422 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



beat, but even the number of eggs laid in every nest. Such 

 accuracy is not necessary for the Grouse-keeper. He should 

 have a rough knowledge of the number of breeding pairs 

 on his ground, and from these, by observation of the average 

 yield of marked nests, he should be able to give a shrewd 

 guess as to the number of birds that should come to the gun. 



The result from hatchings varies much less than most people 

 suppose. It takes a very bad year to reduce the average yield 

 of a pair of birds below 3*5 of young brought to the gun, and 

 only in very exceptional years does the average covey exceed 

 5*2 of young birds. 1 



Many keepers will not readily undertake the responsible 

 duty of estimating the probable stock ; but it is not really 

 necessary that they should do so, for, provided they can supply 

 the facts, the proprietor may make his own deductions, and 

 in any case it is advisable that the keeper's estimates should 

 be checked by his master before they are acted on. 



While on English driving moors there is some excuse for lack 

 of knowledge of shooting prospects, such ignorance is unpardon- 

 able in Scotland, where the keeper can run his dogs over the 

 moor in July. 



When it is certain that a good season is at hand it is probable 

 that not only one moor will be good, but that all the neigh- 

 bouring shootings will share in the prosperity. It is therefore 

 advisable to pay no attention to the wise men who contend 

 that frequent shooting will tend to drive the birds off the 

 ground, but rather to let shooting party succeed shooting party 

 until the stock of birds has been killed down to less than the 

 number which is generally left on the moor. 



How this is to be done so as to give the best sport, and 

 at the same time the most satisfactory results, now falls to 

 be considered. 



Methods of ^ en ^r fully into the respective merits of shooting over 



shooting doss and driving from the point of view of sport, is outside 



Grouse. 



the province of this work. 



1 Xee Table, p, 302. 



