GROUSE SHOOTING 



in those days when Southron visitors to the North were so 

 rare. 



Thus the Colonel on his sport at Raits on 14th September : — 



' We rose early, took our breakfast and, having some letters 

 to write, I detained Mr. Drighorn, whom I hoped to have 

 persuaded that all business, at the distance of two hundred 

 miles, should give way to the casting over fresh moors, and 

 plenty of game : for I submit to sportsmen, whether there is 

 not as much pleasure in trying fresh moors as in any other 

 amusement.' 



Again : — 



' Of game I found an immense quantity, and I am con- 

 vinced could have killed any number : indeed I never shot 

 better nor killed so many, all our nets and my ammunition pocket 

 being crammed full. At last I drove in the broods among some 

 large junipers, certainly the most capital and luxurious of all 

 shooting ; this tempted me to take a double shot and I killed 

 both. Humanity then cried stop, would you destroy the 

 whole race ? No. I slung my gun and contemplating found 

 Crosly, who was looking again for the goshawk. I had thrown 

 her out a wounded old moorgame cock which she had not 

 seen : I then threw her out a strong poult which to my surprise 

 she raked with ease and carried it into the junipers.' 



Contrary to his custom. Colonel Thornton omits to say what 

 his bag totalled on this day. He and his friends were usually 

 content with five or six brace per gun per day, a few more being 

 killed by the falcons. 



Bags which would be considered good measured by modern 

 standards were occasionally made a century ago : ' To show 

 the abundance,' says Daniel, ' rather than the exploit itself 

 (which by a sportsman, must be hoped never will be repeated), 

 the Earl of Strathmore's Gamekeeper was matched for a 

 considerable sum to shoot forty brace of moor game in the course 

 of the 12th of August, upon his Lordship's moors in Yorkshire : 

 he performed it with great ease, shooting by two o'clock forty- 

 three brace : at eight o'clock in the morning owing to a thick 



85 



