SHOOTING. 217 



quickly too, that be appeared with ease to distance his pursuers; 

 he would also frequently stop, and have the audacity to kill game 

 in their sight ; and then darted forward again with the swiftness 

 of the roe. After many attempts had proved ineffectual, the mat- 

 ter was reported to his Lordship, who desired that he might be 

 informed of the next time the trespasser made his appearance. 

 A very short period elapsed before it was reported to his Lord- 

 ship that the man in the dark-green jacket (the colour he always 

 wore) had again offered himself to observation. Lord Stanley 

 was soon brought in sight of the depredator, and at the moment 

 when he had approached within about two hundred yards of the 

 poacher (whose dog at the moment was pointing), he saw him 

 deliberately bring down a bird. This was too much to be borne ; 

 his Lordship darted towards the spot : the man in the dark 

 green jacket, however, pockettedhis bird, and, in a few seconds, 

 fairly distanced his pursuer, and had no sooner gained a sufficient 

 distance, than he again commenced ranging for game. His 

 Lordship being a good foot-man, determined to make up in a 

 persevering chase what he had lost at starting, and therefore con- 

 tinued the pursuit. Again he approached the poacher, but 

 only to witness the Jail of another bird ; and in this manner the 

 contest lasted for more than an hour and a half, when Lord 

 Stanley acknowledged the superior dexterity of the man in the 

 dark-green jacket, by abandoning all further efforts to come to 

 close quarters with him. 



During the whole of the season grouse are regularly conveyed 

 by the stage coaches to all the large towns, and particularly to 

 Manchester and Liverpool. For this purpose there are certain 

 days appointed, when quantities of these birds are brought to 

 particular houses by the road side, at which the coachmen and 

 guards call ; and this unlawful traffic is continued with as much 

 regularity, if not with as much publicity, as the authorized deal- 

 ings in any other species of marketable commodity. Abundance 



