CAPERCAILZIE AND AFTERTHOUGHTS 163 



plied up and down close to the shore to 

 " gather up the dead " out of the loch, as 

 the keeper's wife tragically expressed it. 



Naturally our chief ambition was to get a 

 " caper " and a woodcock. We were doing 

 fairly well with the pheasants that came our 

 way, but my spirits were somewhat damped 

 by missing two fair chances at woodcock. So 

 far this elusive bird has been too quick for me. 

 Does he always dip just as one fires ? All the 

 woodcock I have ever shot at invariably drop 

 me a curtsey as they fly away. I have seen 

 them in these very rides almost dip to the 

 ground, as if they played at being hawks, 

 making it impossible to even fire at them for 

 fear of shooting one's neighbour. 



As yet no caper cocks had come our way, 

 though several hens had been allowed to pass 

 unmolested by. To shoot a capercailzie hen 

 is as great a sin as to shoot greyhen, in fact 

 the offence is greater, as unless they are very 

 high, or the light is bad, they are so easily dis- 

 tinguishable from their large lords. 



After lunch our kind host planted us in a 



