GROUSE-SHOOTING 227 



as at the end of the season, a few hints as to how to 

 shoot such a moor to the best advantage may not be 

 amiss ; though, after August and September, birds 

 nowadays get so wild that it is well-nigh impossible to 

 do anything with them in such shootings. 



To commence with, I would recommend that good 

 ranging dogs for the main portion of the day- 

 work should be procured, and one or two very 

 steady pointers for what I may term the ' evening 

 work.' 



On the 1 2th, the worst and most dangerous portion 

 of the moors, i.e., that portion which birds are the 

 more likely to leave and cross over from, should be 

 tried. Let the dogs have the wind, and endeavour to 

 drive the birds towards the centre of the moor. 



The game-markers, or keepers, should be ahead of 

 the guns, on the flank, so as to turn the birds in the 

 desired direction. The centre of the ground, into 

 which the birds have been driven, should then be left 

 until towards evening, when a steady pointer should 

 be used. At each 'point' the keeper or marker 

 should endeavour so to study the lie of the birds as 

 not only to mark them, but to try and keep them within 

 the boundary line, and this is not a difficult matter to 

 carry out when the man is up to the work. 



After the morning beat and a sufficient number of 

 birds have been driven towards the centre of the moor, 

 if there is good feeding-ground for the birds there, 

 a rest may be called for a time, and this is a good 

 opportunity for luncheon. On resuming work, the 

 best-trained dogs which are available should be used, 

 and every chance should be afforded them by working 

 up wind as much as possible, and the guns should be 



