142 HINTS ON GROUSE DRIVING. 



cocked and ready. Suddenly you perceive a change. 

 The heather afar off appears imbued with life ; a 

 sort of undulating mirage is apparent, which, as it 

 gets nearer and nearer, appears to get blacker and 

 blacker. Can it be crows ? No ; the apparition 

 resolves itself into "the big pack " Myriads of 

 grouse are on the wing, around you, above you, to the 

 right and to the left of you, almost brushing your hat 

 with their wings as, at best speed, they fly frightened 

 by. Now is the crucial moment. Keep calm and 

 get off all your barrels in front of your box ; look 

 neither to the right nor left, nor, worst of all, behind, 

 but keep pegging away as fast as your guns are 

 handed to you. There are plenty still coming, and 

 to shoot behind is mere folly and a waste of the 

 golden moment. Some packs of grouse come so 

 wide and deep that even the slowest of tyros finds 

 no difficulty in getting his six barrels into them ere 

 they are past. Not unfrequently one of these huge 

 droves of birds will break and scatter as they pass 

 the top butt, and come swooping on high all down 

 the line from both front and rear, affording every 

 " Jack in the Box " a chance of distinguishing him- 

 self. 



This latter phase of grouse character is well exem- 

 plified in Mr. Stuart Wortley's last picture entitled 

 the " Big Pack," which is, or was, hanging in the 

 tea room of the Gallery Club, in the Grosvenor 

 Gallery in Bond-street, whither I should advise any 



