31 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GROUSE 



sportsman knows that the old cock birds often lie 

 out singly in the heather on the tops of the hills, 

 while the females and younger males are shifting in 

 flocks about the lower ground. 



I have gradually been led to the opinion that the 

 custom of driving the moors has altered the habits 

 of grouse enormously, and led to their becoming 

 far more gregarious than they used to be. The men- 

 tion of grouse driving always reminds me of a remark 

 which was made in my presence some few years 

 ago. A certain man was descanting rather loudly on 

 the excellence of his shooting, when Sir Reginald 

 Cathcart inquired whether the drives were good. The 

 reply was somewhat unexpected : ' Well, the fact is, 

 we have not any drives yet, but I am having them 

 laid out.' Our grouse in Skye never become very 

 wild. Their tameness in December is often more 

 openly expressed than in the breeding season. Of 

 course, nesting grouse will alldw you to tread upon 

 them in the heather rather than rise from their place 

 of concealment, and it is necessary to take a dog to 

 the hill if you wish to form an estimate of the number 

 of birds upon the moor in the month of May. A hen 

 that is nesting in an open situation will generally 

 dash away in trepidation if she thinks herself detected ; 

 but most birds nest in cover, and greatly prefer to 



