THE PRESERVATION OF GAME. 303 



parties of that year would bag scarcely any but old birds 

 either. Take, however, a really good breeding season, when 

 the experienced shot alluded to would have killed five or six 

 young for one old bird how would it stand with the drivers ? 

 The reply that old birds being more wary and stronger, would 

 first reach the gun, will scarcely do. There might be some 

 slight foundation for this retort at the very commencement of 

 a season ; but at the usual period when driving begins viz., 

 when grouse won't sit well to the point, it will not hold water. 

 The young birds are by this time full-feathered, and as strong 

 on wing as the old, which have long ere this thoroughly taught 

 them the dread of man, and to take care of themselves, leaving 

 them afterwards pretty much to their own resources. They 

 will top the heather as shyly, and fly as swiftly, as their 

 parents ; and when the relative numbers of young to old birds 

 are five or six to two, it is obvious enough how largely in the 

 bag, at the end of the day, the young birds must outnumber 

 their seniors. Let any thorough grouse-shooter, who knows a 

 bird of the year when quite grown, from an old one, count his 

 driving bag at the end of a hard day and judge for himself. 



Driving shots are apt to insist on the superior " gunnery " 

 of their practice, and certainly a fine performer at driven 

 birds would most likely support his reputation at all times. 

 I have, however, known men who (like famous artists of the 

 pigeon-trap) had so completely modelled themselves on " stance 

 sport," as miserably to disappoint their friends who persuaded 

 them to try a day at other shooting. If, on the contrary, a 

 first-rate shot over dogs fails at the driving stance, it is almost 

 invariably from not calculating and allowing sufficient distance 

 before swift-flying game, which a few lessons will soon enable 

 him to correct. 



A young driving shot is apt to fire into " the brown " of 

 packs flying swiftly past, although at single birds he may 

 shoot both well and quickly. The reason is that he has not 

 presence of mind enough to select the bird (or birds, if he 



