ELEY'S CARTRIDGES WILD SWANS. 201 



deadly feud with the otters ; and, in the next, I think that 

 the old fellow would be better in his bed than squatting 

 under a broken bank through a long winter's night. 



Though not an advocate for Eley's cartridges for game 

 shooting, I use a great number of them against stronger 

 animals, such as otters, foxes, and roe, and also for wild-fowl 

 shooting of all kinds. In steady hands these cartridges 

 undoubtedly do great execution amongst ducks and geese ; 

 but they are very apt to induce the sportsman to take shots 

 which are too long and random, conceiving that no distance 

 is too great for this kind of charge. That they very 

 frequently do not open at all, or at any rate sufficiently soon, 

 I have clearly ascertained ; and I have often found in 

 shooting roe and hares that the cartridge has passed through 

 the animal like a single ball. Every sportsman knows that 

 this will not answer his purpose in general shooting ; and, 

 therefore, that Eley's cartridges should only be used in the 

 most open places, and at strong birds and animals. 



The wild swans still remain feeding in the lakes, and seem 

 to have completely made themselves at home ; going lazily 

 off to the bay when disturbed, but seldom taking the trouble 

 to do so unless the particular loch which they frequent, and 

 in which they feed, comes within the line of my beat for 

 wild ducks. When their territory is invaded, they first 

 collect in a close body, and after a short conference, flap 

 along the water for some distance, and gradually rising fly 

 across the sandhills with loud cries to the sea. Hundreds of 

 ducks of all kinds constantly attend on the swans when 

 feeding, to snatch at the water -grasses and weeds pulled up 

 by the long-necked birds from the bottom of the shallow 

 water a proceeding the swans seem by no means to approve 

 of, as they evidently have no wish to labour for the good of 

 these active little pirates. 



It has often occurred to me, how perfectly helpless a man 

 would be were he to lame himself during the distant and 

 lonely wanderings on the mountain which the pursuit of deer 

 and wild game sometimes leads him into ; and I was forcibly 

 reminded of this by a curious accident which happened to 

 myself in the woods of Altyre while roe-shooting this 

 month. 



The hounds were in pursuit of a roe ; and I was partly 

 occupied in listening to their joyous cry, and partly in 

 admiring the beautiful light thrown by the low rays of the 



