236 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



coverts ; they prefer a young fir plantation, or the 

 natural birch scrub on a hillside. Besides, there has 

 been no hard weather to bring in the flights, which 

 will probably be found in greater abundance on the 

 east coast. 



The next beat is not particularly interesting. The 

 wood just round the house is fairly rocky and un- 

 dulating, but the pheasants, although they fly well, 

 are only fairly good birds. The object of the next 

 two beats is to drive as many as possible into the high 

 wooded hill at the back between the house and the 

 fernery, from which nearly every shot will be at a real 

 rocketer. The only singular incident of the drive is 

 provided by a roe, which charges the high deer-fence that 

 separates the garden from the wood, and gets between 

 the two top strands of wire, about six feet high and 

 less than one foot apart, as gracefully as, nay, far 

 more gracefully than, any coryphee performing in the 

 arena with a paper hoop. It looked, to the eyes of 

 the spectator, as if he had passed through without 

 touching the wire on either side a truly marvellous 

 feat ; but when we examine the place we find a tell- 

 tale bunch of mouse-coloured hair, which proves that he 

 must have hit the lower wire pretty hard. However, 

 he is certainly not much the worse, for he gallops lightly 

 over the tennis-lawn, takes the stone wall by the gate 

 in his stride, and disappears across the park, heading 

 in the direction of Ach Vean, to the great delight of 

 some of the younger members of the family, who, with 

 their nurses, are watching the sport from the windows. 



Then comes the last beat before lunch, that from 

 the high hill at the back already alluded to, and, 

 although there is certainly nothing romantic in the 



