84 DEER-STALKING. CII. XXV. 



gazing about a short time and having a game of 

 romps on the top of a hillock, were joined by their 

 mother, and then all three came into the woods at 

 the foot of the craig where I was sitting. The 

 grouse were calling to each other in all directions, 

 and every now and then an old cock-bird would 

 take a shoi't fly, crowing, to some stone or hillock, 

 where he' stood and sunned himself. I was struck 

 just then by the curious proceedings of a mountain- 

 hare, who had been feeding about two hundred 

 yards from me ; she suddenly began to show symp- 

 toms of uneasiness and fear, taking short runs and 

 then stopping, and turning her ears towards the hill- 

 side behind her. I soon saw the cause of her alarm in 

 a beautiful marten cat : the latter, however, having 

 probably already made her morning meal, took 

 little notice of the hare, but came with quiet 

 leaps straight towards me. As I was well con- 

 cealed amongst the grey fragments of rock which 

 covered the top of the craig, and which were 

 exactly the same colour as the clothes I was 

 dressed in, the little animal did not see me. 

 When about thirty yards off she suddenly stopped 

 and looked in my direction, having evidently be- 

 come aware, through some of her fine senses, of the 

 vicinity of an enemy. She offered me a fair shot, 

 and, well aware of the quantity of game killed by 



