SHOOTING THE GROUSE 



poulterers, and are supplied to their fellow-culprits 

 in this traffic, if not to the poachers direct ; and no 

 questions are asked as long as they get the supply of 

 grouse for sale on the Twelfth. This is a disgraceful 

 state of things ; and it should be remembered that, 

 without troubling Parliament with further legislation 

 (which, unhappily, in these days is beset with diffi- 

 culties of all kinds), there is ample law to put a stop 

 to these practices if only trouble is taken to run the 

 offenders to ground. 



It would be impossible to prevent the sale itself 

 of grouse at a distance from the moors, say in London 

 or elsewhere, but at least those who are fond of sport 

 may do something to check the demand. I would, 

 therefore, beg all good sportsmen who may be far 

 from the moors on the Twelfth to restrain their appe- 

 tite for grouse, and refuse to purchase any for a day 

 or two at least. If this were universally done in 

 restaurants and clubs, it would go far towards check- 

 ing the evil, and those to whom I appeal would be 

 spared the indignation or gastronomic disappoint- 

 ment which they will probably experience on being 

 offered a grouse of a week old which purports to have 

 been killed that morning. 



Grouse are poached in many ways, and one of the 

 most destructive is the recently introduced practice 



