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SHOOTING:

MANUAL OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION

ON THIS BRANCH OF

BRITISH FIELD SPORTS.

BY

EOBEET BLAKEY,

AUTHOR OP "angling: HOW TO ANGLE, AND WHERE TO GO," ETC,

. ^ ^t'm <Biiitio\x, ioitfj 3mustrati0ng.

LONDON:
ROUTLEDGE, WARNE, & ROUTLEDGE,

FARRTNGDON STREET ^
NEW YORK: 56, WALKER STREET.

1859.

CONTENTS-

PAGK
?EEL£MINAaY REjVIAEKS , 1

PART L

CHAP.

I. — The Gun -^ 4

II.— PowDEB AND Shot . . . . . . . . . . 18

PAET II.

^ THE DOG AND HIS MANAGEMENT.

III. — Op the VARIOUS kinds op Dogs used for Shoot-

ING PURPOSES 29

^ PART III.

^ IV.— On the modes op using the Gun and the Dog 38

^ PAIIT IV.

y v.— Grouse Shooting 51

'x VI. — Partridge Shooting . . . . 66

'^ VII. — Pheasant Shooting .. ..73

V'lII.— Quail Shooting 80

IX. — Woodcock Shooting 84

K

^

IV CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAG2

X.— Snipe Shooting 94<

XI. — ^Bustard Shooting 100

Xn. — ^Fen-bitid Shooting .. 102

Xin. — Sea-fowl Shooting 122

XIV.— EooK Shooting . . . . 143

XV. — Pigeon Shooting 145

XVI. — Shooting of Small Birds 153

XVII. — Kabbit Shooting 158

XVm.— Deer Stalking .. ..160

APPENDIX.

Phraseology 172

Game Laws * •. . . . . . . 172

On the Preserving of Birds for Stuffing .. .. 174

The Gtjn .. .. 176

The ItiPLE .. 178

SHOOTING.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Shooting is one of the great brandies of British field-sports, and
is keenly relished, and almost universally practised, throughout
every section of the kingdom. Though but of comparatively
modern origin— dating from the discovery and application of fire-
arms—it has, as an art, made rapid progress towards perfection.
It has exercised a peculiar influence on the inliabitants of these
islands, in sustaining and strengthening that invincible courage,
and skilful use of warlike w;eapons, now rendered necessary for
the maintenance of our national existence, and the consolidation
of our independence and power.

Looking at shootmg as a mere sporting art, it has many
things to recommend it. It can be personally enjoyed. It
does not bring a man into a crowd, where reflection is often
impossible, but it leaves him at liberty to tliink and contem-
plate, and to measure out his amusement in strict accordance
to his circumstances, strength, and inclination. Shooting aug-
ments the pedestrian capabilities of man, on the due balance
and effective exercise of which so much of his real health of body
and mind depends. Its pleasures are gently exciting, without pre-
cipitatmg him into a state of revelry and danger. Its well-regulated
enjoyment is connected with aU that is manly, energetic, and
healthful. It is a wholesome mental tonic ; giving the intellect
that gentle material impulse so requisite for preventing it from
sinking uitq that mopish nervousness, and sedentary sensibility,
which impair a man's power to grapple with, and successfully over-
come the necessary evils and perplexities of human life. " There
is no one," says Zimmerman, " who may not, by quietly traversing
the mountains with his gun, learn to feel how much the great
secrets of nature will influence the heart, when assisted by the
powers of the imagination. The sight of an agreeable landscape,
the various points of view which the spacious plains afford, the
freshness of the breeze, the beauties of the sky, and the appetite

2 SHOOTING.

which a long ramble procm-es, wiU give energy to health, and make
every new step_ seem too short. The privation of every object that
can recall the idea of dependence, accompanied by domestic com-
fort, wholesome exercises, and useful occupations, wiU add vigour
to thought, and inebriate the heart with the most dehcious sensa-
tions."

We hold the sport of shooting to be susceptible of imparting the
most Lively gratification to all well-constituted minds, and to be a
most necessary relaxation from and counterpoise to the wasteful
pressui-e of incessant toil and watchful thought. The social and
individual advantages of English field-sports are beyond calcula-
tion. Men dwell upon a remembrance of them with a reverence
bordering on idolatry. The pastimes of our forefathers have ever
been of a manly and vigorous kind. The whole tram of amuse-
ments in olden times was calculated to render the youthful gene-
ration active, sprightly, nimble, generous, and courageous, and to
rear them up to useM and honourable manhood. With what
enthusiasm and right good-feeling do we ponder over the pages of
some of the old writers, who tell us that "in the holidays, in
the summer and autumn, the gents are exercised in leaping, dancing,
shooting, wrestling, and casting the stone, and practising at the tar-
get ; and the maidens trip with their timbrels, and dance as long as
they can see."

A love of field-sports generally, and of shooting in particular,
takes us from the noise, and filth, and moral degradation incident
to large towns. It places us in the midst of the cultivation of the
soil — ^the real foundation of aU national wealth and happiness.
Every thing comiected with the wanderings of the sportsman is
calculated to foster the best and noblest feehngs of the soul, and
to impart to the mind the most lofty and sublime ideas of universal
nature. To men of genius and contemplative habits, the roaming
among the mountam wilds, and the green fields, gives rise to the
most refined intelleci-ual enjoyments. Such persons may_ be said
to live in a world of their own, and are the recipients of joys" and
sorrows, with which the world at large doth not intermeddle.
How pure, refined, and exquisite are the dehghts which fill the
mind Irom gazing on the mountain pass, the wood, the rocks, and
waterfalls !

Every art of amusement has its own set of rules to be known
and observed. Even in the acquisition of pleasure, we are so con-
stituted that we must pass through the gradation of regular in-
struction. Mind must oe thrown into everything, before perma-
nent delight can be realized and enjoyed. The art of shooting has,
therefore, its maxims and code of rules to be learned and fixed into
the judgment and understanding. No man can be a shooting
sportsman Avithout obtaining a knowledge of these, either by per-
sonal experience, or regular tuition, or more properly and most
generally, from both. In accordance with this view of the subject
to be treated of, we shall attempt to elucidate its various depart-

SHOOTING. ' 3

ments, under four principal heads ; namely, The Gun, and its
Necessaky Appendages; The Dog, and his Management;
The Necessary Rules of the Art of Shooting, embodied
IN the use of both Gun and Dog; and lastly, The applica-
tion OF these Rules to the various objects which come
under the ordinary category of a Shooting Sportsman.
We shaU attempt to treat these several points with all possible
clearness and brevity, and to impart to the young and aspiring
sportsman such a bird's-eye view of the chief things he has to learn
and attend to, as will greatly facilitate his acquisition of the whole
art of shooting game of every kind.

BHOOTINO.

PART I.

CHAPTEBI.

THE GUN.

Much has been written on the origin of fire-arms by antiquarians
and others, but it is not requisite we should go to any extent into
speculations of this sort. It is, however, interesting to a sports-
man, and a kind of knowledge befitting his amusement, to have
some general idea of the progressive steps of improvement which
mark the history of this important instrument from time to time,
do^vn to the present day.

A species of hand-gun seems to have been the rudimental sliape
of our present fowling and military guns. It is said to have been
invented by one BiLlius, a nobleman of Milan. It was simply an
iron tube affixed to a dub or stick. There was a hollow made in
the breech for the priming powder, but without any cover. Tliis
was improved upon in the reign of Henry VI. by the adoption of a
priming pan. The stocked-gun was the next step in the improve-
ment of the instrument. The barrel was placed in a wooden stock or
frame, but of nearly a straight figure. But this was soon found defec-
tive, and a curved stock Avas invented, whichenabled the shooter
to take a more ready and certain aim of his object. The mdtch-lock
and tvheel-lock guns followed in the order of change. The first was
used with a lighted match, brought into contact with the priming
by means of a spring-trigger. Tlie wheel-lock was made in the
days of our Elizabeth, but, though aiding warlike pui-poses, it added
little to the sporting facilities of the day. This ^un was fired by
means of friction, through the iustrumentahty ot a wheel which
passed rapidly over the edge of a piece of flint. This proved but a
very heavy and clumsy affair. The next great step in a riglit direc-
tion was the flint-lock. This was long retained in use, and under-
went various modifications doAvn to modern tiines. The more
recent improvement is the percussion-lock, of which we shall have
something more to say by and by.

The shooter and the angler are differently situated in reference
to a knoA\iedge of their respective instruments of amusement. A
fowling-piece is a thing involving danger ; it is dangerous to the
sportsman liimseK, and dangerous to others. A fishing-rod is a
harmless object, of whatever materials it may be made. It is.
therefore, requisite that the shooter should possess some general

THE GUN. 5

knowledge not only of the materials of which his instrument is
made, but of the artistic and mechanical skill by which it is con-
structed, and kept in good and safe order. There is no part of a
gun which a sportsman should not be well acquainted with ; for
here an ignorance of what may be deemed a very trifling matter,
may lead to disastrous and fatal consequences. Here knowledge
imcloubtedly confers both power and safety.
_ The barrel oi a gun is of vital consideration, both in its construc-
tion and in its being kept in order. Iron is its chief ingredient •
but then the Icirtd of iron is of the highest moment. The best kind
of this metal is that which jDossesses the highest degree of tenacity
and ductility. Swedish iron is allowed to possess these qualifications
or properties to a greater extent than the iron of any other country,
and is, therefore, almost universally employed in the production of
gun-barrels pf any considerable value. But it must be remarked
that this article, like many others, is often got up for sale and not for
safety ; and that spuiious and cheap articles are made from_ kinds
of iron that render them dangerous and worthless. When iron is
mixed \vith certain mineral substances, it becomes unfit for safe
gun-barrel making ; but as every sportsman cannot command the
knowledge of an expert chemist, nor pretend to be a clever gun-
maker, people are necessarily left in a great measure to chance for
thekind!^ of instrument so necessary for their sport, as well as for
theii' personal safety. The most prudent plan is to deal with gun-
smiths of acknowledged skill and reputation, and who make a
religious pohit of issuing out of their shops only such articlesas
will prove both safe and efl'ective. We beheve the very high price
which is occasionally put upon articles from fashionable emporiums
of this kind, have inspired a sort of dread among sportsmen of
moderate fortunes, and they often seem driven to cheaper stores :
but we think the evil is now considerably abated, and that a good
and safe gun may now be had at a reasonable sum. ^

But without aimmg at a scientific knowledge of iron or of gun-
making, a sportsman should, nevertheless, be acquauited mth a few
plain principles respecting the nature and goodiiess of the instru-
ment of his amusement, and of its fitness for the end designed.
Spanish gun-barrels have for long been highly prized, and generally
very justly too. We have seen some solitary specimens of sucli
guns as we never expect to see again. These Spanish articles are
made of a species of iron that is remarkably well hammered, and
which goes under the technical name of scraps, being chiefly com-
posed of the old nails in the shoes of the horses, mules, and asses,
used as beasts of burden in Spain. The Damascus barrels were'
once more highly esteemed than they now are. They were made of
liighly-tempered iron and steel, and hammered with extraordinary
labour and poHsh. There are several kinds of iron which are now
generally used for fowling-pieces; such as wire-twist iron, Wis-
icoidd's \ron, stub-twist iron, charcoal iron, threepenny and twopenny
skelp iron, and sham-dam skelp, Among all these varieties, the

6 SHOOTING.

stub-twist is considered the best ; but it is nov/ both high-priced,
and, like most articles of value, liable to considerable adulteration.
When it can be had in any degree of purity, most gun-makers are
incHned to give it a decided preference both for shooting purposes
and safety.

]\li-. Greener has furnished a test, by which spurious gun-metal
may be detected from the real stub-twist non. He says, " Requure
the gmi-maker to stain the barrel under examination mth the
smoJce-brown ( a staumig composition of which he gives an account
in his book) and he will not be able to accomplish it, if the barrel
be not genmne ; whereas nothing is easier, if it be really made of
stubs twisted. The matter may be thus explamed; hydrogen
gas acts only on iron, steel resists its action ; so that, when a
barrel is properly finished, the steel remains quite bright, wlule
the iron has become a beautiful jet-black, which will be easily re-
cognised by attention to the appearance."

The proving or testing of gun-barrels is such a vital matter to
all who have to use them, either for amusement, or war, that tlie
legislatui-e has been obliged to step in, and endeavoiir to secui-e in-
dividuals from serious injuries, and often from certain death itself.
It is not always from a defect of the metal of which a lowhug-piece
is made that danger springs ; a defect in the workmanship_ is
equally pregnant with serious consequences. For a long period
this country suffered severely from the want of proper attention to
the subject ; but the gun-makers themselves took the matter up, and
established a proof-house by which barrels could be tested. In
1813, this trade was incorporated by Act of Parliament ; and by
the powers granted to it, it was made penal to sell any gun without
having it first proved at one of the proof-houses estabhshed by the
company in London and Bnming-ham. But these enactments
were evaded ; and such great . quantities of unsafe guns were
thrown on the market, that the legislature had again to come to the
rescue, and pass, in 1815, another more sti-ingeut enactment. "It
was enacted that no barrel should be received by any person to rib,
stock, or finish, that had not been duly proved, under a penalty of
20/." It was also enacted that all barrels shall be sent immediately
from the maker to the proof-house before the same shall be sold,
or transmitted for sale to any person whatever. A penalty of 20/.
is attached to the breach of this clause ; and it fui-ther visits with
the like penalty any one receiviag such barrel to make up. The
act also imposed the same penalty upon the forger of the proof-
mark of the London company, or that of the Birmingham company.

We do not feel inclined to enter into the cliief modes of manu-
facturing fowling-pieces, such as the boriag and moulding them.
These matters he, in our opinion, beyond the provmce of the
sportsman. But there are stiH a variety of things connected with
his gun, so vitally interesting to himself to know, that we shall
TCnture to enumerate some of them, without entermg into nice
speculations, or fractional or fasti^ous differences. Our main

THE GVIK, 7

object is, to impart substantial information, and to leave matters
of mere fancy and opinion to others.

We must here make a few remarks on the douUe-harrelled gun.
The general use of this instrument in sporting has greatly increased
within the present centmy ; and it has, likewise, undergone numer-
ous important alterations and improvements. When iirst brought
into action one barrel lay over the other, each having a separate
pan, hammer, and hammerspring. The barrels were consequently
made to turn round at the spot where their breeches were fixed to
the stock ; and it was so contrived that, when one barrel was fired
off, the other was brought mto its place by the simple pressure of
a spring by the right hand, while, with the left, the barrels were
turned on their common centre. This kind of gun vras always
found a clumsy contrivance ; and the locks which were commonly
appended to them were of a complex description. The next step in
iniprovement was an instrument that did not allow the barrels to
turn round upon an axis • but, on the contrary, they were fixed one
over the other, and each had a separate lock and trigger, that
for the under-barrel being, consequently, placed lower than the
other. Still, although pieces of this construction possessed a great
advantage over those that turned romid, in the quickness of their
filing, yet they were subject to one inconvenience from wliich the
others were exempt, and which arose from the situation of the
under-barrel ; for tliat being fired under the same line of aim with
the upper-one, must necessarily shoot low.

The present method of placing the barrels in juxtaposition with
each other side by side is_ a great improyement ; but there are still
many things connected with guns of this description which require
consideration, mth a view to readiaess of use, and facility of move-
ment. It has been often a matter of serious complaint that each
barrel is liable to be filed away so much at the breech, and L'ke-
wise at the muzzle, in order to bring these two parts of the barrels
as near together as possible. This renders the instrument unsafe.
There are, also, important questions connected with the use of the
double-barrelled gun, as to the way in which a true aim is to be
obtained by it. These questions have, at various times, given rise
to long discussions both in sporting joui-nals, and sporting books,
and very contrary opinions and suggestions have been the result.
Still, there has been much light thrown on the general question,
and decided improvements made witlnn the last few years. The
following question, in different forms, has often been asked : —
"What is the best method of making double-barrelled guns, so that
a correct aim may be taken from the centre of the barrels ? " The
following is the substance of the general replies : If the barrels
were placed parallel to each other, it would be but a small objec-
tion having the sight between them ; but as guns are commonly
made, the thickness between the bores of each at the breech is
three-sixteenths of an inch, and at the muzzle one-sixteenth.
Therefore, if the length of a pair of barrels was two feet six

8 SHOOTING.

inches, which is tlie ordinary length, and the sight taken from the
centre, and a ball was projected from one of them, it would make
one-eig-hth of an inch declination from its true course in every two
feet six inches it had to travel, whicli would make, in forty vards.
a declination of siv inches. From this cause, the right-hand oarrel
always shoots to the left, and vice versa. Now, to remedy this,
suppose the thickness between the two barrels to be at the breech
three-sixteenths of an inch, then let the space at the muzzle be
the same ; and where tlie barrels are thus laid together, and the
sight ])laced between them, the ball would only make a d(;clinatiou
of lialf an inch (the bore being five-eighths oi' an inch), bc;iug the
distance between the centre oi' the barrel-bore and the exterior of
the barrel-surface. The method by which this error is attempted
to be rectified, by tiling away so much of the brecch-surfacc as shall
bring the calibers of the barrels into a more rectilinear direci ion,
is considered nothing more than remedying one defect by creating
another — and a defect, too, pregnant with great hazard to life and
limb. The great matter to be accomplished is, thatthc iunctionof
the gun-barrels should be so made that the centres of the calibers
of the muzzles, and the centres of the caHbers of the breeches, if
not exactly C(iuidistant, should at least be considerably more so
than is commonly effected; tlie approximation b(?ingin general in
direct ratio to the length of the barrels.

On what are called the Mevalion and the Elevated Rib of a gun,
there has been a great deal written. These points involve nice and
abstruse questions as to the precise movements of bodies thrown
out of projectiles generally. The line which a charge of shot takes
when lired from a double gun, is called the Ibie of impulse.
Whether it be rectilinear or curvilinear is still a point of dis]nitc.
But one thing is certain, that the shot is nnder the influence of the
ordinary and universal law of gravitation, wliich impresses upon it
a constant tendency to faU to the ground. The distance to wliieh
its flight may be prolonged depends upon the goodness and con-
formation of the gun, the materials with which it may Ijc loaded,
and the various minute matters which constitute the tact, aim, &c.,
of tlie person using the instrument. A curvilinear direction of tlie
shot is assumed as a fact by gunmakers, aud their grand object is
to bring the shot 1o the mark aimed at by the emplo>inout of
mechanical expedients — such as straight stock, or an artifleial_ ele-
vation of the muzzle of the piece, in proportion to the lenglli of tlic
barrel. All tliese matters, though lying within the express business
of the gunsmith, are still matters of which the sportsman should
know something, because they bear directly upon practical results
of great moment to his own safety.

On the Elevated Rib Colonel Hawker and Mr. Greener have
written at some length. Their opinions are entiiled to great
wcigiit on this question. Both maintain the different lengths of
barrel reciuire a corresponding height of the rib, and that a greater
height is requh-ed for a person accustomed to use a crooked stock,

THE Gxm. 9

and vice versa. Both writers likemse maintain that the elevation of
rib commonly met with is not sufficient. The usual elevations do
not deliver the shot at the mark even at forty yards, with a usual
charge of powder, and where the shot are of more than average
size, there must be a great defalcation in the result. Mr. Greener
says that the experiments he has made ghow that in heavy charges
of shot the droop is f idl twelve inches in forty yards ; but that with
less charges of sliot the line of flight will be more direct.

The great advanta<je of a double-barreUed gun over a single one
is now generally admitted by all sportsmen ; but we still find some
shooters prefer the latter, but this preference depends, in ahnost
all cases, upon some accidental circumstance or mdividual fancy.
The quantity of game to be obtained, especially in the earlier sec-
tions of the shooting season, is nmch greater with a double than
with a single gun. The weight is generally greater in the former
than in the latter, but habit and custom soon bring the matter to
an equality on this point.

On the calibre or bore, the length and weight of barrels, their
killing ranj^e, their force, the regidarity of their effect, tlieir recoil,
their liability to burst, much might be written ; for on all these
several subjects there have been, and still are, considerable dif-
ferences of opinion. On these questions we shall be as brief as is
compatible with perspicuity.

Calibre or Bore. — it is recommended on high authority that/m#
guns shoidd not be bored cylindrically through, but that a little
tightness or contraction just where the shot first moves should be
preserved. This suggestion has for many years been pretty gene-
rally attended to by gunsmiths. It is of importance that every
purchaser of a fowling-piece should ascertain by the gauge the
exact diameter of each portion of the bore of the piece, that he may
adapt his wadding accordingly. The proper wadding for these kind
of relieved barrels is that wnich has some considerable degree of
firmness, with a certain portion of elasticity. Beckworth's wadding
is of tliis kind. There are, however, many barrels now made which
sire bored cylindrically throughout ; and it is said by many com-
petent authorities that such pieces shoot remarkably well.

Percussion-barrels are commoidy made heavier and stronger than
the barrels of the flint gun. It is now tlie practice to bore such
barrels with a little relief forward, which Colonel Hawker main-
tains has the eifect of making the gun shoot as close as it can do
compatible with the quickness and strength required. The in-
creased weight of the percussion-barrel has, however, been objected
to ; but to enter into the discussion would occupy too much of onr
space. We must leave the reader to obtain any further informa-
tion on the point from more voluminous treatises on the gnu.

Length and zceight of Barrels. — There has been a great innovation
on former times as to the length of gun barrels. It was for lon^
considered as an indisputable maxim, that the longer the barrek
and the smaller the bore, the farther a gun would kill, and send

10 SHOOTING.

its shot witli effect. Now, however, the barrel is considerably
shortened, and with good effects. But here again some sportsmen
apprehend we have run into an opposite error, and are now making
them too short. Mr. Robins, who seems to have paid great atten-
tion to this matter, says that sportsmen may please themselves
whether the length of their barrels be from twenty -eight to forty
inches ; but that if they either go above or below these dimen-
sions, they wUl find that the range of the shot will begin to fail
them. "We would say, that as matters stand at present, the general
opinion is in favour of moderate length of barrel. Such fowling-
pieces are decidedly more adapted for general purposes, more port-
able, and are free from many inconveniences to which very long guns
are liable. The Oakeligh Shooting Code gives the follo\^TLng judgment
on the matter : — "The fowling-piece to be recommended for general
use is a double-barreUed detonator, weighing about eight pounds •
the barrels thirty or thirty-two inches hi length, sixteen gauge, ana
made of tv.dsted stubs. It is not sportsmanlike to use double
barrels of a greater calibre ; nor are longer barrels convenient on
account of their weight, although additional length, not carried to
an extreme, or a larger cahbre, may probably render them more
effective, in so far as they Avill sustain a heavier charge. Single
barrels, for general use, may be thirty-four inches long 2xA fourteen
gauge," The same authority says, that " the barrels of the grous-
ing gun should be thirty-two inches long, sixteen gauge ; a single
barrel for grouse-shootiag should be thirty-six inches bug, and
fourteen or fifteen gauge. If selected for partridge-shooting only,
the barrels should be thirty inches long, and sixteen gauge ; or a
single barrel thu'ty-four_ inches, and fourteen or fifteen gauge. If
selected for cover-shooting only, the barrels should, be only twenty-
eight inches by sixteen gauge ; or single barrels thirty-two inches,
and fifteen gauge.

