SPOKT OF BUTE. 149 



excursion to that ground I endeavoured to inter- 

 cept the birds from their refuge. We were for- 

 tunate in forcing some good coveys into the hill- 

 ground, where I had fair shooting, and made a 

 score of eight brace my largest partridge bag of 

 the season. In this low shooting the retriever 

 backed up the gun by securing winged birds all 

 but lost. Neither in wood, furze, turnip, nor 

 potatoes has one wounded partridge foiled this 

 invaluable dog since the shooting began. 



But if the retriever did justice to the gun, the 

 gun, in its turn, did justice to the shooter. I have 

 never used a small fowling-piece that does more 

 unfailing, deadly execution. It was made by 

 Alexander Henry, of Edinburgh, a short time be- 

 fore the " Henry rifles" acquired their fame. I was 

 telling Henry of a duck gun made by his former 

 chief, Mr Eoss (who then had a monopoly of the 

 Edinburgh gun trade), which for regularity of pat- 

 tern and hardness of shooting I had never seen 

 surpassed. He answered by offering to make for 

 me a light gun to try against it, which I was to 

 return if not pleased. The stocking of this gun, 

 after the model of the Eoss one, fitted me so well 



