GRO USE-SHOOTING. 33 1 



away, but the attempt requires both good shooting and 

 a quick change of guns. There are some half-dozen 

 men in England who, with their regular loaders, can 

 be relied upon to kill their two brace every time. 



The ordinary sportsman with no experience of 

 either grouse or partridge driving, would probably fail 

 to touch a feather. Very often the grouse are found 

 in packs consisting of from five to fifty coveys. The 

 number of birds killed will then depend greatly upon 

 the quickness of the loader. Presently the line of 

 beaters appears in sight, the coveys come more seldom, 

 and at last the beat is over. The game is collected, 

 and if another lot of butts have to be occupied the 

 shooters move on to them. If on the other hand the 

 ground is to be driven back again, the guns remain 

 where they are whilst the beaters tramp off, moving 

 round the ground that is to be driven so as not to dis- 

 turb it. Such, with the interval for luncheon, and the 

 occasional presence of the fair sex both at this meal 

 and in the butts afterwards, is a day's grouse-driving. 

 It will be seen that it affords, except in the arrange- 

 ments for the drives, absolutely no knowledge of what 

 our forefathers called " woodcraft." On the other 

 hand it is impossible to provide a fairer opportunity for 

 the exhibition of a man's shooting powers. The rate 

 at which driven grouse, with a wind at their backs, fly 

 is perfectly incredible to one who has not seen 

 them. 



Now let me turn to the other branch of the sport 



grouse-shooting over dogs. Pointers and setters 



are^used indifferently, according to the nature of the 



