GROUSE 135 



to a moor or in any degree unsportsmanlike. A shooting 

 tenant will do more good than harm by the use of it for a 

 couple of days at the end of the season, where driving is 

 not practised and the birds are unapproachable. AVhen 

 only resorted to but once or twice during the shooting- 

 season it does not have any effect in driving the birds off 

 the ground, as the continued practice of it would do, but 

 only sends perhaps a few coveys of hens over the march : the 

 latter, being far more terrified of the Kite than the cocks, 

 take long flights and are all the better for having their 

 lives spared ; they remain away for the rest of the day on 

 which they have been disturbed, but will return to their 

 own moor the same evening to roost, or during the next 

 day. It has, however, one drawback, which is, that if your 

 neighbour happens to be shooting on that particular day, 

 and comes across these coveys of hens, he can make great 

 havoc amongst them. Should he be beating up towards 

 the march over which the birds have lately come, they 

 will then generally lie very close or rise before the guns 

 and endeavour to break over the line rather than return 

 to the moor from whence they have been scared. 



The best wind for working the Kite is one coming 

 directly from behind the guns. The Kite should then be 

 made to sail along in front of the centre of the line, about a 

 hundred yards ahead, and when the birds rise, which they 

 frequently do at a distance of about 70 or 80 yards, they 

 come dashing back towards the guns at their greatest 

 possible speed, affording some really pretty driven shots. 

 Most birds will, however, sit close till the shooters are 

 upon them, and then rise quickly behind or before, giving 

 nice snipy shots and taking straight shooting. 



