THE MOOR 159 



ing one, and they generally make south for the moors 

 from which they have come. Whether they reach there 

 or not is another matter, but without some of these 

 safeguards the last-mentioned preferably it is use- 

 less laying down grouse. There is, however, one very 

 serious warning that must be repeated here. If birds 

 are introduced from strange moors, on no account should 

 they be purchased from suspicious sources. The im- 

 portant correspondence that took place some time ago 

 in The Field 'as to the dastardly manner in which certain 

 moors were depleted of their grouse by netting near the 

 marches ought to make every true sportsman suspicious 

 of the dealer in live game. I see no reason why a man 

 should not rent a moor, and, instead of shooting it in 

 August or September, leave it quiet till the end of the 

 season and supply from it shootings which want fresh 

 blood, and are willing to pay for it. Such sources exist, 

 and the trade is openly carried on as a business in a 

 perfectly straightforward manner. My own experience 

 of several importations of such birds is that a high 

 percentage arrive safe and in good condition. It is 

 necessary, however, to stipulate the proportion of sex 

 when purchasing, and to get two hens to every cock. 

 When laying the birds out on the various parts of the 

 moor as far away from the march as possible, it is also 

 advisable to note carefully the sex, keeping a record 

 of the same in a book, to see that you have got what 

 you have paid for. Otherwise you may be stocking a 

 moor with a lot of old useless cocks, which will do 



