THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
sudden whirring of wings as they rise almost at one’s feet. The old cock rises 
first, and is immediately followed by the rest of the covey, flying in rather 
open order. The old cocks are very fond of perching on the great granite 
boulders that lie scattered over the desolate ground they love to frequent, 
and on fine warm days in summer and autumn may often be seen in such 
situations uttering their hoarse cry, and seldom taking flight till one is 
close to them. From these eminences they watch over the welfare of the 
covey, and often unwittingly betray its presence. 
Like the red grouse, ptarmigan feed regularly in the morning and 
evening, and for that purpose generally seek the lower grounds, 1,000 feet 
or more below the tops, which they frequent during the rest of the day. 
Their object in doing so is no doubt to obtain a better and more plentiful 
supply of food. On sunny days they are fond of basking among the rocks 
while they digest their morning’s meal. The ptarmigan is an extraordi- 
narily hardy bird, and is affected by severe weather even less than the red 
grouse ; it is only in winter and in very heavy snow-storms that they leave 
the gloomy tops for a somewhat lower elevation. Even in such weather 
they constantly burrow in the snow in search of food, their snowy breasts 
becoming curiously discoloured as if by soot, so much so that the birds look 
as though they had been living in the proximity of some large town. 
Driving ptarmigan is seldom practicable, owing to the difficult nature 
of the ground they frequent, but in some places in Scotland where it is 
possible, and has been attempted, fair bags have been made, and as many 
as sixty brace have been killed in a day. They are best shot over dogs, 
and as their pursuit is generally undertaken in fine weather, when grand 
views can be obtained from the highest ground, an off day after 
ptarmigan, even if only a few brace are found, is generally a delightful 
experience. 
Enemies . — ^The chief enemies of the ptarmigan in this country are the 
fox, the golden eagle, and, to some extent, the peregrine. Foxes levy a 
heavy toll on their numbers, but by far their most dreaded enemy is the 
golden eagle, which is constantly pursuing them, hunting and driving 
them with a skill and knowledge of their habits which renders escape 
almost impossible. 
Ptarmigan are, however, so little molested by shooting tenants, except 
now and again on an off day, that the numbers killed by eagles do not 
seriously diminish their numbers. Most proprietors of deer-forests wel- 
come this killing off of ptarmigan, grouse and blue hares, which so often 
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