42 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING 



shooting lodge in the valley, by the time the hills are reached 

 a strong breeze will be found blowing over them, and assisted 

 by it the grouse fly down it at a great speed to dash past the 

 boxes at double the pace they attain on flat, lowland moors. 

 In England also, the shooters can usually see the grouse on 

 the wing for some distance, while they come pretty much 

 in the same style of flight ; but on the Scotch moors the 

 range of vision is usually limited, often so much so that the 

 shooter does not sight the game till within shot, for at times 

 he will be so placed that low-flying birds will actually not be 

 visible till but a few yards in front of him ; or again, he may 

 find himself posted at the foot of a steep knoll, over which the 

 birds suddenly come without the least warning. All these 

 drawbacks, however, combine to make the shooting of driven 

 grouse in the Highlands difficult and exciting work. 



When the ground is very hilly, many packs and coveys turn 

 out of the beat ; for when flushed in such ground while yet a 

 long way off" the boxes, they quickly vanish out of sight of 

 the beaters, and as they cease to feel their pressure, turn to 

 either side just as they list, in spite of a well advanced flank- 

 ing line. 



As soon as placed in his box a shooter should take the bear- 

 ings of those standing to right and left of him — generally there 

 will be some stone showing above the heather, a burnt patch, 

 a "spot of watter," or a bunch of rushes — and fixing on some 

 such mark on either side that is well clear of the adjacent butts, 

 he should resolve on no account to shoot inside the imaginary 

 line thus formed. Having done this, he can measure what 

 he judges to be fifty yards on all sides of him, and this, duly 

 impressed on his mind, will prevent him taking absurdly long 

 shots. In firing, he should be particular either to raise the 

 muzzles of his gun to the sky or lower them to the heather, 

 should he wish to cross the line of either of the guns next 

 him. For his part, the author prefers to lower the gun, as 

 when again putting it to the shoulder from the depressed 



