CHAPTER THREE THE GROUSE 



other mountains. It isdifficult to ascertain indeed what food 

 the ptarmigancanfind in sufficient quantities on thebarren 

 heights where they are found. Being visited by the sports- 

 man but rarely, these birds are seldom at all shy or wild, 

 but, if the day is fine, will come out from among the scat- 

 tered stones, uttering their peculiar croaking cry, and run- 

 ning in flocks near the intruder on their lonely domain, of- 

 fer, even to the worst shot, an easy chance of filling his bag. 

 When the weather is windy and rainy, the ptarmigan are 

 frequently shy and wild;andwhen disturbed, insteadof run- 

 ning about like tame chickens, they fly rapidly off to some 

 distance, either round some shoulder of the mountain, or 

 by crossing some precipitous and rocky ravine get quite 

 out of reach. The shooting these birds should only be at- 

 tempted on fine, calm days. The labour of reaching the 

 ground they inhabit is great,and it often requires a firmfoot 

 and steady head to keep the sportsman out of danger after 

 he has got to the rocky and stony summit of the mountain. 

 In deer-stalking I have sometimes come amongst large 

 flocks of ptarmigan, who have run croakingclose to me.ap- 

 parently conscious that my pursuit of nobler game would 

 prevent my firing at them. Once,on one of the highest moun- 

 tains of Scotland, a cold, wet mist suddenly came on. We 

 heard the ptarmigan near us in all directions, but could see 

 nothing at a greater distance than five or six yards. We 

 were obliged tosit down and wait for themist to clear away, 

 as we found ourselves gradually getting entangled amongst 

 loose rocks, which frequently, on the slightest touch, rolled 

 away from under our feet, and we heard them dashing and 

 bounding down the steepsides of the mountain, sometimes 

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