BLACK GAME 345 



than 150,000 acres, although the largest, is nevertheless very 

 small when compared with grouse ,and partridge bags over 

 estates of one-tenth the size. Apparently the black game do 

 not lend themselves to great concentration of breeding birds, 

 or if they do, their fertility does not seem to be very great. 

 Besides, concentration for shooting is extremely difficult, as is 

 proved by the biggest bag ever made in a day. At Sanquhar, 

 in Dumfriesshire, the late Duke of Buccleuch, with the assist- 

 ance of eight other guns, once killed 247 black game in the 

 day, of which over 200 were black cocks. This is probably 

 the record day's bag for Scotland or anywhere else, but it is 

 noteworthy that it is only about one-tenth the number of grouse 

 that have been killed in a day, and we may fairly say that the 

 art of preserving black game has to be discovered, as also has 

 that of introducing the bird into country new to it, which is 

 only saying the same thing in other words. 



The author has shot black game on Dartmoor and in 

 Caithness and in most of the intermediate counties where they 

 exist. Everywhere he has noticed a too great number of black 

 cocks in proportion to hens, and as polygamous birds they 

 should be treated like pheasants in this respect. The other 

 point most noticed is that not more than a quarter of the grey 

 hens breed. There is reason for this, and if it could be dis- 

 covered, probably black game might be reared in numbers 

 equal to grouse. The author merely speculates when he says 

 that the excess of cocks has something to do with the trouble, 

 but probably a worse fault still is that the old birds of both 

 sexes are not shot, and the young ones are. There is no greater 

 mistake than to believe that driving is an automatic selection 

 of the old birds for destruction. This is far from the case in 

 grouse shooting in Scotland, although in Yorkshire it is different ; 

 but your old black cock and grey hen carry years of wisdom 

 to the topmost branch of the Scotch pine, and from that vantage 

 post meet human strategy with avian tactics and live to fight 

 another year. 



It is a great pity that someone does not take up the black 

 game question and study it thoroughly. There are hundreds 



