176 THE GROUSE 



short, convexity and not concavity should 

 be looked for. 



There must be some compromise, too, 

 between the two desiderata — invisibility 

 of the guns from the bird's point of view, 

 and a reasonable visibility of the birds 

 from the point of view of the man who 

 has to shoot them. 



Butts must never be placed on a sky- 

 line, and it is usual to have the line on a 

 reverse slope, some 50 yards or so back 

 from the crest ; this allows sufficient field 

 of vision in front. This ideal can be kept 

 in view, but cannot always be realised, for 

 all other considerations must give way 

 to the paramount necessity of all butts 

 being in one straight line. Thus, in 

 broken ground, while one butt has a clear 

 field in front, it is often inevitable that 

 the next should have a very short sky- 

 line. The moderate performer may then 

 console himself with the fact that he will 

 quite probably shoot well above his 

 average, when he cannot see his birds 

 coming, but has to snap at them on sight, 



