BRITISH GAME-BIRDS. 187 



standing on, he gives out his call of C'm back ! 

 It may be that some bird of prey is about, or that 

 the bird may be giving his fearless challenge to 

 others not seen by human eyes; but there he is 

 with his family, one of the handsomest game-birds 

 of Great Britain. 



Grouse-shooting I shall not touch upon, so much 

 has been written on the subject by veterans who 

 have shot the moors when they were young, as well 

 as when their hair turned grey. One that I am 

 proud to own as a friend and as a fellow-naturalist, 

 belongs to that band of veteran grouse-shooters. So 

 far as the present chapter goes, it matters little 

 to me whether the grand game-birds are shot over 

 dogs, or if they are driven birds ; whether they rise 

 and twist like snipes, or if they lie like stones. If 

 they cart well on clear frosty days, or if they will 

 not cart at all, does not concern us here. There is 

 a special literature devoted to grouse-shooting, so I 

 need only touch lightly on the natural history of the 

 birds. Grouse -shooting certainly is the means of 

 distributing vast sums of money in different direc- 

 tions among all classes, wherever the sport is carried 

 on. I have called the grouse Scotland's bird. Taking 