Extent of Uayige.^ — There is on this subject no small degree of
contrariety of opinion. There have been the most opposite notions
entertained by the most distmguished sportsmen. We cannot,
therefore, pretend to solve the problem m dispute. Two points
are to be attained by all guns, to keep the shot from bemg scat-
tered, and to give them the greatest amount of force or propidsion.
These are the ends, but the means best calculated to effect these
ends give rise to numerous and conflicting theories and expedients.
Some think that the muzzle of the gun should be a httle Andened ;
some advise the mixing of oil and water Avith the shot ; and some
place all their faith hi weU-regulated charges of powder. There are
advantages attending all these methods, but not to the extent
which their respective advocates maiutaiti. The distance of range
that most fowHug-pieces will carry, on ordinary occasions, is forty
yards. Of coui'se we have heard of wonderful long shots since we
ever took a gun in hand, which is full forty years ago, and we have
actually seen long shots. But these are tlie exceptions to general
rules. We tliink that from general observation it will be found

THE GTJir. 11

that from twenty-five to tMrty yards is about the average distance
at which nine out of ten of every bird is killed. Many are wounded,
nay even kiUed dead, at forty, fifty, and even sixty ; but it is clear
that these are but soHtary cases, and are chiefly the effects of mere
chance or- random shots, hittiag some vital member of the body.

The Force or Recoil of a Gun. — All _ guns have a greater or less
■recoil, proceeding from the mechanical principle, that all force
begets force. Inequalities of the bore of guns, contractions at
theii' breeches, the too great quantities of powder or shot used,
dampness and confined an-, &c., &c., are the commonly preA'ailing
causes of guns recoiling unpleasantly. Even the material and pe-
culiar construction of the instrument lend their aid to produce the
same effect.

Bursting of Gtm Barrels.— Wq sometimes hear of the bursting
of barrels which have come from the. manufactories of the first
houses of respectability iii the kingdom. These accidents often
depend upon causes that are Httle knoAvn or lie hid from observa-
tion. They are often, however, lamentable in their consequences,
and demand the constant attention of the sportsman to be upon
his guard against the occurrence. The selfsame causes wliich pro-
duce great recoHs in a gun, may produce its ex]jlosion. The re-
coil and the burstmg diifer only in degree and intensity. Over-
loading a piece, immersing its muzzle under water and firing it off,
leaving a ram-rod in a piece and firing it off with it, and a hundred
other things may produce this effect. There is no recipe to be
given that wiU supersede attention and care^ to the various mat-
ters which are fuUy stated to the sportsman in most works on the
subject. If he neglect these, he must take the consequences.

The next important part of a gun is the Lock. This is_ a nice
and rather intricate piece of mechanism, but one of which the
shooter should have a general — nay, we might properly urge, a_ mi-
nute knowledge. The manufacture of this part of the fowling-
piece has been carried to great perfection in England, especially
witliin the last thirty years.

The first spring-locks for guns date their origin from about the
middle of the sixteenth century, and were first made at Nurem-
burg, in Germany. The inventor_ and general manufacturer of
them is said to have realized an independent fortune by them.
He made many alterations and improvements on his first model ; and
his son, who earned on the business for nearly a half centmy_ after his
death, mtroduced still more decided and important alterations.

The Flint-lock is still partially in use, especially among old sports-
men ; and it has been brought to a very high state of finish and
perfection. Locks of this sort, when made by first-rate gunsmiths,
display a vast superiority over those of fifty years back. With
respect to this lock generally, it has been observed that if the main-
sprmg be too strong in proportion to that of the hammer, the cock
is often broken for want of resistance ; and if the hammer, or
feather-spriag, be too stiff, or should shut down with too much

12 SHOOTINa.

force, it becomes difficult to tlirow even "with a strong main-spring.
This is not only a sad fault, but the hammer, by thus coming do^vn,
escapes, in a certain degree, from the influence of the spring, and
consequently loses its pressure on the pan ; by which defect the
priming is not so closely covered, and the hammer is apt to re-act,
mstead of obeying the main-spring. The proper plan is, to let the
hammer shut do^vn dull, and fly back smart. The main-spring, to
be properly regulated, should at fii'st pull up very hard,_ and then
draw progressively easier ; and for this reason, it requires an ac-
cession of force after it has recovered the first sudden escape from
the scear-spring, otherwise it wUl go slow Avith a flint, and be liable
either to cause a snap, or allow the cock to be bloAvn back with a
detonator.* Gun-flints are obtained in those parts of the kingdom
that abound with chalk. "\'\Tiat portion of them are still used, are
chiefly obtained from Wiltshire and Norfolk. Those of a black
colour are considered the best.

_ The Percussion-lock being now in almost universal use, we shall
direct the reader's attention to it, as briefly as we can. Like all
other great alterations, the innovation met at flrst with considerable
opposition. Tor long it was prognosticated it would prove a
failure ; but this has not, however, been the case. It has had now
more than thirty years' trial, and has during the whole of that period
gone on in a progressive order in gaining the sportsman's support
and approval. _ The Rev. Mr. Forsyth was the inventor of it, and
his patent expired in 1821. Smce then there have been considerable
improvements made on it, and it is at this moment looked upon as
one of those pieces of mechanism which has attained its zenith of
human skill and pohsh.

The important point gained by the percussion-lock is the quick-
ness of ignition. " In a flint-gun," says Colonel Hawker, " when
the powder is ignited, it keeps rushing out of the touch-hole, there
being no hindrance that way; and the train, as we may term it,
has to keep burning until a much greater degree of force is generated
than can escape througli that rent, or a sufiicient power is created
to move the body of the charge. Iivthe percussion-gun, as soon as
the fire is communicated, the touch-hole is partially closed, and an
obstacle presented to the escape of the powder that way ; so that a
force equal to move the charge is generated in one half the tune.
It is this circumstance that constitutes the difference between the
flint and the percussion gun."_ We may observe in passing that the
reader who feels an interest in the question as to the comparative
Talue of the flint, and the percussion-locks, wiR find the experi-
ments of Mr. Noble, detailed in the Sporting Magaziiie, \o\. xx ;
these having been conducted to test the qualities of both kinds of
locks. Colonel Ha^yker's opinion on this question, will be found
in the last edition of his work,.

There have been various atteuipts made, from time tc time, to
form a complete safety lock ; such a lock, in fact, as would secure

* Colonel Hawker.

THE GUN. 13

the sportsman, or any other person using a gun, from accidents
Amon^ the yanous contrivances of this sort, we mav mention the
safety lock of Dr Somerville, that made by Baron 'De Bereno-er
Mr Bedford s lock Mr Gelding's safety gun, and the safety and
graduating stops of Mr. Manton. There is something good m aU
these: but the mam object or aim of them all has not as yet been
attained. Most of the improvements of this stamp have been in-
dn^ectly useful, not only as affording valuable suggestions on the
lock generally, but m reference to other parts of the fowlin^--
^^m^ ^?^ immediately connected with the instrument of ignition
Ihe GuNSTOCK IS an important section of the fov/ling-piece lu
faxing upon the length, bend, and cutting of the stock, there has
been much nicety laid down for the guidance of gun-makers. Col
Hawker mamtams that the framing of a stock of a gun should vary
jath the precise make of the man who has to use it. It should be
fatted to the shooter, who should have his measm-e for its several
parts as tormaUy entered mto the gunsmith's books as a man has
m fais tailor s for a suit of clothes. Some manufacturers have a
machme, or stoc^ gauge, by which they measure the outhne of their
customers as regards their length of arm, neck, &c., so as to furnish
each man with a gun-stock that will agree with his peculiar bodily
conformation. This has sometliing like common sense to recom-
mend it. _ It has been justly observed that there is fuU as much
skill required to fit a man with a gun-stock, in agreement with his
make, as there is to fit a dandy with a complete suit of clothes

VVe have now gone through a partial notice of the three chief
portions or members of the fowling-piece : the barrel, the lock, and
the gmistock A general knowledge of the nature and power of
these several agents is absolutely necessary for the effective and
sate use of aU sportmg projectiles. There are other minor matters
connected with the gun, with which all who use it should be famihar
by name, and these are the technical terms applied to its numerous
parts. An acquaintance with these smooths the intercourse be-
tween sportsmen themselves, as well as between the gunsmith and
them, by whom they are constantly used. We shall here tran-
scribe them.

^0/^5.— Irons which enter the loops or eyes of the barrel to
lasteu it to the stock.

bridle— K polished piece of steel which caps the tumbler, and is
secured by two screws. It like^vise receives the scear-screw.
Biitt of Stock.— T[\Q shouldered extremity of the stock.
Cap.— It covers the ramrod screw-cap: is also used for the tip
of the stock.

Castmg <?/.— The outward inclination given to the butt-end of
the gun being intended to incline the line of aun inwards.

Chain or Swivel— K small catch suspended from the neck of the
tumbler, to receive the extremity of the mainspring.

Chamber.— ThQ central cavity within the breech to receive the
powder. The ante-chamber is the small one which connects these
with the touch-hole.

14 SKOOTING.

Code. — 111 tlie flint-prim it holds in its jaws the flint ; in the per-
cussion-gun it is equally a cock, but there it is more frequently
called the striker.

Cock-screw. — The screw that brings the jaws of the cock together.

Cup.—Th.Q cavity seen at the top of many of the improved
breecliings.

Escutcheons. — Ornamental pieces of silver to prevent the bolts
from defacing the stock when the tumscrew and puicers are
applied. Escutcheons are likewise used on other parts to receive
initials, crests, shields, &c. ^

False Breech. — Tliis receives the hutt or nose of the breech when
the barrel is fastened into the stock.

Elevated Breech or Rib. — It is a top piece much elevated, fii-st
used by Mr. Joseph Manton.

Fe?ice. — The part between the cock and pan which receives the
solid stock.

Guard. — The bow which defends the trigger.

Hammer-spring. — That on which the hammer moves.

Harrmer -bridle. — The part in which the tail of the hammer works.

Heel-plate. — The plate with which the heel of the stock is tipped.

Jaws. — The lips of the cock which holds the flint.

Lock-plate. — Supports the principal works of the lock.

Main-spring. — That by which the tumbler is worked with the
cock. i

Nipple or Pivot. — The small iron pillar that receives the copper
cap of the detonator.

Pipes. — Tubes to receive the ramrod.

^2(^.— Central piece of iron which unites the barrels and receives
the ramrod.

Scroll-guard. — An extension of the guard which receives the \
right hand in fixing the gun.

Scear. — That wliich catches the tumbler for half or whoie-cock,
and being pushed up by the trigger.

Scear-spring . — The spring which holds the scear in the notches
of the tumbler at either half or whole-cock. i

Side-nail. — A screw Avhich fastens on the lock. |

Sight. — A patch of metal, usually of silver, placed near the gun- i
barrel to direct the aim. _ _ _ " i

Spring-cramp.— k. useful instrument to assist both in taking to
pieces and putting together the parts of the lock.

Tail. — The neck, shoulder, or arch of the hammer.

Top-piece. — This ojDposesthe rib which unites the lower arches of
the barrel. "Wlien it is very promiuent behind it is called tlie
elevated rib.

Trigger-plate. — The triggers work in it.

Trigger -springs. — Are small springs fouud in some highly-finished
locks, and are intended to keep the triggers close to the screw.

Tumbler. — The moveable centre-piece of a lock which falls with,
and is subservient to, the cock.

THE GUN. II

Tumhler-screio. — Tliis fastens on the cock.

/^<?/i^-/zo/5.— Sometimes there are two or three vent-holes which
are intended to let out the gas in a detonator, and thus to lessen
the recoil.

Worm. — The screw at the end of the ramrod.

It is now requisite to make a few observations on the best
methods of preserving guns, and keeping them in a clean and
working order ; and here it may be remarked at the outset, that a
real sportsman ought to look to this part of his duty himself, and
not to depend upon others for its effective and faithful discharge.
In fact, such an instrument as a gun should never be placed under
any one's care but the person himself who is to use it. Every
one who has had any extensive acquaintance with the management
of fowling-pieces, knows that great carelessness is displayed in
reference to them by the majority of servants.

All fowling-guns require to be taken completely to pieces at
stated times, to be regidated by the frequency of their use, or the
situation in which they may have been kept. Twice a year is con-
sidered not too often to look into every crevice of the instrument,
taking most especial care to overlook notliing — not even the
smallest screw or spring. To do this work completely, and in a
masterly style, the sportsman should obtain the use of a bench,
vice, turnscrews of various dimensions, from an eighth to half an
inch, the latter size being required for the cock-screw, breech-
screws, and for raising the bolts which bind the barrel to the stock.
The spring-cramp is a necessary article in this matter of overhaul-
ing the entii'C fabric of a fowHng-piece. When a sportsman is not
situated in the immediate vicinity of an experienced gunsmith, he
ought to have by him at aU times duplicates of all the necessary
parts of his instrument, and these will supply him on aU contin-
gencies with what may be requisite to keep mm in working order.

The following instructions may prove of service. In taking off
the mainspring, let the lock be placed on full cock ; then cramp the
main-spring ; when this is effected, let down the cock, and the main-
spring wiU faU off. When the lock has again to be fitted in, let the
cock be left down ; then hook the end of the main-spring on the
swivel or chain ; move it up, and place it into a position on the
lock-plate. When this is done, unscrew the cramp, and the lock is
once more fit for use. When the hammer has to be taken off, first
shut it do-\vn carefully, cramp the spring until, by shaking the lock,
the hammer is heard to rattle. Stopping here, take out the screw
behind, and the hammer will fall off. The replacing it again only
requires the putting it in its former situation, turiung the screw,
and setting the spring at liberty. If it be requisite to take the
hammer-spring out, the hammer must first be released, and the
main-spring likewise, to enable the operator to get at the screw
behind. The hammer-spring must then be cramped, till it is taken
Out and put on again to receive the hammer.

To take to pieces aU the smaU springs of the lock, requires con-

16 SHOOTING.

siderafcle care. The several screws must be kept distinct: any
little mistake is tMs matter may produce serious results. When
the main-spring is taken oft^ unscrew and take out the scear, by
half cocking the lock. Clasp the fore part of the lock firmly, at
the same time pressing the thumb against the back part of the
cock, directing it forward, while the scear, and scear-spring, being
now pressed together by the forefinger and thumb, will readily en-
able the operator to take out the scear-screw. When this is done,
undo the two screws, take off the bridle, and then unscrew and
take out the scear-spring. The cock must next be unscrewed,
which will readily separate from the tumbler, if it be gently shaken
or tapped. Take out the tumbler, and the lock is now analysed
into its component parts.

When it has to be reconstituted again, the following directions
should be sedulously attended to. Put the tumbler in its place,
and screw on the cock ; do the same thing with the scear-spring,
and set on the bridle with the two upper screws. Put in the scear,
but in order to open a clear passage for the screw of the scear, see
that you again, as before, press the forefinger and thumb on the
scear and scear-spring, and likewise that you again push the cock
forward, as when in the act of taking off the scear. Unless there
be a pressure of this kind, it is not easy to place the hole of the
scear opposite the hole of the bridle ; and without this is effected
the scear-screw will not enter. Great trouble often ensues from
want of attention to tliis and other trifling points. Now the cock
must be let down to admit of putting on the main-spring ; and then
the process is finished. Li a detonating gun there is not near the
same amount of trouble in dismembering the fowling-piece. The
pivot, or nipple, should be now and then removed, and carefully ex-
amined, that the first approaches of corrosion may be removed be-
fore any injury is inflicted. When a gun is pui'chased, it ought to
be provided with spare pivots, all mathematically adjusted to the
barrel. It is likewise a good practice to put a little olive-oil with a
camel's-hair pencil on the pivot-nail, or centre of the tumbler, on
which almost all the works of both flint and percussion guns move.
The same may be applied witli advantage to the lock -plate under
the works. In flint-guns a little oil under the hammer is likewise
useful. ^Ir. Lancaster, in his printed directions given to gentle-
men who buy percussion guns, gives us the following directions : —
"Always clean those parts of the barrels and locks that the deto-
nating powder acts upon vnth a wet rag ; then rub them dry, and
leave them in oil to prevent rust. The pegs should not be "taken
out too often. Before you take out theoarrels, bring the locks to
half-cock. The locks do not require to be taken off every time the
gun is used ; once a fortnight is quite sufficient. Put a little fine
oil to the parts where there is friction • but if the gun has been
used on a wet day, the locks should be taken off to be cleaned, and
oiled immediately." "When, by accident or neglect, a lock becomes
completely rusty, both within and without, it ought to be plunged

THE GUlT. 17^

iuto warm water, and well scrubbed with a hard brush, with a free
use of fine sand, emery powder, or levigated glass. The rust will
efi'ectually be removed and wiU not injure the gun, providing it is
but a recent accumulation of rust ; but if it is of long standing, it
may have eaten into the core of the metal, and produced vital
injury.

Cleansinc) of Giins. — The attention to the barrel of a gun, to keep
it clean, is an important part of a sportsman's duty. Most men
liave peculiar methods of their own ; and though all employ the
leading or primary elements of cleanliness, yet they differ as to their
precise application. On a point so apparently simple, it is astonish-
ing to find so many opposite plans, and many of them enforced
with a dogmatism and jealous obstinacy that seem vastly out of
place on such a matter. The following, among many other methods,
IS chosen, because we have found it always to answer the desired
end. Provide some boiling water, and an empty pail; detach the
barrel from the stock, and with a clearing-rod furnished with tow,,
we begin to pour the hot water down each barrel. We scour it well
with the clearing rod, and discharge the barrel of the foul water.
Place hot water in it a second time, and wipe out the barrels with
fresh tow, until they are completely dry, both without and within.
Should there be any moisture lurking within the screw-joints of the
breech and touch-hole, it is a good plan to let down an iron plug of
red heat, which, being moved up and down the barrel or barrels
for half a minute, will effectually absorb every particle of moisture
or damp. All this should be done by the sportsman's own hand ;
and not, if it can be avoided, left to another person to do. There
is an old maxim which appKes to gun-preserving very forcibly :
" "Wliat a man wishes to have well done, he shoidd do it himself.''

How often a gun should be cleaned must depend upon many cir-
cumstances. There is a great difference of guns in accumulating
dirt. This arises, perhaps, from their different degrees of internal
finish. Then, again, we find some kinds of powder foul more than
others ; and small shot does the same thing more readily than large.
Waddings, too, have an effect ; some keeping the gun comparatively
clean much longer than others. It is' commonly maintainedby
practical shooters, that a barrel should be cleaned after the firuig
of tv:entij shots. JBut there can be no invariable rule laid down in
such a case. A man that is careful, that understands what a gun
is, and knows the peculiarities of the one he is in the habit of daily
using, cannot err very far from the right path in this matter. It is
always safe to be over anxious rather than otherwise on a point
of such great importance.

To remove rust from the inside of the barrel, some sportsmen
recommend an ashen rod, turned a few inches longer than the
barrel, and so nearly of the size of the bore, as to allow of the fol-
lowing x)rocess. Let one end of the rod be cut lengthwise, so as
to make a slit of six inches long, into which sht enter as much of
fine emery paper as will completely fill up the bore of the barrel,

c

i

18 SHOOTING.

taking care, in folding the paper tightly round the wood, that the
emery suriace is outward. Force it into the barrel by screAving it
downwards from the top to the bottom ; and repeat the process
till the barrel is as clean and as polished as when it left the maker's
hands. No sand or coarse stujS:" of any kmd should be used.

It is of great moment that every sportsman, when he comes
home, or goes into any house whateTcr, shoidd keep a watch-
ful eye on his fowling-piece. He ought always to displace the
cap, and throw out the priming. But even this does not always
secure an immunity from fatal accidents. _A few stray grains of
powder may still be productive of an explosion. It is a vrise and
considerate plan, when a shooter arrives at a door, to remove the
cap, if a percussion gun, or if flint, throw out the pruning, let down
the spring of the lock, draw the ramrod, and dropping down the
baiTcl, put the gun away into a closet, or othermse suspend it, out
of ordinary reach. A man of right feeling cannot be too careful en
such occasions.

CHAPTER n.

POWDEH AND SHOT.

It is now requisite we should make a few observations on powder
and shot, Avithout wliich the gun, notwithstanding its artful me-
chanism, is a dead letter.

The discovery of gunpowder produced a complete revelation, not
only in the art of sporting, but in the_ still more serious and im-
portant art of war. The origin of this _ explosive substance has
given rise to long discussions, and great diversity of opinion, among
philosophers and antiquaries. _ Some have_ given it a very ancient
date, while others bring its discovery Vvdthin comparatively recent
times. Grose quotes a passage from " Grey's Gunnery," pubhshed
in 1731, to the following effect : " In the life of Apollonius Tyanseus,
written by Philostratus about 1,500 years ago, there is the* follow-
ing passage concerning the people of India, called Oxydracse :
'These truly wise men dwelt between the rivers Hypbasis and
Ganges. Their country Alexander the Great never entered, de-
terred, not by fear of the inhabitants, but, as I suppose, by rehgious
considerations ; for, had he passed the Hyphasis, he might doubt-
less have made himself master of the country all around them ;
but their cities he could never have taken, though he had led a
thousand as brave as Achilles, or three thousand such as Ajax, to
the assault; for they came not into the field to fight those who at-
tack them, but these holy men, beloved by the gods, overthiew

POWDER AND SHOT. 19

their enemies with tempests and thunderbolts, hurled upon them
from above.'" In "Norton's Gunner" (1634), it is said, "That
the invention and use, as well of ordinance as gunpowder, was in
the eighty 'fifth year of our Lord made knoAvn and practised in the
great and ingenious Kingdom of China ; and that in the Maritime
provencines thereof there yet remain certain pieces of ordinance,
both of iron and brass, mth the memory of their years of founding
engraved upon them, and the arms of King Vitney, who, he saith,
was the inventor." In the works ^ of Roger Bacon, Aviitten at
Oxford, in 1270, the ingredients which constitute gunpowder are
expressly named. It is there stated that the effects of this powder
when inflamed, are productive of a noise like thunder, and a vivid
flash like lightning.

