1 64 SHOOTING THE GROUSE 



' dribbled ' round a gentle slope at one side of this 

 flat, the beaters hardly moving, but every one or two 

 men moving from time to time as the firing mode- 

 rates. 



In fact, the more ' dodgy ' a drive can be made, 

 the more sport there is in seeing it done. Many of 

 the writer's friends, who shot regularly on English 

 and Lowland moors, describe the birds in the High- 

 lands as being much harder to shoot. This, of 

 course, is owing to the ground. In some drives 

 birds come perfectly straight, either low, highish, or 

 very high ; in others, on the same day and with the 

 same wind, they will fly like snipe, with a wrench and 

 twist which sadly upsets 'averages.' 



As regards scoring, the writer considers that the 

 best fairest, and quickest way is to draw for butts, 

 shift two each drive, and ask each gun after each 

 drive is over, ' How many birds did you see fall to 

 your gun?' In these days of nitro powders everyone 

 can see if he kills or not. If he does not know whether 

 he has killed or not, he had better give up grouse 

 driving. The total of that drive is then given to 

 the gathering keeper, who then has some idea of 

 what was claimed and what was picked up. As the 

 drives are all single drives, birds are easily gathered 

 by the guns, and after they have left to go on to the 



