178 EEMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



rises — but don't he, before you know "where 

 you are, with a flick of his wing all but put 

 that little hillock between you and him ? — but, 

 no ; you have got him ! and Tom, so pleased, 

 brings and lays at your feet the first cock of 

 the season, the beauty of whose eye is not 

 equalled, or the exquisite pencilling of feather 

 surpassed by any of the winged tribe. 



*' Mr. Jock, what are you doing there, down 

 in the swamp, wagging your little tail, going 

 slowly, and waiting for me to come up ? Oh ! 

 yes ; the brown bird was feeding there last 

 night." And little Jock proceeds to walk 

 after him, round corners, up through the peat 

 hags, and then looks round at you with such a 

 turn of his eye, as much as to say, '^ Come 

 along, old fellow ; it's all right." From the 

 peat hags on we go into a small run of a rain- 

 track, at the end of which the little dog stifiens 

 himself, with his nose towards a sort of hole in 

 the bank, quite dry, with some sedge-grass 

 like a shed roof over it. 



'' There's our friend, master," says little 

 Jock, " and I think I can catch him if you 

 like." 



" No ; give him a chance, my boy ; " and 

 whizz goes the woodcock in your face and 

 behind you, and, by all the powers ! you don't 



