282 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



amid the young heather on which they feed, in the 

 afternoon and evening. 



It is the habit of grouse to nest on the low parts 

 of a moor, and, when nearly full grown, to take to 

 that which is more hilly to pass the day, and towards 

 the afternoon to draw down to the valleys and flats 

 to feed and roost. It is true that in wind and wet you 

 will find the grouse at the foot of the slopes, and low 

 down on the sheltered sides of the hills : but in 

 bright, calm weather they are sure to be pretty high 

 up, basking in the sun till a couple of hours after mid- 

 day, when they descend to feed. 



Though grouse pick up a few grass seeds in the 

 morning, their real feeding time is only in the after- 

 noon and evening. The} 7 may, however, be found in 

 the short heather early in the day, especially if the 

 long heather is soaked from rain or dew. It is well, 

 therefore, to walk through the short heather first, and 

 over any rather bare, dry ground that is interspersed 

 with grass or stones ; for you may find many birds 

 thereon, if their ordinary shelter is wet, and, though 

 they rise wild, you have, at all events, a chance of 

 driving them into better holding cover. 



It is a common mistake among grouse shooters to 

 walk ' too far ' and ' too fast.' They often imagine 

 that the greater the amount of ground they race over 

 in a day the better chance they have of making a bag ! 



