SPORT IN BUTE. 215 



well there in 1865, and every autumn an enormous flock of 

 tempting but unapproachable black-game haunted the hillside, 

 feeding morning and evening on the corn-stubbles. An un- 

 broken heather-beat of six miles from Kames Castle ends in 

 Eobodach fields, so I shot along the moor-edge to this part- 

 ridge-ground, killing on my way one and a half brace black- 

 game, a grouse, and three large red hares. After two o'clock, 

 with fresh dogs, I increased my bag by four and a half brace 

 of partridges and another couple of hares. Oddly enough, 

 made the same score of partridges on both beats, and with 

 the same number of shots, for I only missed a second-barrel 

 bird each day. 



Most of the Eobodach partridges, when sprung, having 

 found safety in the copsewood flanking the stubble and turnip 

 fields, on my next excursion to that ground I endeavoured to 

 intercept the birds from their refuge. We were fortunate in 

 forcing some good coveys into the hill -ground, .where I had 

 fair shooting, and made a score of eight brace my largest 

 partridge bag of the season. In this low shooting, the re- 

 triever backed up the gun by securing winged birds all but 

 lost. Neither in wood, furze, turnip, nor potatoes did one 

 wounded partridge foil this invaluable dog throughout the 

 shooting. 



But if the retriever did justice to the gun, the gun, in its 

 turn, did justice to the shooter. I have never used a small 

 fowling-piece that does more unfailing, deadly execution. It 

 was made by Alexander Henry of Edinburgh, a short time be- 

 fore the " Henry rifles " acquired their fame. I had been tell- 

 ing Henry of a duck-gun made by his former chief, Mr Eoss 

 (who then had a monopoly of the Edinburgh gun trade), which 

 for regularity of pattern and hardness of shooting I had never 

 seen surpassed. He answered by offering to make for me a 

 light gun to try against it, which I was to return if not 

 pleased. The stocking of this gun, after the model of the 

 Eoss one, fitted me so well, that the first day I tried it in 



