116 THE MOOH AND THE LOCH. 



much to their numbers as their courage, for the brown hare, 

 although proverbially timid, is very pugnacious. I once saw 

 a battle between two of them, which appeared exactly like 

 monkeys sparring. On slipping cautiously forward to see 

 what this Lilliputian fight could mean, I was much amused to 

 find it was a couple of jack-hares, reared upon their hind 

 legs, pummelling each other's heads and shoulders with right 

 good will. The blows were sharp and true ; and if all the 

 old brown champions boxed the ears of their alpine kin to the 

 same tune, it must have been no easy matter for the hillmen 

 to make them sound a retreat. 



Should an alpine hare be started at the base of a cairn, if 

 unpursued she will most likely run up to a large piece of 

 rock, and place her back against it, watching the motions of 

 the enemy underneath. She will remain long in this position, 

 quite still. If the sportsman leaves his attendant at the foot 

 of the cairn, and, by taking a circuit, comes down above, there 

 is no danger of the hare seeing him. The only difficulty is to 

 find out the rock, among so many pretty much alike, especially 

 as its shape from above is often very different from what it 

 appeared below. To prevent mistakes, I generally directed 

 my game-carrier to hold out his blue-bonnet in his right or 

 left hand, to point out on which side of me the rock lay ; but 

 if it was directly below me, to place his bonnet on the ground. 

 In a calm day I have sometimes taken off my shoes, to pre- 

 vent the hare from hearing my steps, and very seldom failed 

 to shoot her. This miniature stalking is within the reach of 

 many grouse-shooters ; and, by trying their skill at it when 

 the birds grow wild, they may find out whether they have 

 any turn either for wild-fowl or deer stalking. 



When one of these hares is pursued by a collie or terrier, 

 she will run round and round the hill, on her own track, try- 

 ing to confound the scent, and, as a last resource, scuttle along 

 a water-course, if there is one near. 



