AMONGST THE PTARMIGAN. 45 



young bird, lying so close in the heather that it 

 could hardly be induced to rise. I saw on another 

 occasion a young bird taken by the keeper by hand, 

 and perfectly uninjured. It now became evident that 

 the time for making big bags of grouse was over. 

 The gusty weather and continued wet had caused 

 them to pack. One lot, estimated at a hundred brace, 

 and another of half the quantity, rose wildly on our 

 appearance on a very rough piece of moorland, rising 

 high in the air, going over the hills and far away in no 

 time. Once these birds are gathered together in packs, 

 you may depend upon having to work hard indeed to 

 make a decent bag ; the total this day falling to two 

 guns being only eighteen brace of grouse and two 

 brace of ptarmigan. 



Another day, the birds being so extremely wild, we 

 started for Rhidorach with the intention of having " a 

 grouse drive/' This was accomplished by the aid of 

 five gillies and myself, determined to try how I could 

 perform as a beater. My friends having proceeded to 

 the favourite correi, through which the grouse were to 

 be driven, laid down in the heather, and concealed 

 themselves as much as they could, while we stalked 

 over the moor and hill-tops, starting the coveys which 

 betook themselves to the pass where the shooters were 

 in ambush. In my anxiety to accomplish my task in 

 a satisfactory manner, I was afterwards told I took an 

 unnecessary amount of trouble ; toiling along the side 

 of a precipitous hill, over the treacherous boulders, 

 passing whenever possible along the extremely narrow 

 sheep-track ; ever and anon startling the grouse from 

 their heather beds, and causing them to fly in the 

 direction where the two shooters were ready to bring 



