258 O VERSTO CKED MO ORS 



moreover, as I have before endeavoured to explain, 

 the birds have got so wild that driving has had to be 

 resorted to. Even in Caithness, the district least of 

 all so affected, the grouse in some places have become 

 over- wild and unapproachable. In Strathmore they 

 have also had to take to driving, and ere long this 

 must be the case everywhere ; and birds may fly for 

 many miles now without fear of peregrines, thanks to 

 the ignorance of those who should have been better 

 informed. 



The use of dogs for ' setting' purposes is therefore 

 fast declining, and will ere long be altogether abandoned, 

 except in a few isolated instances. The increased 

 number of tourists, railroads, etc., has also done 

 much of late years towards disturbing the formerly 

 otherwise quiet districts ; civilization is ever anta- 

 gonistic to sport. It is to be regretted that such is 

 the case, but still more so that the custom of indis- 

 criminate slaughter is so rife. Overstocked ground, 

 game herded together — all these things tend to spoil 

 sport in the future. 



Warning seems useless ; the best of our shootings 

 have been turned again into sheep-farms, and this will 

 never answ^er on the high grounds. Sheep will never 

 pay on such grounds ; even the hardiest Highland 

 cattle fail to thrive ; deer alone succeed. If the land 

 were given them rent-free, the crofters and sheep- 

 farmers could not make it pay. Then, again, the 

 tremendous competition from abroad prohibits any 

 sensible profit. The ground leased for shooting 

 becomes really valuable ; and it will be far better for 

 all concerned if the lairds increase the shootings and 

 reduce the sheep-farms on such high grounds as I 



