ON THE HIGHLAND LOCHS. 215 



go alarming the whole shore, firing random shots at flocks 

 of fowl nearly out of reach on the water. 



Next in importance to the gun is a proper retriever.* 

 The Newfoundland is not quite the thing : first, his black 

 colour is against him brown is much to be preferred: 

 then, I should wish my dog occasionally to assist me in 

 this inland shooting, by beating rushes or thick cover up 

 creeks, where you may often plant yourself in an open 

 situation for a shot, and your dog put up the fowl, which 

 are almost certain to fly down past you. If you accus- 

 tomed a Newfoundland to this, he might, from his strength 

 and vivacity, learn the trick of breaking away when you 

 did not wish him. The best and most efficient kind of 



* My first attempts at shooting were in pursuit of wild-fowl when quite 

 a boy, and I still consider it superior to any other sport. In these early 

 days, however, I had no idea to what perfection a retriever might be 

 trained; if the dog took the water well, and was close-mouthed, I expected 

 no more. As I was always obliged to lead him by my side, he often 

 spoiled my best chances, either by showing himself, or hampering me 

 when crawling over difficult ground. I was at last so disgusted with these 

 encumbrances, that I generally dispensed with their services, and trusted 

 to my own resources for recovering the killed and wounded. The conse- 

 quence was, that the greater proportion of the latter always escaped, and 

 unless the wind was favourable, not a few of the former were drifted 

 away. On one occasion I was foolish enough to swim one hundred yards 

 into the loch, in the middle of winter, after a golden-eye, and had some 

 difficulty in regaining the land. I had watched it for some time, and at 

 last succeeded in getting to the nearest point on the shore. The golden- 

 eye, however, was diving a long shot off, as these shy birds not unfre- 

 quently do : without once considering that the wind was blowing strong 

 from the shore, I fired, and the bird dropped dead. To my great chagrin, 

 it was blown rapidly out into the rough water. What was to be done 1 

 Had it been able to make the slightest effort to escape, I could have 



