160 HINTS ON GROUSE DRIVING. 



a bird, if by chance the charge behind it be a weak or 

 bad one entailing danger upon both the beaters and 

 the other guns. The same remark will apply to all 

 other kinds of shooting. There is no advantage 

 whatever in using the chilled instead of the ordinary 

 soft shot. The latter kills quite as well ; and, further- 

 more, any unhappy epicure who has chanced at dinner 

 time to close his teeth sharply upon both sorts, will be 

 able to talk to you pathetically as to the difference as 

 regards the injury to his precious molars. Gunmakers 

 also have the temerity to charge an extra price for 

 " chilled shot," whereas, being only the refuse, it 

 should in reality be doled out at half or a quarter less 

 than the soft, which has gone through all processes, 

 and consequently has cost the makers considerably 

 more to produce. 



As grouse rise in the centre of the line of beaters, 

 they should see in regular succession, as they fly 

 onward, each one of the more advanced flags, without 

 any break or intermission. This will eliminate from 

 their instincts any idea of breaking out, and so 

 becoming lost to the drive. A clever flanker does 

 some pretty work. Keeping down, right down in the 

 heather, watching the sky line to see how the birds 

 are working, his eyes, from long practice, can detect 

 the advancing specks long before the majority of the 

 gentlemen can, and he seems to know by intuition 

 whether their heads are the right way, or whether his 

 services will be required popping up, when he does 



