The Moors 59 



there ptarmigan, dunlin plover, golden plover, and an 

 occasional grouse used to dash by and vary the monotony 

 of " toujours lievres." When stationed lower down we 

 got more grouse and a few black cock. On one notable 

 day as many as thirteen different kinds of game made a 

 brave show when displayed on our return home. The 

 blue hares were exceedingly easy to shoot, but we were 

 very young boys then and preferred quantity to quality. 

 Those were still the days of muzzle-loaders, or the bags 

 would have been much heavier even than they were. 

 Terribly sore the first joint of the forefinger of the right 

 hand used to get from ramming down the wadding in such 

 a hurry, and when the wads ran short all sorts of material 

 had to be pressed into the service. Bits of paper, moss, 

 the lining of an old hat, etc., had all to do duty on 

 occasion, but much of the shooting was at a short distance, 

 and the gun killed, if held straight, whatever the wadding 

 might be. The largest score that I ever made in one 

 " drive" was thirty-six hares, with a little 18 -bore double- 

 barrel gun by Purdey. A fox came along, scared by the 

 " drivers," and sat up and looked at me, but although well 

 within range I could not find it in my heart to shoot him, 

 although there were no hounds within scores of miles, 

 and foxes on a Scotch grouse moor are really nothing else 

 but " vermin." Blue hares have a curious habit of 

 standing up on their hind-legs to gain a better view of 

 any object if they suspect danger, and they will frequently 

 do so if you are well concealed and give a loud whistle. 

 This was very tempting to boys, and I fear we often 

 whistled loudly ! As the hares hardly ever leave the 

 " runs," which are well marked on the Arctic moss on the 

 high " tops," it was quite an art to select a place of 



