CAPEKCAILZIE-SHOOTING. 



NEVER having had an opportunity of firing at the wood-grouse, 

 I borrow from my eldest son's notes the following record of 

 two or three days' sport with these magnificent birds. 



" By the kind permission of a Perthshire friend (the pro- 

 prietor), he went to Lude to try for capercailzie to complete 

 the grouse family of our collection. The flight of this bird 

 on first starting is somewhat peculiar decidedly trying to the 

 skill of a sportsman as, resting hidden within a few feet of 

 the top of the spruce-firs, he usually descends like a cannon- 

 ball to within a short distance of the ground, and then, having 

 got way on, gradually rises to the height of the tops of the 

 trees. As these spruce-firs are so close to each other, the 

 shot is almost always a snap, confined to about ten or fifteen 

 yards of open ground. The time to pick it, if possible, is 

 when the bird steadies itself for the forward flight, after hav- 

 ing made the downward swoop. 



" With a keeper on either hand, the black fir-woods were 

 ranged by sections, the crisp shining snow, however, giving 

 the birds early notice of the approach of the party. During 

 two days the woods were searched in vain, for although often 

 seen, and once or twice within fair distance of one of the 

 keepers, they always eluded the gun the only shot obtained 

 being a right-and-left at roe-deer, on the second day, securing 

 both. On the third, the sportsman was at last successful in 



