72 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GROUSE 



shots, as he declares, without ever leaving his hiding 

 place, at a grouse which seemed to lead a charmed life, 

 as it always reappeared. He fired a tenth shot ; no 

 bird could be then seen. He therefore jumped up, 

 and ran to the knoll of heather, where he found no 

 fewer than ten dead grouse disposed around the spot 

 that had proved so fatal. His explanation was this : 

 that he had fallen in with a company of birds which 

 were running close together, and that each time that 

 he fired and knocked over a bird, another bird in the 

 company ascended the point of danger to make a fresh 

 reconnaissance. It is not at all unusual for an old hand 

 to get a brace of birds at one spot in the half light of 

 approaching day. If a bird offers a chance to the 

 gunner, but is missed and flies away, its companion is 

 pretty certain to follow it. On the other hand, if one 

 bird is shot dead, and drops still upon the heather, 

 its companion will probably remain waiting for it to 

 rise, and perhaps afford a second shot. Grouse can 

 be shot in this way at any time between August and 

 March, but the last months of the year are held in 

 most esteem. 



In March the male grouse are very restless, and 

 fly from one knoll to another, frequently alighting. 

 They still ' beck,' but their cry has become slightly 

 altered since the autumn ; they now seem to say 



