Grouse Shooting in Ireland 113 



similar clever work, but though I have seen 

 thousands of heads of game shot, this was 

 the sole and only instance in my life 

 that I had personally witnessed such a 

 sagacious and clever act on the part of a 

 retriever. Mat had fortunately marked 

 down this last lot of birds in some high 

 heather, so we marched straight for them, 

 and finding them a bit scattered, we 

 accounted for two brace more out of them, 

 and ought to have had another had I not 

 missed a right and left disgracefully. How- 

 ever, I must curtail my account, or I fear I 

 shall utterly exhaust my readers' patience 

 and interest. Before reaching the end of 

 the beat, Rake had found two lots more, but 

 we only got a brace out of the first, and a 

 brace and a half out of the second lot ; 

 however, as can be imagined, we were right 

 well contented, for the birds had lain well, 

 and the whole four dogs had worked 



H 



