THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
which in some localities is very prevalent. On the high mountains they are 
fond of the small bedstraw {Galium saxatile)^ which grows profusely on 
the limestone, and is the chief food there of the mountain partridge. They 
also eat the leaves of the crowberry, at some seasons, which sheep do not 
seem to have much relish for; but of all the dainties they indulge in, 
perhaps the one they love most is the moss rush {J uncus squarrosus), 
which at the season of its ripeness tempts the grouse to leave the moor 
and scatter over the green hillsides during the day time, revelling in their 
change of diet. 
When grouse are hard put to it in a prolonged storm they will eat almost 
anything they can get, and during the tremendous snow of 1895, ere 
the grouse had to forsake the regions of upper Wharfedale, Wensleydale, 
and Swaledale, and betake themselves to the far off arable lands in the 
low country, they perched on the hawthorns in packs and devoured every 
bud which could be obtained. And yet the following season was the best 
grouse year the writer has known during his residence there of nineteen 
years. 
Best time for burning . — ^The experience gained during that period has shown 
that autumn burning answers best, and if done as soon as the moor will 
burn, whilst the heather is still full of sap, with a fairly brisk breeze, the fire 
does not tarry, and so the roots do not get burned. The shoots then spring 
up the very next year from heather of any age; but when burned in the spring 
— ^which is usually very severe in that region — ^with little sap in the plants, 
the fire strikes deeper down, and it is often three or four years, and even 
more, before old heather shows any signs of sprouting. 
When engaged in burning McPherson’s (Inverness) “ heather -burner ” 
is one of the greatest boons, for it enables the operator to keep the fire 
alight with ease, and to cover much more ground in a given time, and 
in a wet climate it is needful to make the most of any opportunity for 
burning which offers. The tool needs a long handle, and that of an old 
hay -rake is very suitable for the purpose, as it just fits into the socket 
of the burner. 
Another useful implement is a “heather-beater,” armed with which, 
three men, or even two, can subdue a fire that might otherwise get 
beyond control. It is made of thin sheet-iron, 2 ft. 6 ins. long by 
1 ft. 6 ins. broad, and is screwed on to poles 8 ft. or 10 ft. long, for 
which hazel or birch boughs come in very handy. It is used by dropping 
it on to the fire and drawing it slowly over the burning mass, thus 
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