367 



shot 118 deer in Mar Forest, one day killing no less than thirteen 

 •with fourteen chances. 



In a forest in Inverness-shire he shot eight stags in twenty minutes, 

 date not given. The deer were driven into a wood and got stupefied. 

 He had only a muzzle-loading rifle, while loading which he lost sight 

 of the deer. If he had had a breech-loader, so that he could have run 

 while loading, he could have killed a great many more. 



Matches with pistol and ball were common in England in those days, 

 and Ross entered into many, but never was he beaten. Once with a 

 Spanish gentleman he shot for £50 at the old Red House at Batter- 

 sea, the best of fifty shots. The target was a common playing card 

 and the bull's-eye exactly the size of a sixpence. The distance cer- 

 tainly was only twelve yards but he won the wager by remarkable 

 shotting, and out of the last twenty-five shots hit the bull's-eye twenty- 

 three times. Short distance alone was not his forte with the pistol, 

 for he made nearly as good shooting with it up to a hundred yards as 

 with a rifle. Moreover, with a pistol he killed deer, both roe and 

 fallow. 



In 1825 or 1826 he and Mr. William Coke had a two-day match at 

 partridges over the Holkham estate. The conditions were as follows : 

 —Two beats were named and to toss for choice ; a day to intervene 

 between the first and second day's shooting, when they were to change 

 beats ; to start as early as they pleased ; to load their own guns ; to 

 hunt the dogs, and to pick up the birds killed ; to be allowed two 

 attendants each to help in any other way. 



Ross had lost by madness his best dogs, but he borrowed from 

 Mr. Osbaldeston a brace, which in Yorkshire were perfection. 



The Squire was Captain Ross's umpire and walked with Mr. Coke, 

 while Captain Greville, R.N., walked with Ross on the part of Coke. 

 They started at daylight, but the first turnip-field Ross entered away 

 went the Squire's fleet, high-bred dogs, and before they had got half 

 way down it between four and five hundred partridges were flushed 

 and went off in crowds. The dogs found a scent under every turnip 

 and in a few minutes " lost their noses " altogether. They rushed 

 here and there, and partridges rising every instant they got totally 

 bewildered. In their excitement they jumped in the air trying to 

 catch the birds and finally rushei after some which they followed into 

 the next field and cleared it also, giving tongue like hounds. Not a 

 shot did Ross get during the first half hour, while he heard his opponent 

 hard at work. Trying and provoking as it was, this performance of 

 the dog.^ was so absurd that he and Captain Greville burst out laugh- 

 ing. At last the dogs were caught and put in couples. A man was 

 put on each side of Ross, and by walking them up he at sunset had 

 bagged forty brace of birds. 



On his way to the Hall, Mr. Denny, a true type of a fine old English 

 farmer, joined him, and, although a tenant of Mr. Coke's, he wished 

 that Ross should have fair play, for he said he was the best shot they 



