136 O'er Crag and Torrent 



I noticed a rather unusual peculiarity that 

 day at any rate, one that had never struck 

 me so vividly before and it was noticeable 

 in a very marked degree, whether owing to 

 the very high wind, I cannot say : it was 

 that in nearly every single case each bird 

 that was killed, the instant they were struck, 

 seemed to balance themselves on their wings 

 for a second, and jerk their legs straight out 

 before tumbling head over heels. I made 

 one very pretty shot (I suppose, like all 

 old sportsmen, I make a mental note of any 

 personal performance that gratifies me.) 



We were going down a heather-clad 

 mound, when suddenly Sam turned almost 

 on his tail into a beautiful circular "point." 

 The Skipper was some distance off to my 

 right and rather below me, and he beckoned 

 me to go and serve the puppy's " point." As 

 I neared the dog I heard a bird get up 

 behind me which I must have almost trod 



