CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 65 



end on. Also the bites of large, voracious and innumerable 

 gnats had to be endured stoically, as the smallest movement 

 made to dislodge them from face or hands meant certain 

 detection. 



The forests of Germany are most beautiful in the summer 

 months, for lilies of the valley grow wild in profusion, making the 

 air rich with their perfume ; wild strawberries are in plenty ; 

 the golden oriole is a common bird, and the timber is superb. 

 Old Wilhelm was the reputed best bleater of the district, and 

 certain it was he called up a greater number of bucks than any 

 of the other keepers ; but as during the whole of our stay in 

 Nassau we never once heard a doe bleat, we are unable to say 

 how closely he imitated Nature. We have not heard of this 

 plan of shooting roebuck being tried in Scotland, but can see 

 no reason why it should not be carried on with success by those 

 going up to their shooting quarters early in the season. The 

 novelty would make the first experiments exciting, and if pur- 

 sued alone and the victim, if there was one, had to be carried 

 home on the shoulders of his destroyer, it would at any rate 

 ensure a real good conditioning for "grouse day." A good 

 buck will scale from fifty to sixty pounds as he falls, and we 

 remember staggering some eight miles under one of about this 

 weight, and arriving home well beaten at the old Castle of 

 Runkel on the Lahn. What with falling in love with a very 

 charming fraulein, keeping a pack of dachs hounds for badger- 

 hunting, and getting a shot at something almost every day in 

 the season, it is to be feared the tutoring part of the business 

 was somewhat neglected. It was on the River Lahn we 

 first shot a sea-pie or oyster -catcher. Not knowing in 

 the least what the rara avis was, and no native having 

 previously seen a similar one, it was sent off to the nearest 

 bird-stuffer in the neighbouring town of Deitz ; and proud 

 were all when it was returned with a long German name, and 

 a statement that it was a very rare bird only at times met with 

 — not on the coast of Scotland, but on the West Coast of 



