REMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 37 



sort of shooting. Woodcocks generally do not 

 arrive in flights till the first or second week in 

 November, though I have shot them early in 

 October. Strange to say, though they breed 

 largely on the adjacent mainland, I never knew 

 an instance of their breeding in the Lews. As 

 there is no wood in it, all the woodcock shoot- 

 ing is on heather. Particularly good dogs are 

 wanted to find them ; and both you and your 

 dogs must have a very accurate knowledge of 

 where to look for them. A really good wood- 

 cock dog ought never to forget any spot in 

 which he has ever found a woodcock. Cer- 

 tainly, the first year of my sojourn I found very 

 few ; but then, perhaps, I did not know where 

 to look for them. 



Some parts of the Park had a great repu- 

 tation, and justly so, for cocks ; but then there 

 was Loch Seaforth to get over, and the winter 

 days were short, and not so serene as one 

 would have wished. I got through this first 

 dreary winter, as I said, very much disap- 

 pointed, for I never was in any place where 

 there was so little to shoot or to do, and the 

 weather was so vile, that once I remember 

 being all but confined to the house for three 

 weeks ; but I solaced myself with the idea (a 

 fond one) of spring fishing — ^alas ! it was but 



