REMARKABLE BAGS. 229 



shot at Castle- Martyr (Lord Shannon's) in a 

 season. From three to four hundred Cock is, 

 however, a good yearly average on a favoured 

 estate in Ireland ; but in exceptionally good seasons 

 this number may be nearly doubled. 



The Cock-shooting at Ashford, co. Galway, is 

 among the most famous in Ireland, and the owner, 

 Lord Ardilaun, has kindly given me the annexed 

 details from his game-book, as exemplifying some 

 of his best days' sport. 



Jan., 1878 five guns, 106 Cock in one day. Jan., 

 1879 six guns, 350 Cock in one week. On the two 

 best days of this week there were killed respectively 

 117 and 115 birds. Jan., 1880 six guns, 365 Cock 

 in four days. One day 165 birds were bagged, on 

 another 82. Jan., 1881 six guns, 173 Cock in two 

 days. 



I will conclude these notes on Snipe and Wood- 

 cock with the annexed list, which, although relating 

 to wildfowl in general, refers more particularly to 

 Snipe and Cock. Messrs. McCowen, the respected 

 merchants of Tralee, have kindly permitted me to 

 compile it from their books, in which every bird 

 is named and noted, together with the sum paid 

 for it, and the receipt of the English game-dealers 

 for the same on arrival. The large total, it may be 

 observed, represents the shooting by the peasantry 

 and professional fowlers over a great part of Kerry 

 during the winter of 1 880-81. It is the result of an 

 unexampled season as regards the number of birds 

 killed, which the following winter's sport (1881-82) 

 suffered severely from. The hard weather of January, 

 1 88 1, lasted nearly the entire month, and it will be 



