GROUSE. 117 



which was very cleverly stopped by J at a wonderful 



distance, a plover that flew overhead in an irresistibly tempting 

 way, and a couple of wood pigeons returning from a foray in 

 the low-lying barley fields. We were also guilty of the lives 

 of two hen blackgame, which met their fate by rising 

 amongst a covey of their cousins the red grouse, and under 

 such circumstances, in the hurry of the moment, I for one 

 can rarely tell the difference between the two species. 



Finally, as the sun sloped down in the west and the grey 

 rocks were beginning to have very distinct shadows, we 

 reached the outskirts of a deep pine forest, clothing the 

 whole summit and side of a hill on our ground, where, 

 bidding adieu for the time to the grouse, we scrambled over 

 the lichen-grown boundary dyke, and picked our way amongst 

 the dense stunted firs, all on the qui vive for another caper- 

 cailzie, several families of which made this their special 

 home. The intense solitude and wildness of these " pine 

 barrens " are difficult to describe to one who does not know 

 them well. For my part, when I first made their acquain- 

 tance fresh from the lowlands, I was struck with surprise. 

 It seemed some chance had swept me from the crowded 

 little British isle to the wilds of Siberia. And what bird 

 befits these great solitudes so well as the hermit-like " cock 

 of the woods ! " But I may have something more to say 

 about these grand game birds below. For the present we 

 made one beat lengthways through the dense forest, already 

 in the gloom of approaching dusk, adding to the bag, a wood- 

 cock, another capercailzie, a couple of wood pigeons, a hare, 

 and half a dozen mountain rabbits a species differing very 

 considerably from the lowland form. 



When we counted up the spoil that evening in the 

 verandah of the lodge, though not large it was pleasantly 

 varied. We had stocked the game-room for the time, and 

 if we had not shot very many brace of grouse, we had at 

 least got that what we went out for a capital rough day's 

 shooting. 