The champions on the other side of the question maintain that
the merit of the invention belongs to Barthold Schwartz, a German
monk. The story runs thus : — that he mixed together nitre,
sulphur, and charcoal, for some medicinal purpose, and a spark fall-
iug accidentally upon the mixture, it exploded. The reader will
find the subject discussed pretty fully, in the works of Eriar Bacon,
Polydore Yii'gil, Baptista Porta, Spondanus, Bishop Watson, and
others.

Gunpowder is well known to be a mixture, substaiitially made
up of saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal ; but the proportions of each
article varies iu different manufacturuig establishments. _ Dr. Ure
tells us : — " This explosive substance consists of an intimate mix-
ture, in determined proportions, of saltpetre, charcoal, and sulphur ;
and is better in proportion (everything else being equal) to the
quality of these mgredients.^ The nitre in particular should be

Eerfectly refined by successive crystallizations, and finally freed
:om adhered water, by proper drying, or by fusion in iron pots at
a regulated heat. Notlihig can surpass in these respects the nitre
prepared in the Government i)owder mills at Waltham Abbey. It
IS tested by adding to its solution in distilled water nitrate of silver,
with whicn it occasions no perceptible opalescence. The sulphur
ought, also, to be of the finest quality, and pm-ified by skimming,
or even sublimation, if at aU_ necessary.^ The charcoal should be
newly made, it should burn without leaving any sensible residuum,
be dry, sonorous, light, and easily pulverized. The charcoal for
gunpowder is made either of alder, vdHow, or dog^yood, the latter
being preferred, which is cut into lengths, and ignited in icon
cyliuders, the wood before charring being carefully stripped of its
bark. The three ingredients being thus prepared, are ready for
manufacturing into gunpowder. They are first separately ground
to a fine powder, which is passed through proper sieves or bolting
machines ; secondly, they are mixed together in certain proportions,
but which do not seem to be definitely determined, for they differ
in different establishments of great respectability as is shown in
the follovring table : —

SHOOTING.

Nitre.

Charcoal.

Snlphnr.

n Abbey-

75

15

10

75

12-5

12-5

78

12

10

65

15

20

n

14

9

75-4

14-4

99

80

15

5

20

iVench for War

Do. for Sportsmen

Do. for Milling .
Chaptal's proportions
Chinese do.

jVIr. Napier's .

Thirdly, the composition is then sent to the gnnpowder-mill, which
consists of two ed^cstones of a calcareous nature, turning by means
of a shaft on a bedstone of the same natui-e, which gives no sparks,
as sandstones would be apt to do. On this bedstone the composi-
tion is spread, and moistened with as small a quantity of water as
will, in conjunction with the weight of the revolving stones, bring
it into a proper body of cake, but not o^ paste. When the cake has
been thoroughly incorporated, it is sent to the corning-house, where
a separate miU is employed to form the cake into grains of corn.
fourthly, here it is first pressed into a hard firm mass, then broken
into small lumps, after which the graining is executed by placing
these lumps in sieves, on each of which is laid a disc of lirjnum. vitce.
The sieves are made of parchment skins perforated^ with numerous
round holes. _ Several such sieves are fi^ed in a frame which, by
proper machinery, has such a motion given to it, as to make the
lignum vitcs runner in each sieve move round with considerable
velocity, so as to break the lumps of the cake, and force the sub-
stance through the sieves, formmg grains of several sizes. The
granular particles are afterwards separated from the finer dust by
proper sieves and reels. Fifthly, the corned powder is next
hardened, and the rougher edges taken off by being revolved in a
close reel or cask, turning rapidly on its axis. 'This vessel somcAvhat
resembles a barrel churn ; it should be only half full at each opera-
tion, and has frequently square bars inside, parallel to its axis, to
aid the polish by the attrition. Sixthly, the gunpowder is now
diied, which is done generally by a steam heat, or by transmitting
a body of air, sli^ghtly heated in another chamber over canvass
shelves, covered with the damp gunpowder."*

There is a common-sense fitness in a man understanding the
general nature of the tiling he is daily using, and this is the reason
Avhy we have here gone into the manufacture of gunpowder so
minutely. The inquiry has a necessary connection likewise with
many otlier statements, which we shall have to make relative to the
use of this remarkable explosive compound.

As to the relative size of the grains of powder to be used in
sporting amusements, there is now a considerable diversity of
opinion ; some affirming one thing, and some another. This ques-
tion cannot be definitely settled, unless we take into account the
nature of our gims, the purposes for which they ai'e made, the kind

* Chemical Dictionarr.

POWDER AND SHOT. 21

of game we are in pursuit of, and a score of other matters ; ail of
wluch are calculated to modify the judgment, and to cause it to
Xjreponderate either to the one side or the other. Mr. Greener
maintains that, if we obtain powder of fine grain, and powder com-
posed of the same ingredients, larger grained, the latter will be found
to be stronger than the former. He tells us, he has made many
experiments both by rifle and musket, and the coarser grained always
predominated over the smaller kinds. These results have been de-
nied by other respectable sporting authorities. _ Hawker says, the
best powder for copper-cap guns is the fine cylinder of Curtis and
Hervey, the larg;e grained powder being Hable to miss fire. But
the same authority qualifies the decision by afterwards stating, " I
have invariably observed that small grained powder fails to answer
in large guns ; particularly on salt water, and in damp weather. It
always shoots weak beyond fifty or sixty yards, and is very liable
to hang fire. If a punt-gun is loaded with fine powder, and brought
in at night, the chances are that it would hang fire in the morning.
But with coarse cannon powder, I have known a gun that has been
loaded for a fortnight go off as well as possible, by merely being
probed, and fresh primed."

How far the glazing of powder is advantageous, is likewise a dis-
putable question. Many sportsmen affirm, that they failed to detect
any difference between the glazed and the unglazed articles. We
think ourselves, that the question may be safely resolved into one
of fancy and taste. It vdlL be found to rest on no other basis.

On the ratio of force with which different kinds of powder act on
resisting bodies, much curious and valuable information has
been communicated to the sporting world of late years. The sub-
stance of such information we shall attempt to condense into as
brief a space as is compatible mth clearness.

A gun loaded with ball does not kick so severely as one loaded
with shot, and among the different sorts of shot, that which is the
smallest causes the greatest recoil agamst the shoulder. A gun
loaded with a quantity of sand, equal in weiglit to a charge of
snipe-shot, is said to kick still more. If, in loading, a space be left
between the M^adding and the charge, the gun either recoils vio-
lently or bursts. If the muzzle of a gun has accidentally been
stuck into the ground, so as to be stopped up with clay, or even
with snow, or if it be fired with its muzzle plunged into water, it
will in all probability burst. The cause of these apparently con-
tradictory results is, that every force requires time to produce its
effect ; and if the time requisite for the elastic vapour within to
force out the sides of the barrel, is less than that in which the
condensation of the air near the wadding is conveyed in sufficient
force to drive the impediment from the muzzle, then the barrel must
burst. It occasionally happens that these two forces are so equally
balanced that the baiTcl only swells, the obstacle giving way
before the piece actually biirsts. This explanation will appear
more obvious if we trace, step by step, the circumstances which

22 SHOOTING.

arise on_ discharging a gun loaded with powder confined by a cylin-
drical piece of wadding, and having its muzzle filled with clay, or
some other substance, offering a moderate degree of resistance. In
such a case, the first effect of the explosion is to produce an enor-
mous pressui-e on everything confining it, and to advance the
wadding thi'ough a very small space. Here_ let us consider_ it as
at rest for a moment, and examme its condition. The portion of
air in immediate contact with the wadding is condensed, and if the
wadding were to remain at rest, the air throughout the tube would
soon acquire a uniform density. But this would require a small
interval of time, for the condensation next the wadding would
travel with the velocity of sound to the other end, fi'om whence,
being reflected back, a series of waves would be generated, which,
aided by the friction of the tube, would ultimately destroy the
motion. But until the first wave reaches the impediment at the
muzzle, the air can exert no pressui-e against it. Now, if the
velocity communicated to thp wadding is very much greater than
that of sound, the condensation of the air immediately in advance
of it may be very great before the resistance transmitted to the
muzzle is at all considerable ; in wliich case the mutual repulsion
of the particles of the air so compressed vidll offer an absolute bar-
rier to the advance of the wadding. If this explanation be correct,
additional recoil when a gun is loaded with small shot or sand, may
arise in some measure from the condensation of the air contained
between their^ particles, but chiefly from the velocity communicated
by the explosion to those particles of the substances in immediate
contact with the powder being greater than that with which a wave
can be transmitted through them. It otherwise affords a reason
for the success usually attending the blasting of rocks. That the
destruction of the gun-barrel does not arise from the property pos-
sessed by fluids, and in some measure also by sand and small shot,
of pressmg equally in all directions, and thus exciting a force
agamst a large portion of the interior surface, seems to be proved by
a circumstance mentioned by Le Vaillant and other travellers, that,
for the purpose of taking birds without injuring their plumage,
they filled the barrel of their fowling-pieces with water, instead of
loading them with a charge of shot. The same reasoning explains
a curious phenomenon which occurs in firing a still more power-
fuUy-explosive substance. If we put a small_ quantity of ful-
minating silver upon the face of an anvil, and strike it slightly with
a hammer,_ it explodes • but instead of breaking either the hammer
or the anvil, it is found that that part of the face of each in contact
with the fulminating silver is damaged. In this case, the velocity
communicated hj the elastic matter disengaged may be greater
than the velocity of a wave traversing steel ; so that the particles
at the surface are driven by the explosion so near to those next
adjacent, that when the compelled force is removed, the repulsion
of the particles within the mass drives back those nearer the sur-
face "With such force that they pass beyond the Limits of attraction.

POWDER AND SHOT. 23

and are separated in the shape of powder. The success of the
experiment of firing a tallow candle through a deal board would be
explained in the same manner, by supposing the velocity of a wave
propagated through deal to be greater than that of a wave passing
through tallow *

Many sportsmen regularly institute experiments to try the
strength of their powder. The chief circumstance relative to the
goodness of powder generally arises from the quality of the nitre
in its composition. This _ chemical ingredient haying a strong dis-
position for absorbing moisture from the air, requires that it should
be rendered as pure as possible. It is often mixed with common
salt, and this is very injurious to the powder. In all good powder
its expansive force is in proportion to the quick communication of
the fire through its entire mass. This is the principle that regu-
lates its fitness for sporting purposes.

The method of trying powder instituted and followed at present
by the Board of Ordnance, is as follows. The triers first take out
ot' the several barrels of gunpowder a measure-full, of about the
size of a thimble, which is spread upon a sheet of fine writing-
paper, and then iked. If the inflammation be very rapid, the smoke
rises perpendicular ; and if the paper be neither burned nor spotted,
it is then judged to be good powder. Then two drachms of the
same powder are exactly weighed and put into an epruevette,^
which, if it raises a weight of twenty-four pounds to the neight of
three inches and a half, is received into the Government magazine
as proved.

This powder trier just mentioned, called an epruevette, may be
seen in many gunsmith's shops. It does not, however, test the
power of the explosive substance with very great nicety, but still it
is a useful instrument, because it furnishes the sportsman with a

general idea on the subject, which enables him in many cases to
etect a bad and impure commodity.

The following observations on powder by the OaUeigli SJiooting
Club are entitled to notice: — "The Dartford gunpowder bought
from one retailer will fire smart and strong, while a similar article
obtained from another wiU be comparatively weak and_ slow of
ignition. This difference in the quality of powder is occasioned by
exposure to different atmospheres. Gunpowder is generally pur-
chased by the shooter at a provincial town at some distance n-om
the manufacturers. One shop or warehouse is dry; another is
damp. One package of ]^owder may have lam. only twenty-four
hours in the front boot oi the London mad, in July, to the immi-
nent danger of the cigar-whiffer on the coach-bpx; another may
have been sweating three weeks in a canal-boat, in March ; hence
the various degrees of liabihty to imbibe moisture befpre the
powder comes into the retailer's possession, and while in his keep-^
mg. Damp not only affects the mtre, of which gunpowder is chiefly
composed, and thereby occasions loss of strength ; but it also ope-

* See Babbage'a "Economy of Machinery."

24 SHOOTING.

rates prejudicially on the ingredients which contribute to instanta-
neous ignition."

The percussion gunpowders require a passing notice. The appli-
cation of these combustibles have effected great changes in sporting
art, and the science of projectiles generally. Detonating substances
are but of modern date.

The discovery Qifidmincitlng mercury, which forms the percussion
poAvder now in use, is attributed to Mr. Howard ; the full particu-
lars of which are detailed in the PJnlosophical Transactions. Its
manufacture is effected in the following maimer: — A hundred

f rains of mercury are to be dissolved by heat in an ounce and a half,
y measure, of nitric acid. This solution being poured cold into
tv/o ounces, by measure, of alcohol in a glass vessel, heat is to be
applied till effervescence is excited. A white vapour undulates on
the surface, and a powder is gradually precipitated, which is to be
immediately collected on a filter, well washed, and cautiously dried
with a very moderate heat. This powder detonates loudly by
gentle heat or shght friction. The fuhninating mercury should be
moistened with about thirty per cent, of water, then triturated in
a mortar, and afterwards mixed with the sixth part of its weight of
gunpowder. Matches, caps, &c., made in this manner resist damp,
and do not corrode the instrument wliich contains the powder. It
hasbeen often ascei-tained by experiment, that they have frequently
ignited after having been immersed in water. This is the method
which is adopted in the manufacture of percussion caps.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND SIZES OF SHOT.

_ Tliere is some little confusion about shot, on account of the
sizes and numbers not coinciding in all the manufactories of it.
This circumstance tends to mislead sportsmen, and very often to
give rise to false theories and ideas about the force and resistance
of projectile instruments generally. An ounce of No. 7 shot out
of Messrs. Walker and Parker's manufactory contains 341 pellets ;
and the same weight from Mr. Beaumont's, 398. Add to this, that
in some places the usual numbers are reversed. The following is
a list of the shot in Messrs. Walker's firm, with letterings, nu-nber-
marks, and the number of pellets in an ounce : —

AA .

. . 40

4

. 177

A .

. . 50

5

. 218

BB .

. 58

6

. 280

B .

. . 75

7

. 341

1

, . 82

8

. 600

2 .

! . 112

9

. 984

3 .

. 135

10

.1,726

Mould, drop, or swan-shot, are of large size, and commonly used
for wild-fowl shooting. They are lettered, and the pellets numbered
as follows ; —

POWDEE AND SHOT. 25

Number of Pelleta to 1 os.

LG 5^

MG . . . . (hardly) 9

SG 11

SSG 15

SSSG 17

^ To what degree the various sorts of shot are effective, is a ques-
tion not at all settled at the present day. Where opposite opinions
prevail it is difficult to decide, and it 'is a folly to be dogmatical.
Some sportsmen of distinction maintain that for ordhiary purposes
of game shooting. No. 7 is the best kind of shot that can oe used.
It lies closer and more compact to the barrel than any other.
Other sportsmen, again, think the Nos. 3 and 4 are to be preferred
to any other sizes for common every-day work in the prime of the
shooting-season. Captain WiUiam'son pleads for No. 9, and Gene-
ral Hanger for No. 2. Another great authority tells us, that in the
fii'st inonth of partridge-shooting, shot No. 5 should be used ; and
for this reason: at this time the birds spring at hand, and we
seldom fire at more than the distance of forty yards. If a shooter
takes a fair aim he can scarcely fail to do some mischief by such a
cii'cle or disc of shots. Hares, likewise, at this period sit closer,
and beingbut thinly covered with fur, may easily be killed with this
sized shot at thirty or thirty-five paces. Li snipe and quail shoot-
ing tliis shot is the most eligible. When October advances, the
birds are stronger on the wing, and then No. 3 will be found more
suitable. This shot, it is maintained, possesses a proper medium
between shot too large and that which is too small, and will
kill a partridge at fifty yards with certainty. It is adapted for all
kinds of game. It is contended that distant objects may be shot
by large shot; but this consideration cannot bear upon the ques-
tion which involves the killing a number of bnds withiu a com-
paratively short range, and where the shots are numerous. With
these statements we shall leave the reader to his own fancy and ex-
perience. To go on alluding to the various and conflicting ideas
on the subject, would only perplex instead of enlighten his judg-
ment on the controverted point of dispute.

Mixed shot i?,M^Q,di by some sportsmen, who have given a high
opinion of the practice. But there again we find many dissenti-
ents. Some sportsmen have even ridiculed the idea of suoh a
thing in no measured language. The same difference of opinion
hangs ?^mmi^i]iQ patent shot cartridges of Ely ; therefore we shall
say nothing on the matter. Shooting has its fanciful enthusiasts as
well as everythiug else.

The Cojjper Caps and Cap C^^r^^r^ are of considerable importance,
and are entitled to consideration. They are now of almost uni-
versal use. In the purchase of copper caps it is prudent to make
a trial of one or two taken promiscuously from the mass, to pre-
vent disappointment. All foreign caps are to be pui'chased with
care ; some are excellent ; others wretchedly bad, and even dange-

26 SHOOTING.

rous. All caps should be cupped to the exact gau^e of the dia-
meter of the nipple. Should they be too small they will not explode ;
if too large, the cap of the second nipple aylU be apt to fly oif when
the other is fired.

Mr. Greener treats of iron percussion caps in the New Sporting
Magazine (No. 65). These he recommends on the gi'ounds of the
tendency of the copper caps to become injui'ed when exposed to
damj) to such a degree as to be converted into a paste incapable of
igni.tion. He maintains that when powder is flashed or exploded
around the nipple of a gun, the residue left attracts moisture in-
stantaneously. To remedy this, the use of iron caps is enforced.
" They are much easier to explode, they detach no broken particles
to wound the shooter, nor even expand so much as to stick inthe
head of the striker. They do not stain the hands, and they might
be made cheaper."

The Cap-charger \^ a useful appendage to the cap system. It is
ofEi'ench invention. There are several varieties of tliem- some
long, and sonae round ; but we think the latter have the preference
in pubUc estimation.

Gun-waddings are matters of moment, and exercise a consider-
able influence over the sports of the shooter. However good a
gun may be, and however excellent all its main appendages —
powder, shot, &c. — still they may all be rendered abortive if the
proper wadding be not used. But we find in all questions relative
to snooting, that in proportion to their real intrinsic importance,
so likewise is the micertainty and dubiety which hang about them.
Some recommend card waddmg, some hat wadding, and some paste-
board. However, it is of great moment that whatever material is
chosen for this purpose, it should be strictly regulated according
to the bore of the barrel. Wadding punches are often made for
distinct barrels, when more guns than one are used. The range
and deHvery of the shot are greatly influenced by the wadding.
The conamon opinions on the matter are that all waddings should
be quite close to the barrel, but not rammed too hard. The ma-
terial should be rather softish in its nature, and yielding to a certain
extent, but still of suificient consistency to carry the shot in a
body to a certain distance from the muzzle of the piece. For if
the wadding is rammed too close, or is of a hard and rigid nature,
such as stiff brovm paper, the piece vriR recoil, and the shot will
spread more wide; if, on the contrary, the wadding is not suf-
ficiently close, and is composed of a shght and ^;oo pliant material,
such as wool or cotton, it will not be of sufficient consistency to
carry_ shot, and the discharge vnll lose its proper force. Besides, a
certain portion of the shot, which is more immediately in contact
with the wadding, will be melted by the explosion of the powder.
Mr. Greener_ says that a substantial wadding between the powder
and the shot is equaltoa considerable artificial friction in improving
the strength with which the powder expels the shot. It answers
the purpose of completely preventing the explosive matter becoming

POWDER AND SHOT, g^

mixed with the shot; and the pomler is confined the same as it
would he were there a ball in the barrel that fitted tight Thus
the Avhole force is properly exerted.

Walker's metallic gun-waddmgs have a considerable reputation
among sportsmen. Their metallic edges are said to prevent the
surface of ih^ barrel from becommg leaded. Other waddings are
likewise recommended, as Joyce's, Wilkinson's and Beckmth's
The mam thing is to keep the whole charge in the guu as compact
as possible m actmg east offensively oS the gun, and moTef.
fectivelv on the object aimed at.

We have as yet said nothing about the Rifle-gun, which is
partially used for sportmg purposes, such as deer-stalking, and
rook-shootmg The barrel m all rifles is much stronger and
heavier than the ordmaryfowhng-pieces. Its bore has loSg been
manufactured with mdentations within, which form spiral grooves
throughout Its entu:e extent. , The principle on which aU rifles are
made, and the object they ami to accompHsh, is to impart to the
tlf!;^ "i? f^^'l'^'" ^P"^F modioli round its axis, as it passes out
through the baiTcI. The old mode of manufacturing articles of
this kind tailed to accomphsh this purpose to any great extent ; but
modern art has efi^ected a considerable change for the better The
ban-el ot a rifle is now cut with only two opposite grooves, and the
baU bemg framed with a projected belt or zone round its equator,
ot the same form as the grooves, it enters so readily into these
follows, that little or no force is requii^ed to press it down upon
the powder. The general result has been that guns of this character
cany either ball or large shot much further, and with a vastly in-
creased impetus than the common flmt or percussion fowlmg-pro-
jectiles. _ The locks for rifles have, Ulcewise, undergone a great
change m recent tunes, and many important alterations and im-
provements have been efi'ected in their structui-e and mechanism
Ihe reversmg the position of the main-spring, has mcreased the
general compactness and strength of the works, and also rendered
them more powerful, durable, and easy of repau-. The ignition of
the powder is so certam, that a misfire is rare in good rifles. They
are gettmg daily mto more general use in sporting circles, not only
"^w ^ conntry, but on the continent, and in the American states.

We shall now bring our observations and descriptions of the gun
to a close, but we beg to remark, before leaving, that every reader
ot sporting works on this instrument must have noticed the very
conflicting opmions respecting its uses, and the nature and cha-
racter ot its promment attributes. These opinions are so contra-
oictory, and are often propounded in such a spirit of confidence
and dogmatism, that the impression is forced upon us, that the
^e theory of projectiles is but very imperfectly developed as yet.
We have still to learn a good deal, before we can be said to have
mastered the subject. The various experiments that have, from
trnie to_ time, been made by scientific sportsmen and practical
mechanics, have not been conducted with that judgment which

28 SHOOTING.

might have beeu anticipated. We find in almost aU the more
elaborate treatises on the gun, a loose and inconsec[uential mode of
reasoning adopted. Eacts are mingled with theories, and theories
■with facts ; and there is no regularly concatenated^ chain of reason-
ing and observation on the matter. The systematic vniters on the
fowling-piece seem, in many cases, to have set out in theii' inquiries
with some preconceived theory or other, and are more deskous of
turning and twisting facts in accordance with their preconceived
notions, then in arranging them in that logical order which can
alone lead to the establishment of general truths. Besides, the
mere mercantile enterprises connected Mith sportmg, have tended
in many cases to prevent the free current of inquiry into the offices ;
of the gun. A gun-maker invents something which he conceives j
of importance. JEie takes out a patent at a considerable expense. I
He is naturally anxious to have his invention recommended, and '
■puffed off in every direction. Sportsmen are generally greedy I
listeners to all novelties. The invention is found, when tested by ;
a pretty general n.se, not to realize all the advantages anticipated j
from it. It is then taken out to nurse, and to be bolstered up with ;
a mass of theoretical speculation, which appears on the surface very
profound and searching, but which is, in fact, nothing but a series |
of ill-digested notions and gratuitous assumptions. Readers are 5
bandied about from one theory to another, till all is obscmity and j
chaos.

