90 A Sportsman at Large 



the latter took wing well out of gun shot and made for 

 the identical stance on the stone wall, from which he had 

 crowed defiance yesterday. I affected to take no notice of 

 his lack of good manners, so passed on unconcernedly ; but 

 when I had sunk the hill and was out of the bird's sight, I 

 wheeled sharply to the left and took cover behind a second 

 wall, which ran parallel to the one on which the dusky black- 

 cock was perched. In this way I was able to get within 

 a hundred and fifty yards of him. 



I peered over my " O.P." There he was, craning his 

 neck and looking towards the line of my retreat. I rested 

 my rifle on the wall, drew a careful bend on the middle of 

 his fat body, and let drive ! 



The sharp, but by no means loud, report was followed by 

 a hearty " plunk ! " as the lead found its billet, and let day- 

 light into Mr. Black-cock's sombre soul. 



He fell off the wall as dead as a herring, doornail or 

 mutton ! 



He was a fine fellow as a " good-looker," but a tough, 

 bitter and unpromising bit of provender from a culinary 

 point of view. 



Here again was I laying myself open to a charge of unsports- 

 manlike procedure ; but my conscience did not prick me. 

 On the contrary I rejoiced with an exceeding great joy ! 

 That wily old fowl would never have afforded anyone of us 

 a fair or sporting chance ; besides, an ancient fighting cock 

 grouse be he of the black or red variety is an unmitigated 

 nuisance on any moor ; and here, where his kind were very 

 few and far between, such as he, was a nuisance to the welfare 

 and success of all those holding the Duchy license. I am 

 glad to say that even my sportingly punctilious brother-in- 

 law pronounced my deed justifiable " ornicide ! " (please 

 excuse the Greek and Latin coalition !) 



On our own shoot there had been that season only one 

 brood of the " Coqs de bruyere." These we one day shep- 

 herded to a convenient bit of cover, where Irwin bagged a 

 brace and The Dads a single bird ; but much to my disgust, 

 I did not get a look in. 

 My chance was, however, soon to arrive. A neighbouring 



