PTARMIGAN HAWKING. 175 



which a young tiercel would occasionally pursue' 

 him and hunt him out again : but the falcons 

 soon became too cunning or too proud to enact 

 the part of a terrier, and preferred to wait on 

 overhead until the quarry had been started for 

 a fresh flight. Grey hens, however, and young 

 males, were easily killed. 



The sport which required most energy and per- 

 severance, and was attended with greater danger 

 and difficulty than any other, was ptarmigan hawk- 

 ing. It might be compared to chamois shooting. 

 The haunts of the ptarmigan were among the 

 highest of the rocky peaks that crowned the lofty 

 mountains near Scardroy. Besides the obstacles 

 which the precipices and the rugged nature of the 

 ground presented at every step, it was no easy 

 matter to find the birds, so closely did they lie ; 

 and so exactly did their plumage resemble the 

 colours of the lichens and surrounding crags, 

 that without good hardy dogs the attempt would 

 have been unsuccessful. Even after this had 

 been accomplished, the game started, and a bird 

 struck down by the falcon, it would frequently 

 fall over a tremendous cliff; and a detour of some 

 miles must be performed before the ptarmigan 

 could be found or the hawk recovered. As in 

 all analogous circumstances however, where danger 

 and difficulty beset the path of the sportsman, 



