At Guisachan. 203 



" In one high wood of old Scotch firs, on a steep and broken 

 hillside above the waterfall, the sight of these birds coming 

 along only just within gunshot, in company with common 

 pheasants and blackcocks, I shall never forget. I say ' in 

 company with,' but, as a matter of fact, as soon as one of 

 the long-tailed sky-rockets cleared the trees, he left the 

 others far behind, and came forward at a pace which was 

 little short of terrific. I doubt if any bird of the genus goes 

 faster. 



" Now this is all that the sportsman wants. Here we have 

 a bird of unrivalled beauty, great hardihood, and unequalled 

 pace, which practically fulfils all the conditions which the 

 modern shooter requires. The only other condition which is 

 absolutely essential to make the bird a success from this point 

 of view is its local environment. In this respect Guisachan 

 is not singular, and I could name a hundred localities in 

 Scotland, England and Wales where Eeeves's pheasant would 

 be certain to succeed. 



" The Guisachan birds were obtained by the late Lord 

 Tweedmouth from Balmacaan, the late Lord Seafield's estate 

 near Loch Ness, where I have also seen them shot. No artificial 

 rearing was resorted to ; the birds were breeding in a wild 

 state, and shifting entirely for themselves, except for the 

 maize which was put down for the ordinary pheasants. At 

 Balmacaan, where the birds were in low open woods, one may 

 see Eeeves's pheasants killed in the way in which they should 

 not be. Here these birds (as is the case when turned down 

 on any ordinary Enghsh preserve) have formed most undesir- 

 able habits. It is with great difficulty they can be got to 

 rise at all, and when this is effected they keep low, and afford 

 no sport whatever. Now, at Guisachan all this is obviated 

 by the rough nature of the ground. There is heavy bracken, 

 fallen trees, mountain burns, and, above all, rough heather. 

 These cause the birds to get up almost at once. The trees 

 being high and dense assist their elevation and force them to 

 a respectable height from the very start. 



