SCOTCH DRIVING 157 



as much to do with obtaining good results as the gun 

 has. What with looking after the springs, altering 

 and repairing the butts, the spade is not out of the 

 keepers' and watchers' hands from April till August. 

 Another matter of vital importance is the killing down 

 of old cocks. These worst of vermin can always be 

 killed in November in certain favourite places. Every 

 old cock killed then is worth a good many eggs in the 

 following spring. The head keeper alone should be 

 entrusted with this work, however. On too many 

 Highland moors not nearly enough trapping is done 

 for the smaller vermin, such as stoats and weasels. 

 The traps should be left standing so long as they can 

 spring. 



In the opinion of the writer the cause of there 

 having been so many disappointing seasons on a great 

 many moors of late years is because what should be 

 the breeding birds are killed early in August, and 

 gradually a worse and worse class of bird is left. 

 Grouse in many places have not laid the large number 

 of eggs they used to go, even though the seasons for 

 nesting have been very good. The large shootings 

 which existed, say, in the Seventies have been broken 

 up into smaller ones, roads and paths made to the 

 distant beats, and as nowadays everyone shoots 

 'pretty well, 1 too often the old birds escape and the 



