LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 155 



moderate grouse season here, and in the seventeen days 

 that followed, most of which were very windy and 

 snowy, we got 14 stags, 268 grouse, 17 black-cocks, 23 

 partridges, 8 snipe, 2 teal, 2 woodcock, and 9 hares. 



On the last day of my stay I had a real good 

 day on the hill, for on the 5th October I started with 

 Edmund Ormiston from Gaick Lodge, on as fine a 

 day for the purpose as could have been wished. At 

 a quiet pace we made our way to the hill-top, where 

 we at once found deer, for near at hand five stags and 

 some hinds were feeding. The stalk proved an easy 

 one, and the best stag, a fat eight-pointer, bit the dust. 

 Edmund performed the graUoch whilst I, having taken 

 a seat, pulled out the spy-glass and soon found a 

 solitary stag trotting slowly into sight, he having 

 evidently been disturbed by the sound of the recent 

 shot, although not quite sure from which direction the 

 noise had come; and as I pointed him out to Edmund, 

 still busy with his work, he whispered to me: "Have 

 a try for him, sir, while I finish the graUoch; it's a 

 sharp run, but if you can reach the big stane yonder 



