GROUSE-SHOOTING IN MAYO 



the day (three guns) footed up to eleven and a half brace 

 of grouse and one hare — a moderate score enough con- 

 sidering the hard walking we had undergone. However, 

 on these Irish mountains grouse are not to be obtained 

 in the numbers of their Scottish congeners, and are 

 often hard to find ; and we were fain to be content. The 

 O'D.s presently got on their car and drove home, while 

 D. and I, having indulged in a refreshing bath, dined 

 with excellent appetite, and spent a pleasant evening 

 before a cosy fire of turfs. 



Next morning, after a moderately early breakfast, we 

 sallied out for a further assault upon the grouse, this 

 time in a different direction ; 16,000 acres of mountain, 

 even if the grouse be somewhat scarce, afford plenty of 

 choice of shooting-ground. I noticed that the lads who 

 had walked with us all yesterday barefoot, carrying the 

 game bags, had this morning put on boots. The better 

 part of a day and night without shoe-leather among 

 these rough hills would, I imagine, suffice, for the 

 time, even the hardest west of Ireland peasant. We 

 walked first out into a broad open valley between the 

 mountains, bearing to the left. Half an hour brought us 

 upon our first grouse, which (thanks to my friend's 

 courtesy) fell to my gun. Failing to find more birds in 

 this direction, we separated, D., taking with him a lad 

 and his Laverack setter. Marquis, bearing higher up 

 the mountain ; I, with the keeper and a brace of setters, 

 working the lower slopes. Rose, the bitch of our pair, 

 was no great while in finding a small pack, which got 

 up somewhat wild. However, I secured a single bird, 

 and then, marking another grouse forward, bagged 

 him also. Making a widish sweep, we now bore up a 

 spur of the mountain, where, however, game seemed 

 to-day to be unaccountably scarce. The shepherds had 

 been moving some sheep lately, which, no doubt, had a 

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