22 VARIETIES OP SHOOTING. 



with the downs of England. Of late years, by burning a 

 large tract of heather every year, which greatly encourages 

 the growth of grass for a time, the amount of stock which 

 the moors will carry has been enormously increased ; but 

 this gain to the sheep-farmer is a loss to the sportsman, 

 inasmuch as that grouse require a high growth of heather 

 for protection, and plenty of young shoots for food, both of 

 which wants are interfered with by burning; in addition to 

 which, in proportion to the numbers of the sheep, is the dis- 

 turbance to the grouse increased, not merely from these 

 animals themselves, but from the necessary supervision by 

 the shepherds and their dogs. All these circumstances com- 

 bined, together with the grouse disease, which seems to in- 

 crease in proportion to the inroads of the sheep, appear to be 

 gradually interfering with the moors as nurseries for game; 

 but more serious than all is the system of poaching which is 

 carried on, both in the breeding season and also in the autumn. 

 The nests of these birds are now systematically robbed of their 

 eggs, which are sold, partly to stock other moors, and partly 

 to satisfy the appetites of gourmands, who care nothing how 

 they spoil sport so long as their palates are gratified. This 

 subject, however, will be more satisfactorily discussed under 

 Book VI., in which the various devices of poachers will be 

 met with corresponding remedies as far as they are known; 

 and the nature of the grouse disease will also be discussed. 



From these remarks it will be obvious that the fatigue of 

 walking the moors is not to be lightly encountered except by 

 those in possession of health and strength. The invalid, or 

 naturally weakly sportsman, should make up his mind either 

 to put up with an inferior bag, or else he must take to a 

 shooting pony, which will enable him to get over nearly as 

 much ground as his more active friends. Furnished with a 

 well-broken animal of this class he may generally keep within 

 reach of his dogs ; but it will often happen, nevertheless, that 

 he will be obliged to make slight detours, where an active 

 man on foot could readily go straight to his point. The air 

 of the moors is generally of a very bracing character, and 

 many men can take severe exercise on them who would be 

 incapable of going through a walk of half-a-dozen miles in 

 length after partridges in the south. On some moors the 



