SHOOTING. 209 



To Insure an abundance of grouse, care should be taken, prior 

 to the pairing season, to destroy a number of the male birds, as, 

 at the close of the shooting season, a preponderance of cocks will 

 be uniformly found. It is well known to sportsmen that the cock 

 bird is always the first to take wing ; he cautiously avoids the ap- 

 proach of the shooter, and hence the reason why so many male 

 birds are always left. If, therefore, at the commencement of 

 the breeding season, more cocks are left than can find mates, 

 furious battles ensue, much confusion is produced, and the nest- 

 ling and incubation suffer in consequence* To this cause may 

 perhaps be attributed the scarcity of grouse last year in par- 

 ticular spots; for as to the epidemic, so much spoken of, it 

 amounted to very little indeed, as I met with neither shepherd, 

 watcher, nor keeper, who had met with half a dozen diseased 

 birds. Nothing of the kind had at all been seen on those moun- 

 tains, which formed the scene of my diversion; on the contrary, 

 birds were abundant, very finely grown, as well as very strong 

 on the wing. On the moors in Durham, however, as well as 

 on some in Yorkshire and Westmoreland, I last year noticed a 

 greater number of hawks than were consistent with the well-being 

 of the game. 



It is a prevalent opinion that a very dry breeding season is de- 

 trimental to grouse ; this I conceive to be a notion hastily adopt- 

 ed, and which will not bear the scrutiny of investigation. And, 

 whilst this opinion is so inconsiderately taken up, it is as strenu- 

 ously maintained that the season cannot be too dry for partridges. 

 Now I should be glad to know the reason, why a wet season 

 should be conducive to the health of young grouse, and yet 

 detrimental to young partridges? They are not exactly the 

 same birds, it is true ; but they are, in some measure, allied to 

 each other, while there is a striking similitude in their habits. In 

 a dry breeding season, partridges are sure to be abundant ; for 



a very good reason, their eggs are not chilled by the wet, nor 



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