xx. GROUSE SHOOTING (PART V\ ' DRIVING' 325 



The POINTSMEN, as occasion demands, also frighten 

 any birds back into the drive, especially those 

 which endeavour to escape to one side just as they 

 draw near the shelters, and realise their suspicious 

 nature. The pointsmen act in a similar manner to 

 the flankers, except that they are stationary, for they 

 do not walk with the drivers, but are posted on either 

 flank of the line of shelters, as to be seen in fig. 64 

 (next page). These men, it may be said, represent 

 the final effort of the manager of the drive to hold the 

 grouse straight to the guns. 



The pointsmen should kneel in the heather and 

 remain perfectly quiet, till they see birds coming 

 toward them, which, unless their line of flight is 

 changed, will evade the guns. 



Then is the pointsman's chance of distinction ; up 

 he springs ; to and fro he rustles his flag, and rather 

 than face such an unexpected (that is the thing) and 

 startling apparition in their course the grouse will 

 often slant away over the guns instead. To see a 

 pointsman turn a pack of grouse that were about to 

 fly out of the drive (to be perhaps lost for the day) 

 right over the guns is a very interesting exhibition of 

 energy and skill, especially to those shooters who 

 have anxiously watched the career of the birds 

 previous to their happy change of direction in favour 

 of the shelters (fig. 65, page 328). 