Another remark we shall venture to make. Sportsmen find, that
every gun is an instrument per se. It has a character of its own ;
and the person _ that may be accustomed to it feels quite strange
when a new piece is placed m his hands. We have often been
struck, and amused besides, with the conversation of game-keepers
and others about their respective fowling-pieces. They talk of
them, as if they had life and vohtion. They say, "I know that gun
well ; she'll do very well in one way, but she's obstinate in another.
She's a curious tempered piece. I have known her on a particular
day take the sulks, and no good could be done with her ; at other
times she killed all before her." The fact is, that the gun is an
embodiment of very important and hidden principles of mechanics
and cliemistry. We see the effect of it ; but the ca?(ses are often,
and, indeed, in nine cases out of ten, wi'apped in impenetrable
mystery. Daily experience is the only means of obtainmg a perfect
knowledge of the capabiHties of aprojectile, because its powers are
so easily modified by causes which escajpe ordinary observation.
This is the reason, why practical men gam such a stock of useful
information on the use of fowHng-pieces, though they are seldom
able to impart that knowledge to others.

THE YARIOUS KINDS OF DOGS. 2^

PART 11.

THE DOG, AND HIS MANAGEMENT*

CHAPTER III.

ON THE VARIOUS KINDS OP DOGS USED POB, SHOOTING PURPOSES.

The dog is an important element in the sportsman's art • and how-
ever well equipped he may be in gun, and powder, and shot, his
success in the moors or in the fields would be very limited indeed,
were he deprived of his canine assistants.

The use of dogs for game purposes is of very ancient date ; as
ancient, indeed, as to run into the fabulous ages of the human
family. But the employment of them, in conjunction mth the use
of fire-arms, is of comparative modern origin ; and to this use of
them we purpose confining our observations.

The Setter {Canis Index, Linn.) is a species of the dog known and
used for tracing and marking game from the early section of the
sixteenth century. We are told, that Robert Dudley, Duke of
Northumberland, as early as 1555, had succeeded in training a
, setter to the net. The chief varieties of the setter are the English
and the Irish. ^ The Enghsh dog_ does not materially differ from
the pointer in size, but his make is more loose and attenuated, and
his quickness and rapidity of motion is greater. The setter is fleet,
and enduring, and sagacious, docile, and of warm personal attach-
ments. Mr. Bell, in his history of British Quadrupeds, says of the
setter : — " By far the most interesting, and, if I may so employ the
term, amiable animal I have ever known, was a bitch of this kiud,
formerly belonging to my father, whicn he had from a puppy, and
which, although never regularly broke, was the best dog in the
field he ever ]^ossessed. ^ The very expression of poor Juno's coun-
tenance was lull of sensibiHty and affection. She appeared to be
always on the watch to evince her love and gratitude to those who
were kind to her ; and the instinct of attachment was in her so
powerful, that it showed itself in her conduct to other animals, as
well as to her human friends."

The English setter may be met with of almost aU colours. But
many sportsmen entertain a particular fancy for dogs of a certaia

30 SHOOTING.

tint ; and fashion, as well as caprice, lias exercised no inconsider-
able influence over the market price of setters, solely from the
colours they possessed.

The Irish setter is distinguished by his reddish colour. He is ■,
fine-looking animal, of vigorous powers, and excellent sporting
capabilities. By those who have experienced his aid in sporting,
he is said to require more breaking in than the Enghsh setter, and
to be liable to little irregularities in his movements in the field or
moor.

The nature of the setter generally was well understood two cen-
turies and a half ago. Gervase Markham, in his work, "The Art of
IFowling," says, " I know that in divers places in this kingdom the
setting ^ clogs are to be taught (so that men of ability may have them
at their pleasure) • yet likewise I know they are sold at such great
rates and prices, that no industrious man whatsoever (which either
loves the sport or would be partaker of the benefit) butvdll be glad
to learn how to make a dog himself, and so both save his purse and
make his pleasure and profit both more sure and more dehcate ; for
this I must assure all men that buy theii- dogs from mercenary
teachers, that evermore those salesmen do reserve in their own
bosoms some one secret or another, for the want of knowledge
whereof the purchaser quickly finds his dog imperfect, and so is
forced upon every disorder or alteration of keeping to send the dog
back to his fii-st master anew to be reformed, wliich, drawing on :
you a new price, makes the dog's certain price without end, and
mthout valuation. This fault to redress, and to make every man
the true master of his own work, I will show you here, in a brief
and compendious manner, all the mysteries and secrets which lie
hid in this laborious business. The first thing, therefore, you must
learn in this art, is to make a true selection of your dog which you
intend to apply to this purpose of setting ; ^ and in this selection ■'
you shall observe, that although any dog which is perfect, and of i
good scent, and natui-ally addicted to the hunting of feathers, as I
whether it be the land-spaniel, water-spaniel, or else the mongrels
between either or both of these kinds, or the mongrels of either of
these kinds, either with the shallow-fiewed hound, the tumbler, the
lurcher, orindeedthe small bastard mastiff, maybe brought to this
perfection in setting (as I have seen by daily experience, both in
this and in other nations ) ; yet is there none so excellent indeed as
the true-bred land-spaniel, being of a nimble and good size, rather
small than gross, and of courageous and fiery metal, evermore
loving and desiring toil, when toil seems most irksome and weary,
which although you cannot know in a whelp so young, as it is "
intended he must be when you first begin to train him to this pui'-

C\ yet youmay have a strong speculation therein if you choose
from a right htter or breed, wherein by succession you have
known that the whole generation have been endowed with all these
quahties, as namely, that he is a strong, lusty, and nimble ranger,
both of active foot, wanton tail, and busy nostril; that liis toil is

THE VAMOTJS KINDS OP DOGS. 31

\vitliOut weariness, bis search without changeableness, and yet that
no delight nor desire transport him beyond fear or obedience ; for
it is the perfectest character of the most perfect spaniel ever to be
fearful and loving- to him that is his master and keeper. I confess
I have seen excellent rare setting dogs made in the Low Countries,
which have been of a bastard tumbler's kind, and indeed I have found
in them (if I may so term it) a greater wisdom (v/hich, indeed, is but
a greater fear) than in our land-spaniels ; but, comparing the whole
work together, that is, the labour of ranging, the scent in finding,
and the act of setting, they have been much inferior to our dogs,
and not able to make their ways in the sharp thickets and trouble-
some covers, nor stand up with them in the large and spacious
campaigns. To speak then, in a word, touching the best choice pi
this setting dog, let him be as near as you can the best bred spanid
that you can procure ; and_ though some have been curious in.
observing their colours, as giving pre-eminence to the motley, the
liver-head, or the white or black spotted ; yet, questionless, it
is but a vain cmdosity, for no colour is amiss for this purpose, pro-
vided the natm-al qualities be perfect, and answerable for the work
to which end you intend them."

The Fointer {Canis Avicularis, Linn.) is a sporting dog of various
kinds, the English, Spanish, Russian, and Erench breeds. His
origin is imcertain, but he is supposed to be of a mixed breed,
something between the hound and spaniel. The Erench pointer is
esteemed for his beauty, but he is considered too insignificant for
the sportsman's art in this country. The Spanish_ breed is heavy
and grave, though of good enduring qualities. Pointers have not
been very long known in Great Britain ; but since attention has
been paid to them here they have multiplied prodigiously, not only
in the parent country, but in all her colonial and foreign posses-
sions. The pointer is not considered so handsome in make nor so
engaging in manners as the setter ; but his memory is more reten-
tive, and, according to some writers, he has the faculty of trans-
mitting to his posterity the sporting qualities of his own nature,
^here are some remarkable stories told of this kind of dog—stories
-to which we can scarcely give any credit. There is a standing one
related in most books on sporting, which we shall transcribe, rather
for fasliion's sake than for any other motive ; but it is supported by
unquestionable authorities, if authority in such cases is to go for
anything. The French academicians make mention of a dog of
Germany which could call in an intelligible manner for tea, coffee,
chocolate, &c. The accoimt was gained fi-om an eye-witness, who
was no less a person than the celebrated Leibnitz, who communi-
cated it to the iloyal Academy of Erance. This dog was of a mid-
'dlmg''9ft"e, -;.nd was the property of a peasant in Saxony. A little
boy, the peasant's son, unagined he perceived in the dog's voice an
indistinct resemblance to certain words, and therefore took it into
his head to teach him to speak. Eor this purpose he spared
neither time nor pains with his pupil, who was about three years

39 SHOOTING.

old when his learned edtcation commenced ; and at length he made
such a progress in language as to be able to articulate no less than
thirty words. _ It appears, however, that he was somewhat of a
truant, and did not very willingly exert his talents, being rather
pressed into the service of literature ; and it was necessary that the
words should be first pronounced to him each time, which he, as it
were, echoed from Ms preceptor. Leibnitz, however, asserts that
he liimseH heard Mm speak, and the Erench academicians add, that
unless they had received the testimony of so great a man as Leibmtz,
they should scarcely have dared to report the cii'cumstance.

There have been great improvements in the pointer from cross-
breedings. The power of nose is much increased, and also the
capacity to sustain continued labour in the fields. It is maintained
that a cross between a setter and a pointer is either very good or
very bad ; and the latter condition^ is the rule, and the former the
exception. The Russian pointer is not considered so valuable as
either the English or the 'French. He is rough-coated, grim visaged,
and obstinate and self-willed in disposition* He is, however, of
enduring patience.

The Spaniel {Can. Fam. Extrarins, Linn.) dates from the most
remote records of time. He is of Eastern extraction. In most
of the countries bordering on the Asiatic side of the Mediter-
ranean, game of all kinds is either taken by net or by shooting, and
the dog is taught in accordance wdth these two different modes of
sporting. ^ There are more varieties of tMs dog than any other.
For sporting purposes there are three species that are commonly
fixed upon by shooters: springers, cockers, and water-spaniels.
Writers on these several kinds have, however,_ differed very much
both in describing their bodily as well as sporting attributes. The
spi-ingerp characterized by his ardour and bustle, and on some game
entei-prises is, on this account, not a useful dog. The coclcer is a
great favourite. He has a shorter and rounder head tlian the
springer, as well as smaller in bulk, and more compactly built in
Ms frame. His ears are commonly long and well feathered as well
as his tail. His hair is cm-ly, and Ms colour considerably diversified.
The mode of educating him for the sportsman differs among dif-
ferent sporting circles ; some follow one plan, and some another.
The following is the common method adopted: — He should be
taken out early to the field, as early as four and five months old,
when he should be allowed to race freely about in aU directions,
and hunt up everytliin^ that has life ; and the signal for breaking
should not be made until he has manifested a preference for some
objects above others. As soon as he begins to hunt fowls, in pre-
ference to other living objects, as rats, &c., we should inniu.diately
commence to give him trainmg lessons, the first of which is, that
he be learned to chase at your command only, and the ammals he
hunts should be such as you wish to habituate him to, and not
those he might be led to choose himself. Having been thoroughly
brought to yield to tMs first lesson of obedience, he must be next

THE DOG AND HIS MANAGEMENT. 33

taught " to fetch and carry ; " and that, in doing- this, he shall
not tear or spoil his game, or whatever he may have in his mouth.
The Water-spaniel {Canis Aquaticus, Linn.). — This is a sturdy
dog, v^ath crisped hair, and of variable statue, according to tlie
sporting duties he has to be engaged in. Those of this species that
have to be emploj^ed on the baiilcs of rivers, moors, or lakes, should
be small, but strong and spirited. Old Gervase Markham says,
" The water-dog is a creatui-e of such general use, and so frequently
in use here in England, that it is needless to make any large de-
scription of him ; the rather, since not any amongst us is so simple
that he camiot say where he sees liim. This is a water-dog, or a
dog bred for the water ; yet because in this (as in other creatures)
there are other characters and forms which pretend more excel-
lency, and figure a greater height of virtue than others do, I will
liere describe, as near as I can, the best proportions of a perfect
water-dog, Eirst, for the colour of the best water-dog, albeit some
(Avhich are curious in all things) will ascribe more excellence to
one colour than to another, as the black to be the best and hardest,
the liver-hued swiftest in swimming, _ and the pied or spotted
dog, quickest at scent ; yet, in truth, it is not so, for aU colours are
alike, and so a dog of any of the former colours may be excellent
good dogs, and may be excellent good curs, according to their first
hardening and training ; for instruction is the liquor wherewith
they are seasoned, and if they be well handled at first they will
never smell of that discretion ; and if they be ill handled they will
ever stink of that folly ; for nature is a true mistress, and bestows
her gifts freely, and it is only nature which abuseth them." This-
old and venerable author then proceeds to descant on the propor-
tions, shape, and covering of this water-dog, and of other matters
connected with liis use as an anirnal for sporting purposes. He
then enters upon the subject of training this dog, on which he re-
marks : " Now, for the manner of training or bringing up this
water-dog, it is to be understood that you cannot begin too early
with him ; that is to say, that even when you first wean him, and
teach him to lap, for even then you shall begin to teach him to
crouch and He close, not daring to stir or move from the posture
in which you put him without your especial license, cherishing it
ever wlien it doth your will^ and correcting it when it doth the
contrary ; and always observmg this maxim in the first teaching of
him, that you never let your dog eat or taste any meat but when
he doth somethingto deserve it, that custom may make him know
food is a thing which cometh not by chance or the bounty of your
hand, but for reward or merit when he doth your commandment ;
and this will not only make him willing to learn, but apt to remem-
ber and retain what he hath learnt, and dihgently to perform your
pleasure without stick or amazement, the characters of your de-
mands being so deeply imprinted in his knowledge ; and to tliis
end you must have nc more teachers, no more feeders, cherishers,
or correctors but one — ^for multiplicity breeds confusion, and to

D

34 SHOOTING.

teacli divers ways is to teach no wsij well ; also you must be very
constant to tLe words of dii-ections by which you teach, cherishing
such as are good and most significant for your purpose, and fittest
for the action you would have the dog do, and by no means alter
that word which you first use. When therefore you have made
your whelps understand these several sounds or words, and that
he will crouch and lie down at your feet, how you please, and as
long as you please, and that with a single word, or a look only,
you shall then proceed and teach him to lead in a line and collar,
followiug you at your heels in decent and comely order, neither
treading upon your heels or going before or side by you, which
shows too much haste, nor hanging back or straimng your line by
the means of too much sloth, but following in decent and orderly
manner without offence either to the dog or his leader, and this
kind of leadhig is to make the whelp familiar with you that he may
love and acknowledge you and no one else. When this general
obedience is taught (which is done by observation of his going, and
moving him by sights or sports, which may tempt him to stay
beyond his bounds, and then to correct his offences, and to cherish
and reward his obedience), you shall then teach him to fetch and
carry anything you shall throw forth out of your hand." The
author goes on to lay much stress on learning the dog how to
fetch and carry properly, and to learn him also to seek for things
that may be wanting. He should likewise be taught to read your
wishes in your countenance, gestures, and motions, so that he may
divine your wants without your speaking a single word. All this
is very minutely and circumstantially dwelt upon, and enforced
with much good feeling and sound sense.

The Retriever. — This is a useful dog, but of uncertain parentage.
He is required to act many parts — to make a tolerable pointer, a
better setter, and a handy hunter in thick covers after woimded
game. To be perfect in his calling he should, on the very glance of
your eye, spring among tangled woods and briars, or rush into the
water and bring you out a dead or wounded bird, He is, to use a
common phrase, " a Jack of all trades." This kind of dog is a
necessary appendage to a regular shootmg estabhshment. It is
astonishing how sagacious he becomes by j)roper training, and
how much his labours facOitate the acquisition of a good day's
sport. The great error to guard against, is the haste and im-
patience which are embodied in the dog's nature.

On the Breeding, Breaking, and Traiyiing of Spaniels, Setters, and
Poitders^ generally, there has been much vn-itten, and the subject is
of vital importance to the movements and amusements of the true
sportsman. The training of all these different kinds of animals
partakes of the same common character. There are special rules
and exceptions, but these do not affect the regular coui'se of educa-
tion and discipline.

The breeding of dogs for shooting purposes is a matter sedu-
lously attended to by all shooters. When a good and proper stock

THE DOG AND HIS MANAGEMENT. 35

is bred from, there is a certainty that the result wUl not disappoint
our rational expectations. This is a subject, however, which would
require far too much of our space to do it anything lilce justice ;
we must therefore refer the reader to such regular treatises on the
breeding of dogs of all kinds as he will find in the sporting literature
of this and other countries. The discussions and regulations of
the matter are so comprehensive and voluminous, that a large-
volume itself will scarcely do it full honours.

The methods of breaking dogs have not essentially varied from
those adopted two centuries ago in Eno-land. There has been less
of real innovation here than in most tilings connected with shoot-
ing. There have been a vast number of treatises, dissertations,
and essays, written on this subject, and no little difference of
opinion produced, chiefly, however, on points of minor importance.
It would be impossible to write anything that could fairly lay claim
to originahty on the breaking of dogs ; therefore we must content
oui-selves with merely giving the general outline of the systems
generally pursued, without taking upon us the duties of chalkmg out
new paths, and propounding novel theories.

In breaking m the setter^ it is recommended that you lead
Mm out and keep him close to your heels. If he attempt to
pass beyond you, give him three or four snatches of his leading
string vidth all your force; and speak a kind and encouraging
word to him. Such treatment will soon repress his exuberant
ardour, and teach him to walk steadily by you, and keep step with
you. This is a lesson of very great utility. _ After he is master of
this elementary rule, let him loose with his collar on; and after
having emptied himself, and gambolled a ring or two, call liim in
gently and mUdly. Take him into some highway where there is
plenty of loose sand which does not retain scents of any kind. If
he shows a desire to inquire at gates, stiles, doors, &c., give him a
little reproof by immediately calling him to order ; and upon a
compliance with the word of command, give him a little reward
in the shape of a piece of pudding or hard boiled liver. Bread is
not so eligible, being generally too dry. As the setter runs by
himself, he should never be trained in company. In an enclosed
cpuntry where the boundaries do not include more than six or
eight acres, an active man may, by hard labour, keep a dog to
work; but in ih.Q fielditigs, his attempts to do this would prove
fruitless. In a wide country where the setter has ample_ scope for
roaming about, the breaker must necessarily contract his beat, or
he will not see the faults of his pupil, nor be able to reward his
good performances. Under such cii'cumstances a horse is a
valuable adjunct. This will enable a man to keep up with the
fleetness of the dog, and to take cognizance of all his movements
and doings. When the dog has been thoroughly taught the terms
of reclamation without fear, he may be^ taken into the field,
choosing an afternoon rather than a morning, that he may notbe
diverted from his proper game, by running after hares and rabbits.

36 SHOOTING.

He ought to be hunted with a muzzle, until the danger of sheep
chasing is over. It must be made large enough for free respii-a-
tion, and yet not to give liberty of breaking, so as to get blood,
should he hj chance run a sheep down before he can be beaten off.
High expectations must not be entertained from the first two or
three trial trips. He should be expected and taught to find, before
he is considered able to kmt; and, until he shows a preference for
some particular feather, it is absurd to check him. To reward and ;
encourage a dog for chasing his game is a good plan, and is the j
only sure method of weamng him from the pursuit of larks and ,
small birds. It is a nice point of his training to get him to fetch >
the shot bird; but this depends upon too many circumstances to be
dealt with by any general rule.

The pointer is generally considered not so difficult to break in as
the setter. He Is expected to stand, to indicate the presence 9f \
birds he winds and scents. The setter's instinctive disposition is \
to crouch rather than point or stand. Por many years back the i
pointer has been the more popular of the two ; and it is considered I
by good judges that this preference is well foimded. The pointer
is more easily steadied than the setter, suffers less from heat, his
cast of hair being lighter ; and when once thoroughly trained, he
does not forget his lessons so speedily as the setter. But there is ;
something like a balance or compensating principle between them.
The pointer is not so hardy in his feet as his rival, and consequently '
does not suffer so much in long rambles over the moors, iii very ,
hot weatlier. ^ I

An indispensable requisite to aU good dog-training is, to begin |
early. There is like\vise another valuable ingredient in the art, i
namely, that the words of encouragement or reproof be always
uniformly adhered to. The following is a kind of catalogue of I
phrases, or dictionary of words usually connected with the subject.
The word Steady ! ought to be used when aU dogs enter a field, ,
especially young ones. Take heed ! implies_ the same thing. When i
a dog is seen very busy and active with his nose and tail, feather- '
ing as he hunts, then the word To-Tio .' in a mild, but sufficiently
marked and loud tone for the animal's hearing should be used, to
clieer as well as to inspire caution. Down! or Down Charge! is a i
command to the dogs to crouch or drop to the birds. BacTc !
brings the dogs back again to your feet. SeeTc out ! sends them off
again in quest of game ; but a wave of the hand is considered much
better where it is expected birds are near. Hie on! gives a spur
to the timid dog to leave your feet; and SeeTc out .'orders him to ;
hunt. Go seek! should be imjjressed on a dog's memory as a
command to look out for something considered as lost or wanting ; :
and the term is distinguished from seek out, by dogs that are
properly trained. Hold up ! is used to prevent the dropping of the
nose to the earth to catch the scent, wnich, although the odorous
particles may not have disappeared from the spot the birds stood ,
on, are chiefly floating in the air; consequently, by holding up his j

THE DOG AND HIS MANAGEMENT. 37

Iiead'downwind, he comes in contact with tlie scent of the birds
almost immediately. The puzzle peg is used as a last resource
when Hold up ! is not attended to.

Ware! is a word of caution; and Ware hare! is to check the
animal from rumiing after the hare, when partridges, grouse, or
pheasants are at hand. It is a good device to accustom a dog to
attend to signs as well as words ; for a wave of the hand will often
do more execution, than loud and frequent shoutiuo-.

