60 SHOOTING. 



this case there should always be another in company to remain in; 

 or near the place you first went from, that their attention may be: 

 principally confined to him, and taken off from you ; and, in order) 

 to make them lie, your dog must liear the principal part ; for on': 

 seeing them on foot, if he goes round and stands in the face of them, 

 they will stop instantly, and four tbnes out of five will allow youi 

 to get within shot."* 



if a sportsman be alone shooting the red grouse, he ought not to' 

 travel far, but hunt the ground well. This plan not only saves; 

 much fatigue, but often leads to success. Birds do not generally 

 take very extended flights ; and if the ground should be irregularj 

 and undulated, they will commonly be found on the sides of some 

 eosy hiU, or knoll, or where the ling is long and strong. Bii'ds 

 are" always variable even when there is no apparent cause to the] 

 sportman's comprehension for their being so. Theii- movements; 

 depend upon causes w^hich are hidden from our scrutiny, and whiclii 

 we have no means of tracing. Tliere is always a chance of meeting; 

 with bu-ds where the berries of the ling are plentiful, particularly j 

 if these localities be visited at a proper time of the day. Noontide 

 is not a very suitable period ; but when the mists hang long on the 

 mountain's brow, it is sometimes the only time a shooter has to 

 practise his art ; and, therefore, must make the best of it» 



THE PTARMIGAN. 



The Ptarmigan, or White Grouse {Tetrao Lagopus, Linn.), iaj 

 another interesting section of the grouse family ; interesting both to; 

 the natui'alist and the sportsman. It is known in almost everyj 

 part of Europe, the northern portions of Asia, and America, ana 

 some writers say, even in Africa. This bird is nearly of the same' 

 size as the red grouse. Its bill is black, and its smnmer plumagel 

 is a pale brown, or ash colour, and the upper parts of the body are' 

 mottled mth a number of smaU dusky spots and bars. On the! 

 head and neck these bars are broader, and more intermingled with 

 white ; as are likewise the \Adngs, with the exception of mQ shafts' 

 of the quills, which are black. In the winter season this plumag^ 

 is changed into piu-e white, except that in the male there is a biacj 

 line between the bill and. the eye. The tail consists of sixteeij 

 feathers, tlie two middle ones being ash-coloured in summer, an^ 

 white in winter ; the two next slightly marked with white near the 

 ends, and the rest are wholly black. The upper tail coverts 

 tolerably long, and almost cover the tail entire. This bird is parti 

 to liigh and lofty grounds, and can brave the most intense coid. \ 

 even lives and thrives under the cold of Greenland. In Britain: 

 ^ chicfl}^ found in the Highlands of Scotland, in the Hebrides ar. 

 Orkney islands, and occasionally in the more elevated localities of 

 Cumberland and Wales. Buffon tells us, that it sedulously avoids; 

 * Letters, x. 



