Wild Country. 15 



longer intervene, and the wide-spreading moors and 

 morasses of Scotland give an idea of freedom and 

 undisturbed nature. Who can compare grouse with 

 partridge shooting? Still the difference exists, not so 

 much in the character of the bird as in the features of 

 the country. It is the wild aspect of the heathery moor 

 without a bound, except the rugged outline of the 

 mountains upon the sky, that gives such a charm to the 

 grouse-shooting in Scotland, and renders the deer-stalk- 

 ing such a favorite sport among the happy few who can 

 enjoy it. 



All this proves that the simple act of killing is not 

 sport ; if it were, the Zoological Gardens would form 

 as fine a field to an elephant shot as the wildest Indian 

 jungle. 



Man is a bloodthirsty animal, a beast of prey, 

 instinctively ; but let us hope that a true sportsman is 

 not a savage, delighting in nothing but death, but that 

 his pursuits are qualified by a love of nature, of noble 

 scenery, of all the wonderful productions which the 

 earth gives forth in different latitudes. He should 

 thoroughly understand the nature and habits of every 

 beast or bird that he looks upon as game. This last 

 attribute is indispensable ; without it he may kill, but 

 he is not a sportsman. 



We have, therefore, come to the conclusion that the 

 character of a country influences the character of the 

 sport. The first question, therefore, that an experienced 

 man would ask at the recital of a sporting anecdote 

 would be, "What kind of country is it?" That being 

 clearly described to him, he follows you through every 

 word of your tale with a true interest, and in fact joins 

 in imagination in the chase. 