On shooting habiliments and appurtenances we beg to make a
remark or two. A shooting sportsman should be conveniently and
appropriately clad. Ease, comfort, and safety, are the three leading
points to be attended to. The coats or jackets should be \^y-^X
supphed with capacious pockets ; those for hares should be Imed
with oil-skin; iadeed, all shooting pockets are the better of a
lining of this kind. There is commonly a multitude of articles to
fill them with: waddings, loose caps, or cap-charger, gun knife,
and, peradventure, snuff and cigars. To all shooters of forty years
and upwards we would recommend flannel shirts, no matter how
warm the weather. Of course there must be a diversity of dress
for the shooting seasons of the year ; his autumn, his wmter, and
his wild-fowl dresses. Laced half-boots, with gaiters to reach
above the knee, are deshable things. Thick woollen stockings,
made of soft yarn, not worsted. The great secret of keeping the
feet in good order duriag continued walking, is the use of the
right sort of stockings or socks; and none really answer the
purpose so completely and pleasantly as the fine wool made into
thick yarn, and home knit. To those who have tender feet,_a little
soap rubbed on the sole of a stocking will answer a beneficial end.
Wlicn suffering from thirst, there is nothing more refreshing than
to take a little hard crast of bread and soak it in cold water, and
eat it. Avoid, if possible, drinldng any quantity of this fluid when
hot. But bread and water, to sip and eat, is a most refreshing and
grateful beverage. It is vastly superior to any purely stiQiulatirig
liquors during the hours of exercise. These are never taken but to
a disadvantage. Theyduninish the muscular and active powers,
and produce mischiefs in a variety of ways.

There are several other items of moment constituting the regular
equipment of the shooting sportsman. The shot, powder, wadding,
caps or flints, are matters of course; but in addition to these,_an
oil-sldn cover for the guii, or at least a loc!c-cover, is very requisite.
A nipple-wrench, gun-pincher, tumscrew, probe, &c., may either be
had separately or in a sporting knife, which embraces them all, and
is useM in many other capacities. A good deal of the success, and
nine-tenths of the real pleasure derivable from shooting, depends
upon the right management of the commissariat department.

38 SHOOTING.

PART III.

CHAPTER rV.

ON THE MODES OF USING THE GUN, AND THE DOG.

Now, when we have obtained the gun and its necessary appendage
the dog, we must give some few detailed instructions as to the
best manner of shooting or sporting with them.

The examination or trial of afoicling-mece is an important matter.
If possible, a trial of a gun shoulcl always be made before a

Eurchase, Having found that it fits well to the shoulder, and
andles pleasantly, then look at the locks, and examine theii
several parts that they are of right finish and adjustment. " Next,
let the breeching be taken out ; and, remember that the screw,
both male and female, be examined carefully ; that the male ribs
and the female indentations fit so closely together as to harbour no
wet; but that, when screwed up, they make a solid mass. This is
often little attended to ; but, if the amateur will take out the
breeches of some of the cheap guns, he will be convinced, by the
ill-fittmg of these important parts together, how liable such guns
must be to corrode and eventually burst. We therefore say, buy no
gun that shows any marks of disunion between the breech-screw
and the barrel; also, look down it against the glare of a large
candle, and if any flaw appears, let it be carefully examined ^\dth
caUipers. The breech or breeches being replaced, proceed to an
equally close examination of every other part of the barrel. Next
examine the stock and its mountings ; and bemg satisfied of their
soundness, strength of parts, and general unity of action through-
out, the next step is to try the shooting of the gun yourself.
Gun-makers will themselves try a gun before you, and many of them .
will do it fairly ; "but others have various modes of giving unfair
advantage to the gun, and taking them also themselves. In the
range, for instance, there are methods of slightly iDalling the shot, so
as to make them exhibit a most tempting garnish. If you are on the
premises of the gun-maker, unless he can show a space of fifty yards
in length, how can you form an opinion of what may be the killing
extent of the range of this, or indeed of any gun you may try there ?
And even if you are satisfied the piece will carry its shot so far

i

ON THE MODES OF TTSING THE GUN, AND THE DOG. 39

with, a fair elevation only, do not fail to mark the depth of indent-
ation they make on the wall or target. Without this proof of tliG
strength of the delivery of its charge, the shot may ball among the
feathers of your game when you come to use it, but not enter the
vitals or break a wing. Let a good sized trimmer afloat, and blaze
away at that, having some observant person with you to mark
the effects of the shot. Snow on the ground affords a good indica-
tion of the range and garnish of a gun, as well as of its elevation, if
you accurately measure the distance."

Aft iron, target, however, forms a sufficiently efficient mode of
trying both the range, garnish, and force of the shot. Chalk it
well over, and renew the chalkiug after each firing. It would be
well also to have a large linen sheet, or otherwise several large
sheets of white paper pasted together, and placed under the target
to catch the shot, whose figure, by being more or less indented,
would show the ^eater or less force with which they were pro-

Eelled against the iron. The surface of the paper laid down must,
owever, be large, or the rebound of the shot would carry them be-
yond its limits. Let the trials also be varied by using different pro-
portions of powder and shot, not only as regards their own rela-
tive proportion towards each other, but likewise as they relate to
the gun. Let daily trials also be made under every variety of cir-
cumstance; as the methods of loading the gun, of holding it, its
state of being clean or foul; the state of weather, likewise, whether
it be dry or moist, windy or calm.

Milled hoard, or very strong brown paper, either of them, will
make an excellent target, when an iron one is not to be procured.
Each sheet should be hung by_ tenter-hooks against a wall; or, in
preference, to a square of boarding raised ona^ole. The dimensions
of the square (or it may be a circle if the trier pleases) will rest
with the sportsman ; we should recommend one about a foot and
a half, marked off iu squares, and the same crosswise if a circle be
employed. The paper, when it is used, should also, like a draught-
board, be squared around by chalked lines, drawn an inch and
a half or two inches apart. At proper distances on the outer cir-
cumferences of the target or wall to be shot against, let tenter-
hooks be placed to secure the brown, paper. Measure off the
ground to certaia distances, commencing at fifteen yards, and in-
crease each trial bjr five, until it arrives to fifty yards, witli as
many more as the trier pleases. As soon as a shot has been made,
note the range, the charge used, the number of shot wliich have
entered each square, and the depth to which they have penetrated.
Chalk over each indentation, and repeat the experiment at
another distance.

The squares of the target, or circles within the circle, if a round
one be preferred, should exhibit marked superfices, somewhat in
unison with the usual solid dimensions of the various game. The
first square therefore may be two inches, which will take in the snipe,
as that of two and a half may be considered appropriate to the dimen-

40 SHOOTING.

sions of tlie quail, of three and a.half to the woodcock and young
partridges. Older birds would spread their limits to four inches :
the grouse to four and a half- and the pheasant, if a hen, to five; and
a full grown cock would hardly escape any shot that struck within
the limits of the square of five and a-half. Of coui'se the tips of
the wings of the birds here mentioned might meet a shot which ex-
tended beyond the limits appropriated to it, "We only give some
clue to a knowledge of what may be expected from the garnish of
a gun as displayed on the trial. _ We have not yet observed that
when much accuracy is required in the trials, particularly if made
by an unsteady hand, a " rest" will be a great assistance in gaining
a just indication of the shooting of the piece. It is not unlikely
that some may call this wire-drawing ; we are, however, certain
they will not belong to the body of reflecting or experienced sports-
men ; they will know better how to appreciate rule, method, and
illustration.*

LOAJ)ING THE GTJN.

No small portion of success in shooting depends upon the method
of loading a gun._ There is quite an art in this. Some sportsmen
attribute the chief success they obtain over many of theii- com-
panionsin the field or the moors to the knack they possess of duly
proportioning their charge to the fowling-piece they have. All
general rules on the subject must be laid down with several quali-
fications and reservations. It is recommended to squib off the gun
at the commencement of each day, that it may dry and warm the
barrel, and absorb any moisture that may be collected in it.
Having drawn up the cock, and removed the broken cap, or wiped
the edge of the mnt if that is used, both to remove foulness and to
observe that it is not broken, hold the gun upright, and in that
position pour in the powder, striking the butt-end of the piece
against the ground, to carry down such grains of powder as may
be lodged against the sides of the barrel, and also to settle the
mass. Next pass the powder-Avad doAvn until it reaches the
powder, on Avhich it ought to be pressed as lightly as possible.
This done, pour down the shot also, _ and give a shake or two to
settle them evenly and soHdly in their bed. Place over them a
wadding of sufficient substance and elasticity to maintain the shot
steadily in their position, for wliich pui-pose give a pressure to the
wad, but do not ram it hard. It is common, however, to give the
first charge a little more pressure than the subsequent ones. We
are now supposing ourselves giving directions for charging a per-
cussion-gun. It may be proper, therefore, when the powder is
wadded, to observe whether it makes its way into the nipple by
the pressure of the confined air, made in passing down the wad.
It does not always follow, that if the powder is not seen in the

* Blane's Encyclopedia of Rural Sports.

ON THE MODES OP USING THE GUN, AND THE DOG, 41

pivot, it will not explode; it is nevertheless more satisfactory
to see it there ; and when we do not, we should give the breech a
shglit tap or two to introduce it further up the touch-hole. The
non-appearance of the poAvder at the touch-hole is more hkely to
happen to the perforated or serrated wadduigs, made to let out'the
confined air, than when the wad was introduced entire. The last
act of gun-loading is that of putting on a fresh cap, and letting the
cock down very gently to fasten on the nipple. In charging the
fliiit gun it is also prudent to squib it fii'st, and then to introduce
the powder and shot into the barrel. Introduce sufficient priming,
but not so much as that the pan-cover should crush it. If a double

fun be employed, it -will be optional with the sportsman to load
oth barrels alike, or to give, as many do, a somewhat heavier
charge to the second barrel, be it right or left, that the gunner
usually fires on the longest shots. If the quantities of powder
used are the same in both barrels, the size of the shot may at least
be somewhat larger for the second barrel. Many shooters iti-
crease the quantity of shot for the charge of the second barrel,
which can only be expedient when the weight of the powder is
somewhat increased likewise; and even then, by many, its pro-
priety has been often questioned. It is always more or less dange-
rous to alter the exact proportions between the powder and shot
which experience has pointed out precisely suit tne piece. When
a gun has been discharged, it is a good practice to load it im-
mediately, while the barrel is stiU warm ; for when allowed to cool,
and moisture begins to settle on its inner suiface, it catches some
of the finer particles of the powder-charge, and either decomi)Oses
them there, or prevents them falling to the bottom ; and in either
case the detention diminishes the projectile force which is to act on
the shot.

The just proportions of powder and shot is a matter of vital in-
terest to a sportsman, and one to which he ought to pay particular
and marked attention. In fact, it is one of the branches of study
of v/hich he should make himself completely master. It requires,
however, nice observation, and a just method of reasoning, and
establishing general rules, and marking their occasional exceptions :
all of which mental habits are by no means very common among
the ordinary run of sportsmen. Hence it is that we find the actual
practice of shooting so loose and unscientific ; and when a man
Qoes succeed in acquiring the art in the highest degree of practical
skill, yet he seldom has the power of conveying his knowledge to
others, or of marking with sufficient clearness the various steps by
which he has attained a mastery over his craft. Betvveen just
theories and accurate practice there is always a great void ; and it
only now and then happens that the one is made to throw light on
the other.

Many trials must be made with every fowHng-piece before itcan
be fuUy ascertained what proportions of powder and shot suit it
best, and produce the pleasantest and most effective method oi

42 SHOOTING.

using it. When, however, sometliing like a general idea on the
point is once obtained, we should make a series_ of what may be
called small experiments, in the way of variations in the quantity of
loading-, that you may fairly test the tinith of the general notions
you may have been induced to form. It is an estabhshed practice
to use a little less powder in a detonating piece than in a flmt gun-
but the exact disproportion is not a matter that can be subjected
to any general rule ; from a fourth to a fifth less is often adopted.
Col. Hawker says, " to load a single gun of six, or double gun of
seven, eight, or nine pounds' weight, take a steel charger, which
holds precisely an ounce and a half of shot ; fill it brimful of
powder, from which first prime, and then put the remainder into
the barrel ; to this add the same measure bumperful of shot, and
then regulate the tops of your flasks and belts accordingly." This
is prescribed, be it remembered, for a flint gun. The same autho-
rity says that for a gun of twelve pounds these proportions may be
doubled ; for one of eighteen, trebled ; and for one of twenty-four,
quadi'upled. Although these proportions for powder_ be correct,
yet the experience of shooters shows that a certain diminution of
the quantity of shot should be made for each kind of gvai now
mentioned. _ The commonly received regulations _ are the follow-
ing : — The sixth part of an ounce of powder for a single percussion-
gun, and the seventh for a double. The weight of shot for an
ordinary piece of this kind may be one ounce and tlu'ee-quarters ;
a heavier gun will bear one ounce and seven-eighths. For a double
gun an ounce and three-eighths may be used for the left barrel, and
for the otheran ounce and five-eighths. Many sportsmen load the
left barrel vidth less shot than the right, which has to be fired at a
greater distance than the first. It is an excellent rule for a young
sportsman to make experiments on the gun he uses, beginning ^dtn
small quantities of powder and shot, and noticing the efi'ects pro-
duced by an increase, and to ascertain mth the most scrupulous
cai-e and nicety that exact quantity which seems to suit the piece
he has. AH mere written rules only serve as general landmarks or
finger-posts ; they cannot supply the place of well-regulated experi-
ments and accurate observations. It may be remarked, as a lead-
ing maxim in game-shooting, that heavy loading will not facilitate
his sporting success. If too much shot be put into a gun, the
expansive force by which the charge is throAvn out will be dis-
regarded, and in consequence both its range and propulsive power
will be diminished ; if, on the other hand, too much powder be
used, it may be ejected, or at least disturbed, before it acts on the
mass of shot. These are the results of experience.

It is proper to give a M^ord of caution relative to loading a gun.
If it be a double one, the ramrod should not be put down one i
barrel whilst the other is loading, because if a stray grain of shot
gets down it, it may be so fixed y<\\\\ the ramrod in the barrel as to
be got out with difficulty, and it may even injm-e the internal coat-
ing of the ban-el. It is also a prudent rule that after the fired

ON THE MODES OF USING THE GUN AND THE DOG. 43

barrel has been re-cliarged, the piece should be slightly shakeu, so
that it may be ascertained whether the shot in the right-hand barrel
has been removed ; if there be a rattling or vibrating sound against
the sides of the gun, then the charge must be more firmly rammed
down.^ Ihe slightest shake of the barrel will detect the loosened shot
xu ! ^1^ IS requisite that on the subject of loading there should be
the luilest and most varied information, we shall add to what has
ahready been said, the opinion of Mr. Greener. The proper charo-e
ot a gun, he says, is as foUows :— With regard to powder, suppose
you begm with two drachms, and vary the charge one-eighth of a
drachm each shot up to three and a half di-achms, or as may be re-
qiured, according to the length and bore of the gun, and for precision
takmg three shots for each charge, at a sufficient number of sheets
Ot psroer- whichever you find strongest, with the least quantity of
powder, that is the best charge, as very Hkely the two additions of
powder wiU shoot equally strong, and yet not stronger because
more of it remams imburnt. Therefore the least Quantity that
shoots ^ equally strong is the proper charge, which 'having once
ascertamed, never change for any other person's plan. In respect
to tiie proportion of shot, aU guns, according to their bore and
length, will shoot a certam weight and a certam size of shot best.
A great deal of shot in a small bore lies too far up the barrel and
creates an unnecessary friction, and the shot by the compression at
the moment of expulsion becomes all shapes— a circumstance which
considerably affects and modifies its flight. If too great a weight
the powder has not power to drive it with the speed and force
required to be efficacious, because the weight is too great in pro-
portion. Those who reason from mathematical calculation will
object to this doctrme. They sslj, the greater the weight the
greater the effect. No doubt it is so, if thrown with a propor-
tionate force ; but that cannot be obtained with a small gun. We
must adapt the weight of projectile force to the power we are in
possession of, and from experhnents, accurately made and recorded,
we find that a fourteen gauge, two feet eight barrel, should never
be loaded with above an ounce and a half of shot (No. 6 will suit
best), and the utmost powder she will burn. A fifteen gauge will
not require more than one ounce and a quarter, and no doubt No. 7
would be thrown by her quite as strong as No. 6 by the fourteen-
gauge gun, and do as much execution at forty yards with less
recoil ; and, settmg aside aD other reasons, we should prefer a
Mteen-gauge gun, if both be of a length, as we should find as much
execution at the same distance as with the other.

The art of shooting flyhig is one of great skill and dexterity.
Ihere are, therefore, all manner of grades of excellence in the sport ;
some will feel a degree of self-complacency if they hit one bo-d in
\ ^ others will only miss one out of an equal number. A
good deal of the proficiency in shooting birds on the wing may be
referred to bodily temperament; some persons are so nervously
constituted, and so hurried in their movements, that they never

44! SHOOTING.

attain tlie degree of coolness and self-possession requisite for a
good and steady marksman, Fear and anxiety shake their system
too violently, and many fire off their pieces without obtaining any
decided aim whatever. The real foundation of the art of shooting
flying proceeds from that powerful and singular sympathy between
the eye and the hand; what the one sees, the other cloes._ We
learn the art almost intuitively of measuring distances, and direct-
ing objects to a definite mark ; and so readny is this effected, that
very often the best shots are _totally_ unconscious of the internal
process Avhich is continually going on in their understandings when
in pursuit of their game. Some sportsmen shut one eye, some
keep both open. There is no rule_ on this matter ; it is entii'ely
resolvable into habit and early training in shooting flying. The
great drawback to all failm-es is a want of coolness ; still many
writers say that this may be enjoyed in too great an access, and
that many birds are lost from the fingers being too slow in their
movements after the game is on the -udng.

It is good to go through the entire manual training of shooting
to obtain a mastery over it. It is, therefore, recommended that
yoimg beginners should proceed in something like the foUo^ving
order : — Let the handling and shouldering of the gun be expertly
acquired in its unloaded state, takmg care to look at the height,
length of arm, and inclination of shoidder of the pupil. This
handling of the fowling-piece should be practised for an hour or
two for some days,_ until complete familiarity with all the required
movements is obtained. _He slioidd be expert in raising or depress-
ing his gun to every kind of level, and taking an aim at various
objects. To hold the gun firm to the shoulder is a primary matter
of moment, for anytlung like looseness and unsteadiness in this

f articular is entirely incompatible with the art of shooting flying,
t is likewise recommended to place the left hand close, or nearly
close, to the trigger, as this secures, in a great m.easure, any injury
from the bursting of the piece. This precautionary rule is, how-
ever, neglected by a vast number of able and expert shooters, who i
have perfect confidence in their guns ; and they hkcAvise maintain
that by placing the hand a little forward it prevents the piece from
being point-heavy, which produces an unpleasant feeling in the
sportsman.

When the necessary initiatory rules have been sufliciently ob-
served, the shooting pupil shoidd be taken into the fields and
practised at shooting living objects. Some recommend firing at
swalloAvs and martins, but this is not a judicious practice. Their
moyements_ through the air are altogether different from those
which distinguish game of all kinds. Sparrows having been
entrapped, and pieces of paper put round their neck, and then let
off, make very good marks. It is considered advisable to induce
the pupil to learn the art of keeping both his eyes open ; but some-
times we have seen, that this is an extremely difficult matter to
attain, as young lads are often from infancy accustomed to take

ON THE MODES OP USING THE GUN AND THE DOG. 45

aims at anything^ only with one eye— the right one. These early
habits are sometimes so powerful, that it is almost hopeless to
expect their relinquishment in after life. Quickness of motion
should he learned ; but the happy medium between snap shots and
dead sloio should be the main thing looked at and sedulously
studied.

To_ cultivate a steady and decisive mode of walking and
standing is very advantageous for successful shooting. Anything
like trepidation and an indecisive gait_ are inimical to success-
ful sport. It is said that a firm placing of the limbs greatly
assists the arms in readily and gracefully elevating and presenting
the gun. The fowling-piece should be carried barrel upwards, and
sloped_ towards the left arm, the lock being clasped by the hand of
that side, the fingers embracing the stock, which allows the arm,
though supporting the gun, yet to do it with readiness and ease,
and to be placed with facility within the grasp of the hand previous
to the meditated elevation. The lesson to tlie pupil is " to carry
the gun with the cock inwards and down, and the side of the stock
embedded against the inside of your left arm, taking an easy
position, considerably below the chest."

Another maxim is given from the same authority. " In the act
of cocking, let your forefinger quit the front of the trigger, and,
extending itself sloping forward through the guard, only feel the
side of it with a gentle pressure. Your body, by this action of
throwing out the butt, combined with the step-out of the left leg
in taking form, wUl be brought with its weight principally upon
that limb ; a position assumed as more immediately called tor,
when the flight is nearly in a line from you, or to the left, which
will comprise four out of five of aU. your shots." Again, when the
■wQxd. Present! is either used audibly, or mentally, the follo\\dng direc-
tions are given. Let the barrel, at this moment inclined over the
left shoulder, be swept in a circle forwards with a smart motion,
the fore-finger of the right hand (sloping, as we have before placed
it through the guard, and clear of the front of the trigger) oeing,
as it were, the centre of motion upon which the gun turns during
the sweep ; by which action the butt should be raised nearly to its
fuU height, and then brin^ it back with something of a thump into
its place within the shoulder, whilst at the same time an increasing
pasp with the left hand, which till now has kept its hold rather
loosely, combiaes with that of the right hand upon the gripe of the
stock, to keep it firmly there. The direction of the barrel to the
mark, or what may be termed the line of level, to be taken, m the
first instance, a little below that which, as already drawn by the
eye to the object, we may distinguish by the name of the line of
sight. The latter should be firm and immoveable ; to which a
precise adjustment of the line of level must finally be made by an
easy flexure of the upper part of the body altogether, but_ without
any loosening or twisting of the butt from its firm hold Avithin the
shoulder ; and on the instant that you get these two lines m con-

46 SHOOTING.

tact, or, in other words, at the moment that you bring the muzzle
of your gun from your first level below, to bear direct upon the
object.

It may here be observed, that all these written dii-ections are,
from their very nature, very obscure, and very iuadequately fitted to
teach shooting by mere words. The eye is the grand organ for
taking in rapidly and surely instructions on the matter • and for a
young shooter to have the advantages of being a few days in the
fields or moors with an experienced marksman, is to be in a position
of gaining more information in this short space of time, than he
could acquire were he to read scores of volumes. All written
descriptions of material objects are constitutionally limited and im-
perfect ; they can give a considerable portion of useful knowledge,
but chiefly by conveying it in general terms, and compendious
maxims, not by dealing too much in matters of detail and mere
routine.

