CHAPTER FIVE ON POACHERS 



hill till he had made sure of the whereabouts of the forester, 

 by which means he always escaped detection. 



The principal object of pursuit of the Highlandpoacher, 

 next to grouse and deer, are ptarmigan, as these birds 

 always bring a high price, and by making choice of good 

 weather and knowing where to find the birds, a man can 

 generally make up a bag that repays him for his day's 

 labour, as well as for his powder and shot. Being sports- 

 men by nature, as well as poachers, they enjoy the wild 

 variety of a day's ptarmigan-shooting as much as the more 

 legal shooter does. In winter, when a fresh fall of snow has 

 taken place, a good load of white hares is easily obtained, 

 as this animal is found in very great numbers on some 

 mountains, since the destruction of vermin on so large a 

 scale has taken place. What with the sale of these different 

 kinds of game, and a tolerable sum made by breaking dogs, 

 a number of young men in the Highlands make a very 

 good income during the shooting-season, which enables 

 them to live in idleness the rest of the year, and often 

 affords them the means of emigrating to America, where 

 they settle quietly down and become extensive and steady 

 farmers. 







