GROUSE AND BLACK-GAME SHOOTING. 8*7 



opinion that they only shift to the longest heather on the lee 

 side of any knolls near their usual haunts, when they want 

 shelter from the sun, wind, or rain. When they become strong 

 on the wing, and the weather is cold or boisterous, they will 

 shift from one mountain-face to its opposite counterpart, to 

 avoid the cold and take advantage of the sunshine, provided 

 the distance does not much exceed their ordinary flight. This, 

 I think, they never willingly do at the beginning of a season. 

 I have likewise heard it asserted that grouse descend the hills 

 to feed: this I also believe to be erroneous; and have no doubt 

 that, at feeding-times, they only move to the first short sweet 

 patch of young heather, the tender tops of which form their 

 chief food during a great part of the year except, indeed, in 

 winter, when many of them come down to lower ground than 

 they ever frequent at other times. The young poults eat the 

 seeds of the various grasses and weeds that grow in the moors, 

 and are particularly fond of sorrel. At the hatching-time, the 

 hen devours quantities of earth-worms with great avidity. 



We hear many complaints from those who rent shootings 

 about the scarcity of grouse. Plenty of absurd reasons are 

 given for the decrease, and with some plausibility much blame 

 is laid on the greed of stock-farmers. Having farmed the 

 chief hill of my Mull shootings for the benefit of the game, I 

 have some right to speak from experience. My conviction is, 

 that though needy, ignorant creatures, near the end of their 

 lease, may sometimes overstock their ground, no enterprising 

 farmers would do so. They are well aware that fewer good 

 stock pay better than a greater number of bad, besides having 

 the ground in finer order for next year. All animals, and fish 

 too, either die or grow weedy when overstocked. Many of 

 our modern deer-forests are ruined by overstocking, but sports- 

 men often care more for the number of shots than the quality 

 of the deer. This won't suit the farmer's book on market- 

 day, quality always paying better than quantity on the 

 average. 