At the same time, in matters of this kind we feel justified in
laying before the reader the candid opinions of sportsmen, wlio
have paid great attention to this subject of shooting birds on their
flight, in order that he may have the fullest information on the
subject, and know, what opinionscirculate in the sporting world
among some of its most distinguished members. Col. Hawker
directs the young beginner as follows : — Before an object crossing —
full high for a bird risi7ig up, or flying away very loio, and between i
the ears of hares and rabbits running straight moay ; all this, of ,
course, in proportion to the distance ; and if we consider the velo- ;
city with which a bird flies, we shall rarely err by firing at the i
crossing bird when d^ forty yards, at least -five or six inches before it.
As the barrels of double guns usually shoot a little inwards at long
distances, there is so far a preference in favo'ar of the right barrel
for a,n object crossing to the left, and vice versa, that, if we were
beating along the sides of a hedge, it would be best to keep the \
barrel next to it in a state of preparation. Till the pupd is fully j
master of all this, he will find great assistance from the sight, which 1
he should have precisely on the intended point when he fii-es ; he
will thus by degrees attain the art of killing game in good style,
which is to fix his eyes on the object, and fii-e the moment he has
brought up the gun. He may then, idtimately, acquire the knack
of killing snap shots, and bring down a November bird the moment
he to]3s the stubble, or a rabbit popping in a fui'ze-brake, with more
certainty than he once used to shoot a young grouse in August,
or a partridge in September.* Another writer tells us that, in
taking aim, the point of the gun or sight, in a right line from the
mark upon the oreech, should be levelled point-blank with the
object ; and then the finger must instantaneously pull the trigger,
as on this quickness of the hand, the whole art of shooting depends.
This we think altogether erroneous ; if followed out to the full.

• Hawker, p. 134.

ON THE MODES OP USING THE GUN, AND THE DOG. 4:7

extent, it would soon sliow itself in its true colours. Another
author takes a different and more rational view of the matter. He
says, that when a bird gets up he is certain he cannot kill it (we
must premise, that his gun is uncharged), therefore he can wait
to any length, until he ^ets it at the end of his gun. He must
never draw unless positive of seeing the bird in that very point
of situation. Let it go ; every fresh spring of the bird will make
the sportsman more composed ; and as the tremor wears off, he
will grow more uniform in his manner of getting to it, tiU, at last,
he will cover it almost to a certainty, or very near the same dis-
tance. Let him accustom hhnself not to take his gun from his
arm till the bird is on the wing, and never to vary his eye from the
very one he first fixed upon. Three words should be mentally used
with a pause between, before he puts his piece to his shoulder ;
tliis ^vill keep him, as it were, in awe of himself ; and as there is no
charm in any particular combination of letters at this time, Hold!
Halt ! Now ! may serve as well as any. A day thus spent, he may
put some powder in the pan, and flash away in that manner ; the
next, pursuing the former direction till he can stare with steadiness,
and pull with a wink. The day following load with powder only ;
and to continue this lesson two or three days, more or less, till he
is as calm as if the leather was still in the chaps. Now the grand
md last trial — complete loading. If he feels any flutter or anxiety
Dn his advance to the point, let him_ draw his shot at once ; nay,
powder also, before he goes up to his dog, and repeat this, toties
luoties, till he has whipped himself into good temper, and disap-
Dointed Mmself into the accomjDHshment of his wislies. In cross-
ihootiag, if a bird goes J;p the left, step forward with the right foot,
' the contrary; if to ^ne right hand. This removes at once the
•^^.plaint often made, of not kiUing so well one way as the other.

5hoot at the head in every direction, if possible ; and there cannot
)e any necessity for greater allowance. Li elevation, let the front
)f the guard be a stop for the gripe of the left hand, in which situ-
ition, if the barrel should burst, it will not be so hable to be injured ;
aid the thumb being erect, an avenue is artificially made by means
)f its corresponding vrith the cock nail, that gives great direction
:o the eye.*

Another good rule is, that as soon as the eye bears on the object
0 be fired at, provided that the muzzle of the gun does the same,
hen it is proper to fire ; for, when the eye dwells too long, the
listance becomes increased, and the sight is, likewise, impaired.

On a matter of such nicety and importance, it would be almost
inpardonable to omit the opuiion of Mr. Daniel on the question.
ie says :— " The young shooter should make liimself perfectly
,cc[uainted with distance ; with that knowledge in 9pen siiootmg,
le will never put the gun to his shoulder until the bird has flown a
/roper length, and then fire the instant the sight of it is caught.

* Rev. B. Svmonds.

43 SHOOTING.

To kill birds flying across either to the right or left, aUowance
must be made by the shooter both for the distance he is from them,
the strength of the birds, and also the velocity of their motion : for
it must be taken into account that the flight of a partridge in
November will be greatly accelerated to what it was Uyo months
before. Practice atone can teach these mifiutics, which, if fixed at
any given space, or attempted to be uniformly regulated upon paper,
might lead the marksman erroneously in the field. It may, how-
ever, be mentioned, that in a cross-shot to the right the difficulty
is very much increased, if the right leg is first when the birds rise ;
the gun cannot then be brought but a very trifle beyond a straight
line to the right, and frequently gentlemen stand with their feet
thirty inches apart when in the act of firing — a position that efi^ec-
tually prevents them bringing their guns to bear upon a crossing
object. IVlien dogs point, or when game has been marked, and
expected to spring, the walk should be with short and easy steps ;
the body can then be easily turned upon the legs, as if on a pivot,
and the range of the bird commanaed,^ even if it should fly quite
round the sportsman. The science of aiming accm-ately, however,
•ttdll be of little service, except the gun be held steady from all startiag
or flinching in the action of firing ; it is tx) small pm-pose to traverse
the gun with the celerity of a bird fljdng rapidly in a transverse
direction, if the person suspends that motion when he touches
the trigger to pull it. In this interlapse between the beginning of
the pull and the appulse of the shot to fire, and thnty or forty yards'
distance (be the pull and stroke of the cock as short, and the fire
as quick as possible), any bird of game ^vill, in a serene day, gainj
progressively ia its flight above two yards, ? 'd with a rough wind,,
considerably more. Quickness of sight, and" steady aiming, wiLlI
never constitute a marksman, unless the motion of the gun cGrrs^
sponds with them, and receives no check whilst in the act of draw-j
iug the trigger." * j

It forms one of the standing topics of discussion among shooting]
sportsman, JF/iat is the average distance of a fair sJiot ? There haal
been a great deal wi'itten on this question. Eorty yards is, how-f
ever, pretty generally allowed to be a fair average shot ; but there!
are many shots fatal at almost double that distance. But the!
subject is not susceptible of any determmed solution ; most sports-j
men know, to a tolerable certamty what can, and what cannot bej
accomplished by their fowling-pieces. I

Shooting in company has begot a code of laws for the governmentj
pf the parties. All bii-ds that cross should be considered as belong-j
ing to the gunner to whose side their heads are pointed, unless al
previous understanding is come to, that either party may take anf"
after-shot at a tailing bu'd. When single bu-ds rise and go away
fair for either party, it may be proper to have it previously under-
stood that such should be taken alternately by each shooter.

* Rural Sports, vol. iii, p. 488.

THE MODE 01 USING THE GtJN AND THE DOG. 49

Precautionary ohservations are commonly appended to all formal
treatises on tlie gun. These are often of great value ; but it is
siugidar to witness how often they are disregarded. The Tiabif
should be formed to attend to certain minute matters ; when this is
acquired, it becomes second na-bii-e, and affords a firm confidence
in_ the mind of the sportsman nimself, as well as in that of his
friend. A gun should be always held with the left hand, and close
to the guard ; aU the requisite steadiness for taking aim, and even
of motion, m following the flight of a bird, can be obtained in this
manner, even if the piece be of the heaviest description. With
double-barrelled guns, the shooter, when he fires one barrel, should
uncock the other previous to reloading. _ A sense of self-preserva-
tion should always infl.uence a man with a fowling-piece in liis
, hand. The parrying of a gun in a safe position is one of the funda-
mental maxims wliich should be inculcated upon every young and
perhaps volatile sportsman. Until he understands and practises it
regularly, he can never be a pleasant or safe companion in the fields
; or moors. We have seen, in our limited experience, scores of men
iwith whom it seemed dangerous to traverse a field, who had
i no idea or care either of their own or other people's lives, and whose
i every movement was characterized by a wanton negligence and
j an iuconsiderate precipitancy. These errors should be carefully
I rectified.

I The_ follomng matters are likewise worthy of the sportsman's
[ attention : —

I 1st. If you or your dog should at any time get a severe blow, let
■ the wounded part be instantly fomented with warm water, as hot
as can be borne, for at least half an horn-, and you will thereby
reduce your sufferings or impediment from sport to at least half its
duration.

2nd. If you burn yourself in shooting or otherwise, wrap the part
affected immediately in cotton, the application of which, it has been
proved, acts like magic on a burn.

3rd. If you should take cold, and the inflammatory process seems
rapid, bathe your feet in warm water as hot as you can bear it ; if a
little salt or bran, or both, be added, so much the better. Get into
a warm bed, and take some whey, or whatever you can get to pro-
mote perspiration.

4th. Never fast too long, and avoid, whenever you can, anything
approaching to excessive fatigue.

5th, Never go out with quite an empty stomach to wait for game
of any kind, particularly in the morning. Should you wish to rise
early, before any of the household are up, you can have a little
crust of bread or a biscuit, with a glass_ of milk, left for your use
the night before. This may be taken mth a little sugar, nutmeg,
pinger, and the yoke of an egg. These items are superior to what
is called the " Doctor" (rum and milk), because you then dispense
with taking spirit in the morning ; a habit that should always be

E

50 SHOOTING.

avoided, except you are sporting in a country where ague is pre-!
valent. In tliis case a little spiiit is advantageous.

6tli. Never sit down witli wet feet, nor with wet clothes on any
part of your body ; if a change cannot be procured, keep walking
about, or, what is better, go to bed, till some di-y clothes can be
proco-ed; or, if you want to start again, after taking ren-esh-
ment, first wet your feet with spiiits or essence of mustard, and ,
then be as quick as possible in taking your refreshments. Many '■
apply the spirit to the stomach instead of the feet, but this is "
invariably bad. Nothing produces chilly and damp kind of feehngs
readier than spirit taken mtemally under such dii'cumstances. To
keep the frame warm, dry, and comfortable, is the surest plan of
increasing your sporting pleasures, and of making them really con-
ducive to health.

'ilisii;

r

6E0USE SHOOTING. Q\

PART IV.

CHAPTER V.

vYe have now treated of what may be termed the elementary
departments of the art or science of shooting; the nature of the
gim 01 the powder and shot, of the wadding, of the dog, and of the
hrst rudiments ot the sportsman's craft, considered as matters of a
pui-ely mecimmcal kmd. We have now to enter upon a different
tield otmaun-y and description: that of treating of the various
ionds ot game to which shooting is commonly applied. In one
sense ox the word, game is one of a very indefinite meaning There
are no liraits to the objects that a man may shoot with a gun. Some
may call hons and elephants game, because they are often destroyed
by this mstriunent alone. "We must, however, di'aw a more definite
Ime oi demarcation, and avoid extreme and far-fetched classifica-
tions. Ihe term shooting or sporting with the gun is commonly
iumted to certain kmds of the feathered creation, with now and
then an appHcation of the projectile to the killing of a few small
animals, as the hare, the rabbit, and occasionally the deer. To this
general outline we shall confine ourselves.

GROUSE SHOOTING.

Sir William Jardine tells us (in ^nsNaturalisfsUbrari/, vol. iv.),
that "by the _ word grouse, we, in general language, are apt to
associate our ideas with the common inuii'-fowl. But m the tech-
nical terms of ornithology the generic name. Grouse and Tetrao, is
restricted to those beariug the form of the European wood grouse,
dusky grouse of America, &c. They are the largest bii^ls of the
family, of a very round and powerful form, and frequent heathy
forests in preference to the wild and open muir, perch and often
J^opst upon trees, where young shoots and tender bark supply them
■with food; and although the legs are plumed with short feathers,
the toes are naked. The tail is composed of broad feathers, and is
propoi'tionably long and rounded. They are mostly polygamous,
and the females and young differ considerably from the males, the
plumage of the former being shades of brown and tawny, with
black bars and markings, the colours of the latter distributed itt
broad masses of black, glossy green, or steel-blue, and deep brown.

62 SHOOTING.

They inhabit North America and Europe ; those of the latter
country extending into Northern Asia."

THE WOOD GHOTJSE, OB, CAPERCALLIE.

The Wood Grouse, or Capercallie [Tetrao JJrogallus, Linn.) is
sometimes called the Cock-of-the-icood, and sometimes the Giant
Gi'otise, from his great size and imposing appearance. He stands at
the head of feathered game in these islands, but he is very seldom
to be met with. Ei'om certain historical accounts, it appears they
"v. ere once very abimdant in the forests of both Scotland and
Ii-eland. Bewick describes him thus : — " He is as large as a turkey,
and is about two feet nine inches in length, and weighs from twelve
to fifteen pounds. The bill is very strong, convex, and of a horny
colour; over each eye there is a naked skin of a bright red colour;
the eyes are hazel, the nostrils are small, and almost hid under a
covei mg of short feathers, wliich extend under the throat, and are
there much longer than the rest, and of a black colour; the head
and neck are elegantly marked with small transverse lines of black
and gray, as are also the back and -wTngs, but more irregularly ; the
breast is black, richly glossed with green on the upper part, and
mixed ^vith a few white feathers on the belly and thighs ; the sides
are marked like the neck; the tail consists of eighteen feathers,
which are black, those on the sides are marked with a few white
spots ; the legs are very stout, and covered with brown feathers ;
the toes are furnished on each side with a strong pectinated mem-
brane. _The female is considerably less than the male, and differs
greatly ia her colours : the throat is red ; the transverse bars on
the head, neck, and back, are red and black ; the breast is of a pale
orange colour • belly barred with orange and black, the top of each
feather is white ; the back and wings are mottled with reddish
brown and black, the scapulars tipped with white ; the tail is of a
deep rust colom-, barred with black and tipped with white."*

The pairing of this magnificent bird commences about the spring,
the sexes having congregated together in packs dming the winter of
fifty or a hundred in number. Wlien the pairing is effected, the
female makes a rude kind of nest, lays from eight to sixteen eggs,
in some suitable place where she can sit undisturbed on and hatch
them ia security. The young, like farm-yard fowls, are active and
Stirling as soon as they leave the shell, and it is even said that
they have frequently been seen running about with part of that
appendage hanging to them. _

These birds being so rare in Britain, their shooting can scarcely
require any lengthy remarks. In some parts of the continent, par-
tic laiiy in Sweden, they form an im;portant item in the game-list
of birds. They are commonly ia this country flushed from the
ground in autumn, when they are feeding on a species of berry, of
» Birds, p. 296.

THE WOOD GROUSE, OE CAPEKCALLIE. 53

whicli they are passionately fond. Their flights are but very short,
and if there are any trees in the way they commonly alight upon
the branches. In the forest the capercallie does not always present
an easy mark, for, dipping down from the pines nearly to the
ground, as is frequently the case, they are often almost out of dis-
tance before one can properly take aim. No. 1 or 2 shot may
answer very well, at short range, to kill the hens ; but for the cocks
the sportsman should be provided with much larger. Towards the
commencement and durmg the continuance of the winter, the
capercallies are generally in packs ; these, which are usually com-
posed wholly of cocks (the hens keeping apart), do not separate
until the approach of spring. These packs, which are said to con-
tain fifty or a hundred birds, usually hold to the sides of the
numerous lakes and morasses, with v^hich the northern forests
abound ; and to stalk the same in the winter time vnth a good rifle,
is no ignoble amusement. Among other expedients resorted to in
the northern forests for the destruction of the capercallie is the f9l-
lowing : — " During the autumnal months, after flushing and_ dis-
persing the brood, people place themselves in ambusli, and imitate
the cry of the old or young birds, as circumstances may require.
By thus attracting them to the spot, tliey are often enabled to shoot
the whole brood in succession. * * *. The capercallie is shot in
the night-tune by torch-light. This plan, which is said to be very
destructive, is confined to the southern provinces of Sweden, for in
the more northern parts of the country I never heard of its being
adopted. In Smaland and Ostrogothland this is said to be effected
in the following manner :— Towards nightfall people watch the last
flight of the capercallie before they go to roost. Ihe direction they
have taken in the forest is then carefully marked by means of a
prostrate tree, or by one which is felled expressly for the purpose.
After dark, two men start in pursuit of the birds ; one of them is
provided with a gun, the other with a long pole, to either end of
which a flamlDcau is attached. The man with the flambeaux now
goes in advance, the other remaining at the prostrate tree, to keep
it and the two lights in an exact line with each other ; by this
curious contrivance they cannot well go astray in the forest. Thus
ihey proceed, occasionally halting and taking a frcsli mark, until
ihey come near, to the spot where they may have some reason to
suppose the bii'ds are roosting. They now carefully examine the
trees, and when they discover the objects of their pursuit, which
are said stupidly to remain gazing at the fire blazing beneath, they
shoot them at their leisure. Should there be capercalHes m the
same tree, however, it is always necessary to shoot those in the
lower branches in the first instance ; for unless one of these birds
falls on its companions, it is said the rest will never move, and in
consequence the whole of them may be readily killed."

There have various attempts been made of late years to introduce
these birds into Great Britain. The late Mr. Powell Buxton and
* Lloyd's I'reia Sporta ia Norway and Sweden.

64 SHOOTING.

the Earl of Breadalbane, spared neitlier money nor care to have
them reared in this country. But the success attendant on their
anxiety has not been great.

THE BLACK GEOUSE.

The Black Grouse {Tetrao Tefrix, Linn.) is a noble looking bird,
it is commonly designated the Blackcock, and the female the Gray-
hen. The male bii'd is from one foot ten inches to two feet in
length; and we have seen two or three specimens which have
exceeded this by three inches. The breadjfch is about tAvo feet
nine inches. The ordinary weight is nearly four pounds ; but some
stray birds in the moors of Cumberland, have gone beyond this by
half a pomid and more. The bill is of dusky black, the eyes dark
blue, below each eye there is a spot of a dingy white colour, and
above the larger, one of a bright scarlet. The plumage of the
whole bird is very imposing. It is black, very glossy over the neck
and rump, tinged with a shining blue colour. The coverts of the
wings are a sort of dull brown, the greater are. white, which rmi
along to the ridge of the Avings, forming a spot of that colour upon
the shoulder when the wing is closed. The quiUs are brown ; the
lower parts and tips of the secondary ones are white, forming a bar
of white across the wing. There is likewise a spot of white upon
the bastard wing. The legs and tliighs are tolerably thickly
covered with dark brown, mottled with white feathers. The toes
are toothed on the edges like those of the capercaUie. The tail is
much forked, and consists of sixteen black feathers ; the end of the
outer feather, which curves outwardly, seems as if separated or cut
off. The feathers under the tail, and the inner covers of the wings,
are of a pure white. The female bird of the black grouse is con-
siderably less than the male ; it is only one foot six inches long,
and in breadth two feet six inches. Its weight averages about two
pounds. As, in the male bird there is a dusky mark beneath the
eye. The head and neck are marked alternately with bars or
stripes of duU red and black ; and the breast has a du«:ky white and
black appearance. The coverts of the wings, the back, and the
tail, are of the same colom- as the neck, with the excei)tion of the
red being of a deeper hue. The inner webs of the quill feathers
are spotted mth black and white. The inner coverts of the wings
are white, and there is a white spot on the shoulder of both the
male aud female birds. In the latter, the tail is shghtly forked,
and it consists of eighteen feathers richly variegated with red and
black. Under the tail the feathers are white, marked with a few
bars of black and orange. The nest on the groimd is of the most
simple and artless kind. The female lays from six to eight eggs,
which are of a duU yellowish white coloui', marked with a nimiber
of very small ferruginous specks, and towards the smaller end with
some blotches of the same hue. They are hatched late in the

THE BLACK GEOTJSE. 55^

simimer._ The young males quit their mother in the beginning
of the winter, and keep in flocks of seven or eight until spring.
During that period they frequent the woods. In their first feather
they resemble their mother, and do not acquire their full plumage
till near the end of autumn, when it gradually changes, and
assumes that blueish black colour which* it afterwards retains.

The black grouse, like other members of the grouse family are
polygamous, and in January, February, and March, the plumage
of the male bird assumes a rich glossy steel blue, which, .with ms
noble bearing, niakes him look very imposing. In the warm days
at the end of winter, the males after feeding may be seen congre-
gated together on some turf-furze, sheep-fold, or rude paling,
pluming their wings, and practising various devices to attract the
notice of the female. Should the weather continue warm and
favourable, these groups are gradually broken up. " Here, after
perhaps, many battles have been fought and rivals vanquished, the
noble fuU-dressed black cock takes his stand, commencing at first
dawn; and where the game is abundant, the hill on every side
repeats the murmuring call ahnost before the utterers can be
distinguished. The cocks strut around the spot selected, trailing
their wings, inflating the throat and neck, raising and expanding
their tails, and puffing up the plumage of those parts, and the now
brilliant wattle above the eyes, displaying the beautifully contrasting
white under-covers, and imitating, as it were, the attitudes of the little
turkey-cock. He is soon heard bjr the females, who crowd round
their lord and master."* Al'ter incubation is fairly commenced,
this fighting among the males is at an end ; and they then separate
themselves from the females, retire among brushwood and large
fern beds to complete the process of moulting ; and leave to the
females the entire charge of the young. When these are hatched,
the mother guides them to some high situation where there is
plenty of shelter from long grass and luxuriant herbage, and where
plenty of food can be readily obtained. This consists in the
summer of the seeds of the cranberry, crowberry, and blackberry,
&c. ; and in the winter they feed on the fir shoots, and the catkins
of hazel and birch, which impart to their flesh a peculiar flavoui',
well known to_ epicures.

These fine birds are to be found in many districts of England ; on
Leith Hill, Ashdown in St. Leonards' and in the New, and in the
Bere forests. They are likemse found in considerable numbers on
the estates of the Marquis pf Anglesea, at Bean Dessert, Stafi'ord-
shire, Barnstable, Devonshire, and in many of the moor districts
of Northmnberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, and
Yorkshire. It is now a general opinion that this kind of game has
increased considerably in aU parts of the kingdom of late years.

The shooting of the black grouse does not commence till the
1st of September ; and they are considered royal game. They are, in

*Six William Jardine,

56 SHOOTING.

the main, shy birds, but those who are acquainted mth their haunts
will find no great difficulty in reaching them. They are partial to
long ling and roughish copse-wood. Under the bank of a deep
ravine, particularly in mid-day, and if there be a cold wind l^lowing,
they will be very readily found. The young are comparatively
tame till they have moulted ; and the sportsman has often almost
to kick_ them out from among low thick brushwood. After they
get their_ new coat of feathers on, they seem to increase in wisdom
aud cunning ; and often set the dodges of the shooter completely at
defiance.

Black grouse require full sized shot; and many sportsmen
prefer a single to a double barrelled gun. It is not considered
.according to the strict laws of sporting to kill the hen bird.

