WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



duck, so difficult of approach as a curlew. With the most 

 acute sense of hearing, their organs of smelling are so sens- 

 itive, that the moment you get "betwixt the wind and their 

 nobility" they take wing, giving the alarm by their loud 

 shrill whistle to every other bird within hearing. I got, how- 

 ever, unperceived to within forty yards of them, and having 

 loaded one barrel with a cartridge, I fired right and left at 

 the flock. 



There was a rare confusion and scuffling amongst them, 

 and my retriever brought me, one by one, three curlews 

 and four golden plovers. Some other birds dropped here 

 and there out at sea, but I could only get the above number. 

 A brace of teal rose at the shot and alighted in a ditch in 

 the adjoining field; so, loading quickly, I walked to the 

 place: as theyrose rather wild, I only bagged one, the other 

 bird going away hard struck. I then followed the course of 

 the rushy ditch, or rather rivulet, which led towards my 

 house, having already a fair quantity of game. My dog 

 pointed, and I killed a snipe; I did not reload the barrel, as 

 I was near home, but hunted on along the rushes, expect- 

 ing another snipe to present my remaining charge to. The 

 dog presently stood, and then drew slowly on till he came 

 very near to the end of the rushes, when he pointed dead 

 at something close to him. I walked about the rushes, but 

 could find nothing, till, just as I was giving it up, a magni- 

 ficent old cock pheasant, who had wandered away from the 

 woods, rose in a furrow of the field adjoining the rushes. 

 He was rather far off, but I killed him dead, making as 

 pretty a climax or tail-piece to a day's wild shooting as I 

 could have wished; and though I have very often far ex- 



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