140 THE GROUSE 



determined champion, somewhat prone to 

 lend easy credence to anything he may 

 hear detrimental to his adversaries. 



Many in number, too, are the mistakes 

 and misstatements which appear in some 

 of these works, entertaining enough to 

 the initiated, but calculated seriously to 

 mislead any who would seek information 

 in their pages. 



Take, for instance, such a standard 

 work as the volume of the " Badminton 

 Library" which deals with shooting. Bear- 

 ing the date 1901 on the title-page, one 

 might reasonably expect to find the con- 

 tents well up to date ; yet, turning to the 

 chapter dealing with grouse-driving, you 

 will find it stated that " eighty to a 

 hundred yards is a fair distance to separate 

 batteries " (i.e. butts, to use the more 

 commonly accepted term). To this the 

 editor adds a footnote : — 



The present Duke of Roxburghe was shot 

 in the face by the seventh Lord Chesterfield, 

 and hit so hard that the blood ran down over 

 his Grace's shirt, at a distance of 180 yards, 