There are great numbers of black grouse in Eussia. and their
capture is effected in the following manner. Huts full of loop-
holes, like Httle forts, are built purposely in the woods for these
bn-ds. Decoy birds are placed at a short distance from these
spots; these are mere artificial imitations made of black cloth.
As the grouse assemble the shooters fire through the opeiiings,
and if the sportsman succeed in keeping hiiuself out of sight, the
bn-ds are not frightened by the mere report of the gun ; and on this
account great quantities are killed. During the ^dnter season in
Siberia, the inhabitants take numbers of these birds in the following
fashion. A certam number of poles are laid horizontally on forked
sticks m the open forests of birch ; small branches of corn are
fixed to them by way of a lure ; and, at a short distance, certain
tall baskets of a conical figure are placed with the broadest part
uppermost ; just within the mouth of the basket is placed a small
wheel, through which passes an axis so nicely fixed as to admit it
to play very readily, and on the least touch, eit'her on one side or the
other, to drop down and agam recover its position. The birds are
soon attracted by the corn on the horizontal poles, and after
ahghtmg upon them, and feeding, they fly to the baskets and
attempt to settle on their tops, when the wheel drops sideways,
and they fall headlong into the snare.

THE RED GEOUSE.

The Red Grouse {Tetras Scotims, Linn.).— This bird forms the
staple article of grouse-shootmg, especiallv in the northern parts
ot Grreat Eritain. Its length is about fifteen inches, and weight
about nineteen ounces. The bill is black, the eyes hazel, and the
nostrils shaded with small red and black feathers. At the base of
the lower bill there is a white spot on each side. The throat is
red, and each eye is arched \\ii\\ a large naked spot, Tlie body is
beautifully mottled with red and black, which give it a tortoise-
shell appearance. The breast and bellv are of^a purple hue, and
crossed with small dusky lines. The tail consists of sixteen
leathers, of equal lengths ; and the four middlemost are barred

THE EED GUOIJSE. 57

with red and the others are black. The quiUs are of a dusky colour,
and the legs are clothed with soft white feathers domi to the very
claws, which are of a strong texture, and of a Hght bro^ii colour.
Tlie female is a httle less than the male. The naked skin aboye
each eye is not so conspicuous, and the colours of its plumao-e in
general, much hghter than those of the male. ° '

Ihis species of grouse pair in the sprhig, and lay from fiye to ten
eggs : we have once or twice found twelve ; this, however, is con-
siclered rare. Sometimes these are foimd on the bare ground and
sometimes on a rude kind of nest, made of moss and a little heather
iliis IS generally placed m a somewhat sheltered position. Both
male and female birds attend to the young ; and guard them as weU
as they can agamst then- numerous enemies, in the shape of vermin,
and birds of prey. The young, or ponlts, foUow the mother the
eatne smnmei^ m the same manner as partridges do; nor is the
male bird wanting ui his attendance on the brood, but is generaUy
observed to remain at a short distance from them. The practice of
burmng the Img is often very destructive to eggs of the grouse •
and many thousands are annuaUy destroyed in this way

Ihe habits of the red grouse display a strong feeHng for domesti-
cation, and are not nearly of so wild a nature as some other of the
grouse fanuly. They have occasionaUy been entirely tamed
A gentleman m Lreland, not many years ago, had two brace of birds
lor several seasons so domesticated that he used to take them mto
His parlour where they played mth his setter dogs. And they are
ottenlound descending from the moors and locating in the vicinity
ot corn-helds, and shelter themselves among the stubble both of
barley and oats In most severe winters when pressed for food
they wiU leave the hiUs and visit the cultivated grounds, and will
even be tomid occasionally sitting perched on the tops of the
labourers dwellings.

The shooting of the red grouse has been extensively written
about, and many mmute particulars, as weU as contrary opinions,
has been laid before the pubHc on the subject. We cannot enter
mto the personal experience of every distinguished sportsman who
has favoured the world with them through the press • but we
purpose giving the reader a bird's-eye view of the mam featm-es of
the sport, and allow lum to fill up the vacuum by his own practice
and doings on the matter. At the same time we shall avaH our-
selves of such old and acknowledged authorities as have long been
tamiliar to those who have felt an interest in the hterature of
sporting.

Mr. Daniel informs us, that in shooting red grouse the old
-biughsh spaniel or setter is of more use than the smooth pointer
Ihe lormer has a better nose, and his feet are defended by lono-
hau- from the chaffing effects of the long ling, wliich, in dry weather
cuts hke wKe. Setters are, for the most part, higher mettled than
pointers, and display more zeal and untiring courage They re-
quire, however, a plentiful supply of water ; and this is sometunes

58 SHOOTING.

a great drawback to their use clurmg the very hot months of August
and September. We have known, hoAvever, some gentlemen well
skilled in. grouse-shooting, who have taken the pointer in preference
to any other kind of dog ; so that perhaps, upon the whole, there
may be a fan balance of advantages accorded to each kind.

The red grouse differ in numbers and in size according to the
season. Wet, cold, ungenial weather not only retards the pairing
of the birds, but is hkewise extremely prejudicial to the hatching
of the broods, which delight in fine sunny dajis, and revel in the
luxury of a dry atmosphere. When they emerge from the shell
they assume among sportsmen the name of cheepers, and when they
advance to a more stately size they are 0,2^^^ poults. ^ They are to
be found on their feeding grounds both in the mornings and even-
ings ; and if they are distui'bed, they seek out some favourite spot
of shelter, chiefly preferring those sections of the moors which
abound with long ling and roughish brushwood.

The time of the year has considerable influence on the habits and
movements of the grouse. Prosty weather is favourable for their
capture, as they seem then very torpid and lifeless. Wet and
windy weather is not favourable to the shooter. At such times
the birds leave the high grounds, and seek out sheltered spots in
some comparatively dry and secluded localities. Red grouse
generally grow very wild in the months of November and Decem-
ber ; although when the season is any way favourable some good
days' sport may still be obtained. The lower and sheltered grounds
are then the best places to find them ; for the advancing season is
daily cutting off their resources in food, and they are diivento seek
provender in lower and more cultivated grounds.

Li rising, grouse almost take a perpendicular dii-ection, and then
go in a straight line at an elevation of ^ ten or twelve yards. The
exact moment to fire is when they are Just_ about to change from
the perpendicular to the rectOinear direction. There is a sort of
pause in their flight, which is favourable to the sportsman, when he
can avail himself of this movement. But this requires a quick eye,,
and considerable practice. When the red grouse begin to associate ia
large numbers, as they invariably do about the end of October, or the
first or second week in November, they are approacTied with con-
siderable difiiculty ; for they post sentmel birds to keep a look out,
and it is a mere thing of chance if you can near them by a hundred
and fifty yards. When the weather, however, becomes and con-
tinues long cold, this wildness is considerably abated, and they
often show themselves as tame as barndoor fowls.

Colonel Hawker tells us that " for shooting grouse select a fine
sunshiny day, from about eight till five in August and September,
and from eleven to three at the later periods of the season, as they
are then extremely wild, and will only He tolerably during the few
hours which are favoured by a warm sun. Unless the weather is
very fine, you will see them running and getting up five hundred
yards before you. In this case, let one person take an immense

THE BED GROUSE. 59

ircle, so as to head them ; while the other remams beliind to press
hem forward when he is ready ; and, above all things, yon should,
or kiUing them at this time, use either No. 1, 2, or 3 shot, in the
irgest single gun you can possibly manage ; or, what is better, a
ood stout double gun, ^vith Ely's cartridges. Grouse take a
arder blow than partridges, and do not fly quite so regular and
teady.''

On prolonging a tour on the northern moors till the season is
omewhat advanced, Mr. LasceUes has the following very judicious
bservations : — " In October the weather, though generally in this
ountry (the northern moors) fine and open, is yet not so op-
tressively hot as in the two preceding months; the autumnal
ireezes impart their invigorating assistance, and give a new life to
very object aroimd; the earth retains a greater portion of re-
reshing dew, and no longer presents an obstinate and un-
rofitable surface ; all game are then on the move, and we are no
Dnger obhged to search for them in places as impenetrable to the
portsman as the overpowering heat from which they have escaped.
rrouse,_ partridge, pheasant, hare, — nothing comes amiss— and all
re attainable ; for the first-mentioned bird (grouse), if he has not
een disturbed siuce August, ^vUl now he as well on a fine day as
e would at the commencement of the season ; and, in point of
xceUence, there is no comparison. The common weight is about
wenty-three ounces, though I have killed them as high as twenty-
h. ; and I know an iustance of one being shot ia Yorkshke which,
ven after it had travelled to London m the hottest weather imagiti-
ble, weighed thirty-two ounces. They increase in size and full-
ess of feather mitil November • and then, in my opinion, have a
obler appearance than any other description of game whatever ;
D pursue them, however, with any chance of success so late in the
3ason, your method must be entirely altered, and yon cannot go
bout it too quickly. A good stout-barrelled gun, that carries a
irge charge, and one steady old dog, will be the most effective ; and
D have a still greater advantage, you should select the middle of
le day, when the sun is in full power, and the morning of which
as been frosty. There is every excuse for a ;Qerson in this case
sing all the means which ingenuity and experience may suggest,
on will see, perhaps, a pack of grouse running from you, at the
istance of five hundred yards, and it would be the_ height of im-
rudence to follow them up, under the idea of being able to §et
shot ; probably, at the next step you took, they would all rise
Dgether and fly for a mile, and would invariably serve you in the
ame manner if in a similar way pursued. There are various strata-
ems made use of, both to draw them to you, and to induce them
3 He till you can come within shot. To attain the first, yon are
ither to go by a cu-cuitons route and secrete yourself behind a wall,
r in a pit, in the exact hne in which they are running, and await
heir approach ; or you are, in this situation, to endeavour to hasten
;, by imitathig the noise they make, and calling them to you ; but in

60 SHOOTING.

this case there should always be another in company to remain in;
or near the place you first went from, that their attention may be:
principally confined to him, and taken off from you ; and, in order)
to make them lie, your dog must liear the principal part ; for on':
seeing them on foot, if he goes round and stands in the face of them,
they will stop instantly, and four tbnes out of five will allow youi
to get within shot."*

if a sportsman be alone shooting the red grouse, he ought not to'
travel far, but hunt the ground well. This plan not only saves;
much fatigue, but often leads to success. Birds do not generally
take very extended flights ; and if the ground should be irregularj
and undulated, they will commonly be found on the sides of some
eosy hiU, or knoll, or where the ling is long and strong. Bii'ds
are" always variable even when there is no apparent cause to the]
sportman's comprehension for their being so. Theii- movements;
depend upon causes w^hich are hidden from our scrutiny, and whiclii
we have no means of tracing. Tliere is always a chance of meeting;
with bu-ds where the berries of the ling are plentiful, particularly j
if these localities be visited at a proper time of the day. Noontide
is not a very suitable period ; but when the mists hang long on the
mountain's brow, it is sometimes the only time a shooter has to
practise his art ; and, therefore, must make the best of it»

THE PTARMIGAN.

The Ptarmigan, or White Grouse {Tetrao Lagopus, Linn.), iaj
another interesting section of the grouse family ; interesting both to;
the natui'alist and the sportsman. It is known in almost everyj
part of Europe, the northern portions of Asia, and America, ana
some writers say, even in Africa. This bird is nearly of the same'
size as the red grouse. Its bill is black, and its smnmer plumagel
is a pale brown, or ash colour, and the upper parts of the body are'
mottled mth a number of smaU dusky spots and bars. On the!
head and neck these bars are broader, and more intermingled with
white ; as are likewise the \Adngs, with the exception of mQ shafts'
of the quills, which are black. In the winter season this plumag^
is changed into piu-e white, except that in the male there is a biacj
line between the bill and. the eye. The tail consists of sixteeij
feathers, tlie two middle ones being ash-coloured in summer, an^
white in winter ; the two next slightly marked with white near the
ends, and the rest are wholly black. The upper tail coverts
tolerably long, and almost cover the tail entire. This bird is parti
to liigh and lofty grounds, and can brave the most intense coid. \
even lives and thrives under the cold of Greenland. In Britain:
^ chicfl}^ found in the Highlands of Scotland, in the Hebrides ar.
Orkney islands, and occasionally in the more elevated localities of
Cumberland and Wales. Buffon tells us, that it sedulously avoids;
* Letters, x.

THE PTARMIGAN. 61

leatj and loves the biting frosts on the tops of the highest moun-
;ains ; and when the snow melts on the sides of the hiUsj it con-
stantly ascends to loftier regions, tiU it gains the summits on which
t forms holes, and burrows in the snow. These birds pair at the
same period as the ordinary grouse. The female lays eight or ten
^.ggs, which are white spotted vnth. brown. There is no form of
lest prepared: they are laid on the bare ground. In whiter they
iongregate ia flocks ; and they are so little accustomed to the de-
vices of the fowler, that they suffer themselves to be easily taken
ither with snare 9r gun. _ They feed on the wild and rough pro-
iuctions of the hills, which impart a bitter taste to their flesh,
though it is not by any means unpalatable ; it is of dark coloui", and
5omewhat of the taste of the hare.

This kind of grouse has engaged great attention from sporting
ivriters on account of the singularity of its character and habits, and
oaany valuable and philosophic reflections on the general harmonies of
mture have been made on the subject. It is contended, that its
plumage is admirably and singularly fitted to the general appear-
ance of the grounds it frequents. The brown patches of heath on
the rocky decHvities of the mountains assimilate strikingly in their
broken and blended tints with the summer plumage of the bird,
md fitly suits the object of concealment. When the whole country
is covered with snow, and presents one extended mass of dazzling
whitness, the di-ess of the bird is agaui suited to this change of
external nature, and greatly aids its safety and security. The
plumage is now not only white, but very thick and downy ; and
even its legs are now thickly studded with feathers like hairs, which
secure its limbs to the very toes. "The winter colour of the
ptarmigan, therefore, in conjunction with its increased fulness of
plumage, tends to limit the expenditure of the vital heat generated
ii the system; some expenditure, however, must and does take
^lace beyond that of summer, to meet which, the energies of the
system are taxed to increase the ratio of its production. This
power in the animal system of generating heat, is the principle
apon which all animals are enabled to withstand the efi'ects of cold,
and to preserve life and health in a low temperature. * * * *
feecent experiments have proved beyond doubt, that the change
is that of the colom-, not of the feather ; at least the plumage does
not undergo a general moult for the purpose. The moult of those
birds, which, Hke the ptarmigan, change their livery, appears to be
(gradual, in order that the system may not be taxed too much,
seeing that it has abeady to struggle with the -debihtating effects
of cold. Besides all this, it is scarcely reasonable to suppose that
the young ptarmigans should have the brown plumage of their
^parents to moult, when they have only just assumed it. The
jrationale then appears to be thus : as the winter approaches, the
jsummer dress loses its colour, and gradually passes into the white,
jwhile, at the same time, an addition of new white feathers increases
jthe fulness pf the plumage to keep up vital heat. On the approach

62 SHOOTIN(i.

of spring the older feathers of the past year are thrown off, their
place being supplied by coloured ones ; wliile the^ white ones that
sprang up as the winter set in, gradually gaui the hue ^vhich waa }
then denied them. Hence, in spring, ptarmigans_ are seen m a
livery irregularly party-coloured ; these having acquired theh tintSj
win be moulted in autumn, so that no individual feather undergoes
i»ore than one mutation. It will be seen from this, that the mouli
is never simultaneously performed, but that a partial loss and acces-
sion of feathers, except in the depth of winter, is almost constantlj
taking place."

As we have already intimated, the ptarmigan family are to b(
met with in all the elevated and Alpme regions of Eui-ope, and ii
North America. The Greenlanders capture them by nooses huu§
to a long hne drawn by two men, who drop them over then- necks
They eat them with train oil, or lard ; and their skins are convertec
into shirts to wear next the skin. ' The Laplanders take them bi
forming a hedge with the boughs of birch trees, leaving smal
openings at certain mtervals, and hanging on each a snare, the
bh'ds being tempted to come and feed on the buds of catkins of th(
birch tree, and when they pass through the openings they ar<
caught. Li North America, in the territories of the Hudson's Ba;|
Company, and in the neighbouring countries, there are immensi'
numbers of the ptarmigans taken every season. And here it ii
curious and instructive to notice, that as the frost is here intense
every feather of the bii d, with the exception of those of the w ings an(
tail, becomes double — a downy pne shooting out from the base o
each, w^hich provision seems admii-ably fitted to protect the bird fron
the piercing effects of the long continued cold. In the months o
October and November flocks of two and three hundred assemble
and fix their residence among the willows, the tops of which the.
greedily devour as food. Hence they are often called the willoii
partridge. "We are told by travellers, that then- flesh is mucl
esteemed at Hudson's Bay, and in many provinces of Nortl
America. Nets twenty feet square, and supported on poles, an;
used for the capture of these birds; and they are so numerous
that te)i thousand have been taken from the November to April

ON THE SEVERAL CHIEF LOCALITIES EOR GEOUSE.

"Yet grouse of other kind
*I\\Q fowler oftcu finds, of larger growth
And glossy jet, ]51ack game, or llcathcock termed.
Nor are tlie Red on every hcaltliy moor
Or rocky mountain found ; full many a waste,
Washed by the soutliern, or tlie western main,
Has ne'er received them, though abundant else
In store of footed, or of feathered game."

Fowling.

We may gather from the general conversation of sportsmen ii
London, that the grouse shooting, of wliich they ai-e so passionatel;

CHIEF LOCALITIES TOK, GROUSE. 63

enamoured, lies all to the 7ioTth. To go to the moors is known to
be almost synonymous with going to some of the northern localities
of the kmgdom. Pormeiiy tliis was not so exclusively the case.
'There used to be found considerahle quantities of black grouse in
the New Porest of Hampshire, in some places in Devonshire
Derbyshii-e, and Staffordshire; but it is now questionable if there
be any, either of this species of the grouse family, or of the red
gronse, in these parts ot England at the present day. The moors
of Yorkshii-e are the nearest spots where any portion of grouse can
^readily be obtamed ; and even here, there has been for several years
a dnumution of their numbers progressively gomg on. The increase
of manufacturing and mining operations in this section of the king-
dom has been the chief cause of the decliae of grouse shootmg over
many of the fine districts of moorland in this direction.

The cheap and rapid mode of travelling by raiLwav has, however,
ttoown open considerable tracts of moorland to the English shooter,
that were scarcely accessible before • he can traverse the country
troin London to the distant Highlands of Scotland ia a few hours,
and can find moors and game to his heart's content. There are
extensive ranges of grousing country near home ; the moors of
Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Northumberland, are very exten-
^ve, and there are great numbers of grouse upon them, of all kinds.
The shooting districts belonging to Lord Lowther, in Westmore-
land, are immense, the sportsman may walk thirty miles and scarcely
get beyond them :_ here the country is so wild, bleak, and moun-
tainous, that a guide is always requisite for strangers, and a pocket
compass indispensable. The Cumberland moors are likewise very
i fruitful of grouse, in some of theii- localities- and here too, the
country is^ exceedingly wild and rugged. Li the neighbourhood of
Hexham, in Northumberland, and iii the moors belonging to the
Dulvc of Northumberland, at Keilder Castle, there is a goodly por-
tion of grouse, and the range of country is a very interesting one ia
point of scenery.

But the great moor tracts in Scotland are the chief places for
fiiidmg an abundance of sport ; the whole country, with the excep-
tion of a few miles of cultivated land, here and there, by the sides
I of some river or estuary, is one immense moor, broken into artificial
divisions by high and lofty momitains, covered at their summits, ia
some instances, with eternal snows. This is the sportsman's land
of promise— the land flowing with ''the milk and honey" of hi&
amusement. We can conceive nothing more heart-stirring and
exhilarating than a tour to those wild tracts in search of the grouse,
where Nature appears in her roughest attire and rugged grandeur.

This comparatively Alpine country can now, by railway and
steamboat, be threaded in aU its localities, at a very small cost of
tune and money. The sportsman can transport himself, in a-few
hours, from one spot to another a couple of hundred miles distant^,
and this gives him a great command of the whole country. If one
spot is not equal to his expectations, he can remove himself and

64 SHOOTING.

establislunent to another, an advantage which the grouse shooters
of former times did not possess — then, a removal to any great dis-
tance engrossed nearly half of the shooting season, and was attended
with great expense.

To descant on the noble scenery which a Highland shooting
excursion unfolds, is superfluous, as those remarkable localities
have been often described in the books for tourists, anglers, &c. j
but still, to an intelligent and imaginative grouse-shooter, these
mountain passes must be ever new and full of interest. Not one,
nor fifty visits can divest them of then- thrilling and engrossing-
interest. In many places the sportsman wiU find guides indispen-
sable, especially if lie wander among the more northern of the
Alpine elevations, such as Ben-?ia-bmrd, Cairngormn, and Ben-mac-
did, which raise their snowy peaks nearly four thousand feet above
the level of the ocean. An expedition with the gun to any of these
parts is quite an adventure, and must be performed on foot, and
with an ample supply of provisions, as there are few cottages in
those extended and tremendous wildernesses. _ Everytliiiig here is
upon a scale of singularly wild and rugged magnificence. The moun-
taiu torrents — some of which are almost one continued waterfall,
foaming and dashing over ledges of rock, are of the most picturesque
and hvely description, and rivet the mind of the spectator by their
gloomy grandeur and turbulence. The higher glens are likewise
sui'rounded and hemmed iii by frowning rocks and precipices, ;
clothed with the natural birch and wild-blowing heather, and so far
removed from human ken, and human sympathy, that they are sel-
dom visited, save by the red deer and the eagle. Here shooting is
both a fatiguing and dangerous amusement ; for if the sportsman
be a complete novice to scenes of this kind, the chances are that he
wiU tumble over some pointed and half -hidden elevation, and break
both his head and his fowling-piece. When less elevated localities
are frequented, the shooter will find a small Higiiland pony of some
benefit ; though attended with care and trouble, it wiU transport him
niore easily over a larger tract of country ; but where a man is of
robust health, and has youth on his side, there is noiliing Uke foot \
exercise, it_ keeps liun independent in his movements and rambles,
improves his health and spirits, and enables him to enjoy his sport
with a gratifying intenseness, unknown to the pampered body, and
the luxurious lounger. Exercise on footis one of those things that
a man may even be intemperate with, without any permanent in- ,
jury to his constitution.

There are considerable ranges of grousing grounds in Wales :
the Black mountains which divide the counties of Hereford and
Brecknock have some good sporting localities. The country is like
the Highlands, wild and rugged, and the sportsman will find some
of the liigher elevations laborious to reach. The only method, m
many cases, is to follow the rough ;paths of the mountain torrents,
which, being dry, afford a kind of ^vinding path to the liighest
grounds. The picturesque beauty of the country is beyond all

CHIEF LOCALITIES. POE GROUSE. 05

lescription and praise, and must be seen to be duly apprc-
3iated.

