CLIMBING THE CAIRNWALL. 25 



quarters the ground backwards and forwards in search 

 of the game \ mind, with the wind full in their faces. 

 Suddenly, as if by magic, Flora comes to a dead 

 stand ; this is the exact moment which unnerves the 

 excitable or unpractised sportsman, for he knows he is 

 in the immediate presence of the birds he is so eagerly 

 pursuing. Steady stands Flora, with tail feathering 

 and body quivering, whilst her bright intelligent eye 

 is anxiously bent on the shooter to see if he is at hand 

 ready to bring down the doomed grouse when he rises 

 from his heather bed. Steadily is she backed up by 

 Eap ; then, whilst drawing closer and closer at a 

 stealthy step, up rises the covey. Bang ! bang ! goes 

 the breechloader ; down drop a brace of birds right 

 and left, and the well-broken dogs have " down- 

 charged/'' as if instinctively, remaining immovable 

 until the shooter reloads his gun. After a momentary 

 pause the keeper waves his hand, motioning them to 

 seek for the dead game, the sportsman steadily looking 

 out for the " lazy bird " which remains perdu in the 

 heather, whilst its companions have whirled away, 

 winging their flight to some other favourite haunt on 

 the wild hillside. Then up rises that lazy bird, but 

 only to meet his doom. The dead game being picked 

 up, the dogs are again at work. On this occasion my 

 friend and companion opened the ball by killing 

 ten birds out of eleven shots, fired within ten minutes. 

 Shooting with a breechloader, having a choke-bore 

 second barrel, he was able to make longer killing shots 

 than I have ever seen accomplished before ; and had 

 it not been that he was thus provided and had an 

 exceedingly straight eye, he would never have made 

 such a bag, looking at the fact that owing to the cold, 



