately near to the 

 " screen," or it may be actually alight on it ; in which 

 case it happens that the man, through an opening left for 

 the purpose, pulls the bird by its legs into his ambush, 

 and is thus saved the waste of powder and lead. 



Under favourable circumstances several shots are 

 usually obtainable in the course of the morning, and when 

 the cocks are engaged in a general battle, two or more 

 are often killed at a single discharge. Jiut tlie great 



