210 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



(a fact which the owner, Mr. Barclay, has been kind enough to 

 give me), there must then have been enough grouse left to 

 have doubled the bag had driving occurred afterwards. The 

 birds would not lie to be shot then in the middle of September, 

 as everyone knows. 



It may be fairly asked, "What is the use of double 

 numbers if you cannot shoot them ? " But that raises a very 

 broad issue, and what the author has in mind is that over- 

 shooting now is far worse than want of attention was then. It is 

 stated in a pamphlet issued by the Grouse Commission, that one 

 acre of good young heather is enough to keep a covey of grouse 

 for the season. As a matter of fact the moor is lucky when it 

 rears half a grouse to the acre instead of a whole brood. In the 

 author's belief there is no reason past human powers to remove, 

 why the acre should not breed the brood instead of the half- 

 grouse. In fact, he has taken up this question in order to draw 

 attention not only to the fact that season's bags are smaller 

 than they were in spite of improvements of all sorts, but to try 

 and induce a search for a reason for this state of things in a 

 contrary direction to that being taken. For this purpose he 

 would refer possible readers to his chapter on " Game Birds' 

 Diseases," and would also call to mind the very suggestive phase 

 of wild life from Africa namely, that when antelopes, buffalo, 

 and zebra were in countless millions, nothing in the shape of 

 disease retarded their increase, but as soon as they came to 

 exist in isolation and small flocks, disease stepped in and well- 

 nigh exterminated them. That the micro-organisms of some 

 diseases are often present in the blood of the big game animals 

 and do them no injury, although they may be injurious to other 

 animals, is also very suggestive of what may be possible in 

 the future on our grouse moors that is, if the practice of 

 devoting them exclusively to grouse is persisted in. 



" WOODTHORPE, NOTTINGHAM 

 " October 2nd, 1906 



" DEAR MR. BUCKELL, You ask me what I think as to 

 your views re grouse driving in Scotland, and the conversations 



