22 The Naturalist of Cumbrae. 



who came round weekly with a pony and cart, buying 

 eggs, fowls, hares, and the like. Sixpence, eight- 

 pence, and ninepence apiece, were about the prices 

 he gave for the grouse. None of this came to my 

 fund, except that sometimes, when the take was 

 good, I got a sixpence or a shilling. With that I 

 was quite content, as I got other compensating con- 

 cessions contributing to my pleasures while others 

 were at harvest work, at which I also should in 

 ordinary circumstances have been engaged, since it 

 was the custom that both cow herd and sheep herd 

 should give all the aid they could at hay and harvest 

 time." 



The shootings on these small moorland farms were 

 let by the season, and little or no protection was 

 given to the game after the 1 2th of August till nesting- 

 time. The shooting season seldom lasted more than 

 two or three days, so the farmer after that time was 

 left, with little fear of interference, to pick up what he 

 could, and that with the grouse could only be done at 

 all successfully by trapping on the corn during 

 harvest. 



As soon as the corn was cleared off the fields, there 

 was no more trapping grouse. Little more was 

 thought of sport till the winter* when the snow 

 covered the ground. Then the hares came to the 

 kailyaird (or kitchen garden) after nightfall, and there 

 they were watched, and shot from the window or 

 other hiding-places under cover. This could only be 

 done with any degree of success on moonlight nights. 



Another mode of hare-hunting was tracking the 

 animals on the snow. To prosper in this, some 



