THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
only an odd nest or so, which was always looked upon as a considerable 
rarity, and talked about. I have seen two nests within a yard of each 
other, and close to this house ; I showed them to a friend who was 
staying here, four eggs in each nest, and they are very fertile, as I have 
only once found a bad egg in all the nests I have seen. 
“ They breed again in July, and I have often seen young birds in August. 
I had nine young marked some years ago. Two were shot the same year 
here, and one was found dead six years afterwards and brought to me. 
I stopped marking them, as I think it does harm to the young birds, and 
causes injury and death. The following are the bags made on my best 
beat. Flavin, since : 
1891 . . 
99 woodcock 
1903 . . 
60 woodcock 
1892 . . 
105 
1904 . . 
not shot regularly 
1894 . . 
89 
1905 . . 
56 woodcock 
1895 . . 
73 
1906 . . 
76 
1896 . . 
74 
1907 . . 
85 
1897 . . 
55 „ 
1908 . . 
61 
1898 . . 
109 
1909 . . 
87 
1890 . . 
53 
1910 . . 
100 
1901 . . 
58 
1911 . . 
76 
1902 . . 
60 
Average just over 76 birds. 
“ I have another beat, Bobermanshill, where we average about fifty 
per day.” 
MUCKROSS, KILLARNEY 
Lord Ardilaun has kindly sent the following interesting extract from a 
letter of Lord Wemyss referring to a wonderful week he had at Muckross, 
Killarney, in January, 1863 : 
“And now as to the ‘cack,’ as the Irish beater, the best of his kind, 
pronounces the word. These were muzzle -loading days, and I shot with 
two Boss 12 bores, my servant loading for me. In the course of the 
eight consecutive days I bagged 245. My smallest day, the first, 18. 
My best, on Thomies Beat, 53, and if I had worked as hard and as 
carefully after I had got 50 as I did before, I am sure that I should have 
made up at least 60. The total bag for five guns was 620.” 
THE ISLAND OF ISLAY 
Mr Hugh Morrison, who owns about half of this island, writes : 
‘‘ For the last few years I have only shot my coverts once, formerly I 
used to shoot them twice. There is no doubt that more woodcocks breed 
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