34 EEMINISCENCES 0¥ THE LEWS. 



day together, walking miles, and only find- 

 ing six birds, which we killed for the sake 

 of the dogs. Poor things ! they fairly gave 

 up the ghost, and demurred to hunting. 



Never in my life before or since do I re- 

 member such a shooting season. There was 

 actually nothing to shoot over the whole of our 

 ground, containing about 130,000 acres. We 

 killed this year — two guns, R. M. and myself — 

 seventy-six brace of grouse. Moreover, I shot 

 over the whole of the adjoining Soval shooting, 

 containing some 75,000 acres, and killed on it 

 about thirty-five brace more. Had I not seen 

 it, I would not have believed that disease could 

 have created such havoc, and we began to 

 despair of grouse shooting, at least for the 

 seven years' lease we had just taken. 



It is also fair to state there was another 

 reason to account for the small amount of 

 grouse to be found at that time in any part of 

 the island of the Lews I then shot over. As I 

 mentioned before, the survey of the Lews was 

 then going on, and parties of Burnaby's sappers 

 were stationed all over the country, in either 

 tents or huts. Few of these quarters were with- 

 out one gun, one fishing-rod, and one good ter- 

 rier, at least. Of course they made good use of 

 their leisure hours, and, though their commander 



