FINCHES. 47 



pretty chirruping cry, affording us only a very quick snap 

 shot. 



Then we lunched under a wide spreading cork tree, with 

 the blue Gulf of Ajaccio extended far and wide from the low 

 ground at our feet, and the pale snow-fields of the Corsican 

 Alps glittering at our backs. Thanks to the care of monsieur, 

 who had prepared it, the meal was only too complete, and he 

 now presided, beaming over the array of everything the 

 hungry sportsman could desire : fascinating pies of myrtle- 

 fed songsters and cold game from the hotel chief's larder to 

 eat, while for drinking there was the bottled beer of the 

 Saxon, and the light wine of the Gaul, honey stored by up- 

 land bees, smelling of mountain pastures, and brought down 

 from far inland by peasants, who had also supplied their 

 goats' milk cream for us to eat it with ; and when all these 

 dainties had been disposed of there came a glass of Chartreuse 

 to wind up with. Truly a Frenchman understands the science 

 of eating. Such a lunch, " though it might be magnificent, 

 was not war," or rather shooting, and, need I add, that when 

 it was over we smoked a pipe or two with great delibera- 

 tion, and then coming to the somewhat tame conclusion 

 that we had done nearly enough shooting for the day, con- 

 tented ourselves with strolling homewards along the beach, 

 getting a couple more ducks and three or four hares from 

 a stony bit of half -reclaimed land that bordered the sea 

 shore. 



There is not much to be said for Corsican sport. To 

 make bags of any size it is necessary to go very far inland, 

 where the best shooting is found. As to the famous moufflon, 

 or wild sheep of the island, I have been after them once or 

 twice, but it is much to be feared their day is near its setting, 

 as they are well nigh extinct. 



Thrush hunting here in our own country is regarded as 

 a fit amusement only for country bumpkins, or at most a 

 pastime for Master Tommy home for his Christmas holidays, 

 and revelling in the delights of a new gun a pleasant alter- 



