AMONGST WILD FOWL AND SALMON. 61 



eye. It needs no Lavater to tell that Madame Grace 

 is infinitely cute, and very queer in temper ; but she 

 is tip-top : I never saw a better dog, and I have seen 

 many of all breeds. No use puzzling or aggravating 

 Grace by shouting " Hark ! back ! " &c. She knows 

 what to do quite as well as the sportsman, and how 

 to do it a mighty deal better. 



Almost directly on getting to the swamps there 

 was a call of "Mark snipe!" as two or three rose 

 from a wet corner. Ward dropped one, and Fred 

 missed ; the reports put up a whole lot of ducks 

 from the reeds, and they almost all flew right away 

 from the loch. 



" Never mind," Archie said, " it's only the auld 

 birds that are leaving ; there's plenty flappers left 

 behind." 



We presently came on some teal. Ward killed 

 right and left, and Fred got two at a shot; the 

 others, after a short flight, settled in the reeds. A 

 little farther on, Archie whispered, " I'm thinkin' 

 I see ducks ahint yon bank." 



Hope and Fred got stealthily round the pool, and 

 flushed a nice covey of mallards ; two were killed, 

 and another, wounded, was caught by the dog; the 

 rest went off to the rushes in the loch. Then, at 



