GROUSE-DRIVING 207 



sure his next-door neighbour would be dread- 

 fully unhappy if he knew he had hit him ; and 

 another, less indulgent, who placed a careless 

 sportsman in a gravel-pit for the remainder of 

 the day, patiently expecting the grouse, which 

 were being driven in quite a different direction. 



The careful placing of flankers is even of more 

 importance than the regulation of the drivers 

 themselves. A pack is readily turned by a con- 

 cealed flag-bearer rising at the right moment, the 

 element of surprise and suddenness being more 

 important for the purpose of alarming wild crea- 

 tures than any obtrusive and noisy demonstra- 

 tions. The drivers themselves should advance 

 in a good military line and at an even pace, 

 holding their flags in an upright position. They 

 should preserve silence, and not trouble them- 

 selves to shout and wave their flags at birds 

 flying back. Such tactics only very occasionally 

 turn a covey which has made up its mind to 

 " face the music," and are decidedly detrimental 

 to the general success of the drive. I have 

 often contrasted the mechanical advance of a 

 well-drilled team, say in Yorkshire or the Low- 

 lands, with the antics of the scratch pack who 

 are pressed together for an occasional drive in 

 Argyleshire. The latter is very amusing, but it 

 is not the real article. The line is erratic, and 

 the moment a covey rises, all the beaters stand 

 still waving flags and shouting " Mark ! " until 



