276 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XIX. 



old wall, stood with their necks stretched to their 

 utmost height, on the look-out for any approaching 

 enemy. When the corn is ripe, and especially after 

 it is cut and in sheaves on the fields, the grouse 

 are very fond of it, and fill their crops daily with 

 oats, like so many chickens, but before this season I 

 never saw them attack the green and empty oats. 

 There was at this time a very unusual deficiency 

 in the growth and bloom of the heather, causing 

 a great scarcity of the tender shoots which form 

 the principal food of grouse ; and this may have 

 driven them to the new kind of food, to which 

 they appeared to take very kindly. 



It is in the oat-fields belonging to the small 

 farmers and others living near the grouse hills 

 where the greatest havoc is committed amongst 

 grouse by the poachers, for there they can be caught 

 with the greatest facility, in any number that may 

 be required for the market ; and it is more diffi- 

 cult for keepers to prevent this kind of poaching 

 than any other, as it may be carried on by girls 

 or children late in the evening and early in the 

 morning, the snares being removed during the 

 daytime, or on the appearance of a keeper, whose 

 approach in this kind of open country may be 

 perceived from a sufficient distance to enable the 

 poacher to remove all traces of his proceedings. 