There are some fair shooting grounds in Ireland for grouse, but
they are far beliind Scotland, and even some parts of wales. In
the counties of Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary, in the vicinity of
the Galty mountains, there are both black and red grouse, \Yith. a
fair sprinkling of other kinds of game. There is likewise a fail
portion pi grouse in the Kerry, Wicklow, Clogheen, and Negagh
mountains._ The moor bird shooting is not quite so fatiguing "in
Ireland as in Scotland, but the general accommodation is superior
in the latter country to that of the forme-r. L-eland is highly
extolled by some sportsmen for grouse shooting, while others
speak very indiiferently of its supplies of this kin^ of game ; but
we beHeve that the truth will be found to be, that in some well
preserved localities there is a great abundance of them, while in
others, which are equally prolific, there is a remarkable scarcity,
arising chiefly from poachiug and indirect means taken to destroy
them. We have often, in travelling through this country, re-
marked that wherever there was a numerous and poor peasantry,
game of all kinds was scarce. We can easUy fancy how precious
ix) a half -starved Irishman would a well-stocked preserve of grouse
be ; and how difficult it would prove for Pat to keep his hands off
them, as a nice rehsli to his few scanty and half -rotten potatoes.
Legislators andmorahsts may talk till doomsday, before they
could make any impression under such circumstances.

We shall make a remark or two on the best methods of preserv-
ing grouse after being shot. They have often to be transported to
a great distance, and it is of moment that they should be so packed
up as to keep them sweet and agreeable when they reach their des-
tination. This is certainly not now so highly essential a matter
as it was some years back^ because the railway transit is now so
expeditious, that birds, without almost any preparation, may be
sent in perfectly good order to the most distant part of the kingdom.
One sportsman recommends the taking out the entrails of the bird,
and then putting it in linen cloth ; and another cautions us against
this practice, and says we should let the inside alone, only wiping
the bird, and not pack it till quite dry. Bladders should be pro-
cured, and a brace or more should be placed in one, if it is large
enough, tie the bladder tight round the neck, and seal it with seal-
ing-wax, to prevent the air from getting in ; and in this state, if
placed in boxes, they will keep sound and useable for three weeks
or a month. Col. Hawker says, "to send grouse any distance, put
pepper to the parts where they have been shot, as well as into their
mouths, then pack them, carefully separated from each other, and,
;kept as air tight as possible in boxes of hops."

66 SHOOTI^•G.

CHAPTER VI.

PABTUIDGE SHOOTING.

'SepteBiber comes to dieer the fowler's heart,
And raise his anxious hopes; day after day
He marks the fruitful country change arouiid
Witli eager eye. First, from the fertile meads,
Divested of tiieir widely waving load,
The pregnant hay-rick rises. Gentle swains,
If chance should lead you to the chosen spot,
Where the shy partridge forms her simple neat.
The embryo olfspriiig spare; and «hen your scythe
Levels the grassy valleys, should your foot
Approach the helpless brood, step back with care.
Nor our fond hopes destroy."

Vincent.

The Pau-tridge of Britain {Tetrao Perdix, Linn.) is of two kinds;
the one is the gray or common partridge, and the other is some-
times termed the Prench partridge. Bewick describes the common
Cartridge as follows : — It is about thirteen inches in length. Bill
ght brown, eyes hazel, the general colour of its plumage is brown
and ash, beautifully mixed with black. Each feather is streaked
down the middle with buff, and the sides of the head are ta^vny.
Under each eye is a small saffron-coloured spot, which has a
granulated appearance, and between the eye and the ear there is a
naked portion of skin of a bright scarlet, which is not very con-
spicuous but in old birds. There is a crescent on the breast of a
deep chestnut ; and the tail is short and drooping ; the legs are a
greenish white, and furnished with a small nob behind. The
female has no crescent on her breast, and her plumage in general
is not so distinctive and bright as that of the male._ The moul^
takes place once a year. Partridges are chiefly found in temperate
climates, the extremes of heat and cold being equally unfavourable
to them. They are nowhere in greater plenty than in this island,
where, in their season, they contribute to the entertainment of a
vast number of sportsmen. It is much to be regretted, however,
that the means taken to preserve this valuable bird should, in a
variety of instances, prove its destruction ; the proper guardians d
the eggs and young ones, tied down by ungenerous restrictions, are
led to consider them as a growing evil, and not only connive at
theii- destruction, but too frequently assist in it. Partridges pair
early in the spring ; and once united it is rare that anything out
death separates them. The female lays from fourteen to eighteen
Six twenty eggs, making her nest of dry leaves and grass upon the
ground. The young birds run as soon as hatched, frequently
encumbered with a part of the shell attached to them. It is no

PAUTRtDGE SHOOTING. 67

unusual thing also to introduce partridge's eggs under the common
hen, who hatches and rears them as her own : in this case the
young birds require to be fed with ant's eggs, which are their
favourite food, and without which it is impossible to bring them
up ; they Kkewise eat insects, and, when full grown, all kinds of
grain and plants. The affection of the partridge for her young is
peculiarly strong and Kvely : she is also greatly assisted in the care
of rearing them by her mate ; they together lead them in common,
call them_ together, gather for them theii' suitable food, and assist
in procuring it by scratching the ground. They frequently sit
close to each other, covering their offspring like the hen. In this
situation they are not easily flushed; the sportsman who is
attentive to the preservation of his game wiU. carefully avoid
giving any disturbance to a scene so truly interesting; but should
the pointer come too near, or run in upon them, there are few who
are ignorant of the confusion that follows. The male first gives
the signal of alarm by a peculiar cry of distress, thi-owing himself
at the same moment more immediately in the way of danger, ia
order to deceive or mislead the enemy ; he flies, or rather runs
along the ground, hanging his wings, and exhibiting every symptom
of debility and weakness, in order to decoy the dog, hi the too
eager expectation of an easy prey, to_ a distance from the covey.
The female flies off in a contrary direction and to a greater distance,
but returns soon after by secret paths, and she then commonly
finds her scattered brood closely squatted among the grass, and.
collecting them with haste by her " jucldng," she leads them from
the danger before the dog has had time t9 return from the pursuit.
The partridge lives chiefly upon grain, along with the small
seeds from other plants. Her nest is rather a rough one. It is
made on the gTOund in grass fields, among standing corn, in clover,
in furze, and sometimes even at the top of a ditch. The eggs are
generally laid in the month of May ; and from this time to the
latter end of June, the process of incubation or nidification takes
place. In all the stages of this task the male bird takes a certain
share. When the brood is hatched, he manifests the greatest
soHcitude in leading them abroad in search of ants' eggs, and
larvae among insects. His call is in a sharper key than that of the
female. Naturalists have_ noticed that the two birds have various
notes or cries, as if to distinguish their several states or conditions,
as to safety, food, or danger. Their jucking is well known when
they settle down in the evening. Mr. Lascelles tells us that he has
often watched their movements, and listened to their cries for
hours ; and always observed the male bnd as being even more
sohcitous, in appearance at least, than the female, for the provision
and protection of the brood. This care, however, is left to the
female as soon as the birds are able to fly. _ Her watchfulness stiU
I continues, and seems even increased. She is never far from them,
jbut searches for food for them and leads them abro&d to their
scratching ground^ and when they seem tired, she gathers them ali

68 SHOOTING,

around her with great care. Wlien tliey are about their full size,
or within a tliird of her o\vn bulk, they are left in a great measure I
to shift for themselves.

THE SHOOTING OF PARTRIDGE.

The shooting of partridges is a popular sport ; it is more univer-
sally entered into than any other of the sporting amusements of
Britaia. It is more homely and domestic than moor shooting ; and
can he enjoyed by the comparatively weak and aged. The suc-
cessful prosecution of it must necessarily vary with the numerous
circumstances under which it is enjoyed. If a sportsman has a
limited estate to shoot over with wliich he is well acquainted ; if
he has taken himself great care of his coveys of birds ; knows the.'r
haunts, their times of feeding, and resting ; if his enclosures are
small, and well fitted for the birds taking short flights ; if these,
and a hundred other minute and favourable matters fall to his lot,
his sport may, all other things being equal, be reasonably expected
to be much superior to what a mere stranger to the locality would
find. There are scarcely any two shooting locahties, or any two
sportsmen, that can be fairly put on a par with each other, in all
their diversified characters ; therefore, it is that we find so many
varied accounts of the sport, and so many different adventures
encountered in its prosecution. Every shooter has r history or
tale of his own to tell ; he has joys and sorrow, with which strangers
do not iatermeddle ; and lives and moves in a little world of his
own creation.

We are told by distinguished sportsmen, that the footing of
partridges, though a very requisite qualification in pointers,
IS one of the last things that should be expected from them;;
for they are not to be rehed on until they get fairly to com-
prehend from the sportsman that they are not to cakk the bird ;
the only thmg reqmred of them is to point out where it is. It is
weU kno\vn that partridges will generally he closer and better to
dogs that wind them, than to those that track them ; the reason
given for this is, that when they are vraided, the dogs do not go
straightforward towards them, but foUow the scent left by their
devious course. When birds see dogs trace their footsteps down
wind they wiU fly off, for they cannot take the scent till they are
near them. Another matter is of some importance in commencing !
partridge shooting in September, and that is, that do^s brought (
immediately from the moors, and put upon the hunting of the
partridge, are in many cases unfit for the purpose for some days,^
till they are again broken in to then- new task. The hunting of
grouse in the moors is an altogether different operation from tlie
work to be done in the fields in September. _ A dog that is really
well trained wiU soon find himseK at home in both occupations ;
but when this is not the case, there will always be more or less of

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 69

disappointment experienced from the sudden transition from two
such opposite modes of Hfe,

Some sportsmen recommend being very early in the fiehl for the
partridge, while others maintain this is a comparatively useless
custom. Colonel Hawker says he never witnessed any great execu-
tion done before breakfast. To this it has been answered " True;
but, without putting ourselves to the expense of sending two or
three sturdy fellows to warn off intruders, if the birds have escaped
being killed by that time, they are certainly dispersed abroad ; and
the advantage of our knowing their feeding and basking grounds is
inulHlied." We think, however, that the Colonel is in this instance
• substantially correct. We have often oui-selves made early starts
'when the weather appeared very auspicious; and we must say
, that we never succeeded to our wishes, nor did we ever do much
execution till the sun hadrisenfor some time, or the noon-day hour
arrived. We believe that if we could take anything like an accurate
census of sportsmen's success in partridge shooting dui-mg the
months of September and October, we would find the most produc-
tive hours to range from eleven till three in the afternoon. Of course
general niles of this kind camiot be laid down but with nmnerous
reservations and quahfications ; but we beUeve the result of a test
of this kind would establish the truth of the point without any doubt.
There are other advantages to be realised by the sportsman, uncon-
nected with the capture of game, which are worth notice. The habit
induces good healtli, and tends very muchto strengthen and preserve
it. It has an excellent and sustaining effect on the animal spirits ;
and these are no mean things coimected with successful sporting
with the gun. After the month of October, and from this to the end
i of the partridge season, we shoidd not insist on being earlier in the
i field than about mid-day. The weather now becomes sour and
lungenial in the fore part of the day.

The time of year and the weather have a great influence oyer
the birds, as well as the state they have been in relative to quiet-
mess from previous fowling excursions. The flights they take vary
with the nature of the country they are bred in. Where the
enclosures are small, and the general aspect of the country un-
dulating, short flights are taken; but where the fields are of large
extent, and the landscape bears a champagne aspect, there, on the
contrary, the birds will often take a mile or two at one bound.

It is laid down as a general rule, that a prudent sportsman will
not injui-e his diversion by following the bii'ds every day in the
same track. Relative to the shooting of partridge in windy weather
there have been keen discussions. The weight of argument seems
decidedly, however, in favour of those who maintain that this kind
of weather is not upon the whole favourable to sport. Indeed,
boisterous weather can only be favourable under one view, and that
is, because birds do not so readily hear the approachof the sports-
man. It may like\vise be observed, that in a liigh wind they seem
bewildered and stunned, and will often lie so close as to afford good

70 SHOOTING.

sport; but then it is again found from experience tliat for one
windy day that they wOl lie like stones, they will prove ten days as
wild as hawks, particularly if there be showers of rain mth the
wind. In the latter case they generally take themselves to the
woods and to furze, and coleseed is said then to entice them. In
Ireland, partridges in a high wind uniformly make for the potato
fields. In weather of tliis kind the sportsman should always take
the windward side of his beat, otherwise he will run a chanceof
driving them off his grounds, and into the hands of other parties
who may be abroad. _ .

Mid-day shooting claims our notice. As a common rule, in ,
ordinarily fine weather, the birds leave their feeding localities
about ten o'clock in the month of September, and eleven in October, ;
but after this period their movements and habits j)ut on a less and I
less aspect of regularity, and timely calculation is set oftener at '
defiance. The weather, constantly very variable in our climate, is
the chief cause of all this. "When we have a rapid succession of
rain, sleet, snow, wind, ^aid sunshine, we have a variety of disturb-
ing causes operating on both the sportsman and the birds ; there-
fore any umvcrsal rules must, in such cases, prove of little use.
The stubbles may be tried in mid-day, sometimes with advantage,
for the birds do not always leave these places for basking grounds. ]
These stubbles are the principal feeding localities, and as the day ■
advances they are almost sure to be found at one time or another. '
When birds of prey come in sight, coveys will often disperse, which j
is favourable to the sportsman. One bird will perhaps take shelter i
near a clod of earth, another will run behind a tuft of grass or
a low piece of copse, and a furze-bush_may shelter another. Some-
times the partridge is disposed to lie, in the latter end of the
season, in foul lands, such as are left in a rough state before the
agricultural operations of spring commence. ^

There is always a preponderance of cock birds among partridges, j
and this often tends to check the breed considerably. The hens \
are so tormented by a number of males, that she di-ops one t%g in
one place, and another in a different spot._ It is said the best model
to destroy the superabundance of males is, durmg the first three j
weeks of the season, to net the covey, and destroy all the old cocks, i
leaving as many young hens, and even one less ; for it is certainly'
better that the old hen should look for the cock, than a number of
cocks run after one hen. It should be recollected, that where old
birds are left, they will at the paii'ing season drive off the young
ones and prevent their breeding ; for let any sportsman declare ii
ever one find a brace of partridges in the shooting season that have
not bred, and are termed by sportsmen a gelt pair, he has found a
covey near the same place where he found them; a circumstance
which can only be accounted for by the old birds driving the yomig
ones from the ground and preventing their breeding there. It is,
therefore, a wi'ong notion that some birds should^ not be killed
every year ; and those gentlemen who have manors wiU find, by

PABTRIDGE SHOOTING. 7\

not allowing some to be killed, that in a short time their grounds
wiU be entirely destitute of game. We are told that the late Earl
of Kingston had a great quantity of grouse on his mountains ia
Ireland before they were preserved, but he thought that by leaving
them quiet for a couple of seasons, that he should have had a mucS
greater abundance ; ne therefore did not allow a shot to be fired.
on those mountains for two seasons, and it is well known they were
carefully preserved during the whole time. On collecting, how-
ever, a large party the third season, and going out to grouse, many
of the gentlemen who had been in the habit of going out to shoot
there_ prior to its being preserved, were surprised to find a great
scarcity ; and the reason of this was, that the older birds drove the
young ones off, and all the mountains adjoining his lordship's pre-
serves were swarming with game, although they had not been
preserved.

The principle of domesticity is not very strong in the partridge.
Those birds which have been reared under a hen soon manifest
their dislike to confinement. They . gradually become wild, and
eventually fly off altogether to enjoy their native freedom.

It is an established maxim in partridge shooting, that broken
coveys yield the best sport. It has been whimsically said, that while
the young birds have the old ones with them they are " up to every
move on the board." Deprived of their natui-al leaders and protec-
tors, they seem lost, and have no settled idea of safety. This is
the fortunate time for sportsmen to make play upon them and
press liis dogs to ferret them out, and trace them from one spot to
another.

As tlie season advances, the size of the shot to be used ^ for
partridge shooting should be enlarged. Por the first fortnight
Nos. 5 and 6 are recommended ; after this Nos. 4 and 5. In
I October, No. 3 will be found the most eligible.
j The Red-legged or Guernsey Partridge ( Tetrao Rufus, Linn. ) This
:is often called the Erench partridge. It is larger than the gray
one, and the bill and irides are red. The forehead is gray brown ;
the hind head is rufous brown; the chin and throat white, encircled
t with black ; and there is likewise a band of white over each eye to
ithe hind head. The fore part of the neck and sides of it are
I cinereous, with two spots of black on each feather, and the hind
part of the neck is rufous brown. The back, wings, and rump, are.
of a grayish brown ; the breast, pale ash colour. The belly, sides,
) and thighs, are rufous ; the sides marked with lunular streaks of
[white, black, and orange. The c[uills are gray brown, with the
j outer edges yellowish. The tail is composed of sixteen feathers ;
; the four middle ones are rufous on both sides. The legs are red,
I and the male only has the blunt knob or spur behind. It is a
t common pastime in the Isle of Cyprus to use these birds as we do
1 game-cocks, for the rational amusement of the people.
I This kind of pai'tridge is very abundant in most parts of Europe,
\ Asia, and Africa. Surprising stories are told of their numbers in

73 SHOOTING.

some countries. In the Isle of Nansio they are so common as to
Amount to a positive nuisance. The inhabitants make a rule to
collect as many eggs as possible every year, in order to lessen the
breed, which, in some seasons, have been so numerous as to have
eaten up the entii'C produce of the harvest crops. These eggs,
which are taken by thousands, are prepared with different sauces,
and supply the people for a consideraJ^le time. Tournefort says
that partridges are so tame in the Isle of Scio, that they are driven
to seek their food in the fields, like so many sheep, and that each
family intrusts its partridges to the common keeper, who brings
them* back in the evening, and he calls them together with a whistle,
even in the daytime. Another miter tells us that in the country
around TrelDizond, a man was seen leading above four thousand
partridges ; he marched on the ground, while the birds followed
him in the air, until he reached a certain camp, three days' journey
from Trebizond: when he slept, the birds alighted to repose around j
Mm, and he could take as many of their number as he pleased. We
are told that in Provence, in Prance, persons have acqmred the art
of assembHng numerous flocks of partridges, which obey the voice
of their conductors with wonderful docility. Willoughby mentions
that a man in Sussex had, by great skill and attention, made a
covey of partridges so tame, that he drove them before him, upon
the strength of a wager, from out of the county to London, although
they were free, and had their wings . fully grown, and in right
feather. / • • j

These red partridges make choice of mountainous regions, and
well covered with wood ; their flesh is tender and white, ^and by
many gastronomes are considered of a richer flavour than the gray
partridge. In Prance they make them into pies, which are highly
esteemed.

They differ from the common partridge in some points— they are
found 111 flocks, while the common species are only known in coveys,
and the red bird perches likemse on trees, which the ordinary bird
never does.

CHAPTEH yn.

PHEASANT SHOOTING.

" All ! what avails his glossy, varyins: (lyes,
J His purpled crest, aud scarlet circled eyes,
'J'he vivid ereeu his shining pkimes unfold,
His painted wings, imd breast that ilames with gold!" Pope.

There are two sporting varieties of the pheasant, the Phasif/^ius
Colchicus, Linn., and the Phasicmm TorquaUis of Ternwick. They

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 73

interbreed, however, and from this circumstance it has been con-
jectui-ed by naturalists that the difference between them arises
more from accidental causes than from any distmct law of a fixed
variety.

The common pheasant is described as being two feet eleven
inches in length, " The bill is of a pale horn colour, and the nostrils
are hidden under an arched covermg. The eyes are yellow, and
suiTOunded bv a space, in appearance Kke scarlet cloth finely spotted
with black. Under each eye there is a small patch of short teatliers,
of a dark glossy purple ; the upper sections of the head and neck
are of a deep purple, inclining to glossy green and blue. Ihe lower
parts of the neck and breast are of a reddish chestnut, with black
mdented edges, and the sides and lower portion of the breast is of
the same hue, with prettv large tips of black to each feather, which
in various lights varv to a glossy purple. The belly and vent are
dusky ; the back and scapulars beautifully variegated with black
and white, or cream colour speckled Avith black, and mixed vnih deep
orange on all the feathers, edged with black. On the lower parts
of the back is a mixture of green ; the quills are dusky, freckled with
white. The wing-coverts are brown, glossed with green and edged
with white ; the rump is a pale reddish bro^^ai, and the two middle
feathers of thetail are about twenty inches long, the shortest on
each side less than five, and are of a reddish brown, marked with
transverse bars of black. The legs are dusky, with a short blunt
spur on each, but in some old birds the spiu'S are sharp as needles,
and between the toes there is a strong membrane. Ihe iemale is a
good deal less, and is not gifted with that variety and brilliancy ot
plumage which characterizes the male ; her general colours are
fight and dark bro\vm, mixed with black; the breast and belly are
beautifully freckled with smaU black spots on a lignt ground, the
tail is short, and barred, somewhat resembhng that ot the male, but
not so strikinglv interesting ; the space around and about the eye
is covered with 'feathers. The common pheasant_ is generally lound
in low and woodv localities, on the borders of plains, on which they
delight to gambol and sport ; during the night they roost on the
branches of trees. They are distinguished by a great shyness and
do not associate much together, except during the months ot MarcU
and April, when the male is in quest of the iemale ; they are then
easily known bv the noise which they make m crowing and clappmg
their wings, and which may be heard at a considerable _ distance
The hens make their nests on the ground, hke the partridge, and
lav from twelve to fifteen olive coloui-ed eggs, which are smaller
than those of the domestic hen. The young nm after the mother
as soon as freed from the shell. Durmg the breeding- season, it has
been often ascertained that the cock pheasant will intermix witH
our common hens, and produce a hybrid breed. +i + «.i.

Sir Wilham Jardine. in his Nahirahsfs Ubrarp, tells us that it
is now ^enerallv admitted that the pheasant was originally intro-
duced into Europe from the banlvs of the Phasis (now the iiioni), a

74 • SHOOTING.

river m Colcliis, in Asia Minor. The Greeks, in the ascent of the
stream, were attracted by their beauty, and the bird being so easily
domesticated, a valuable addition to the luKury of themselves ana
Romans was soon secured, and rapidly extended itself over the
southern coimtries of Europe. They appeared at the expensive and
superabundant repasts of the ancients, and, for a time, bore the
palm for novelty ; and Heliogabalus, in his ostentatious displays, is
said to have fed the lions of his menagerie with them. The phea-
sant may be said to have been origiaally restricted to the Asiatic
continent, extending over the greater part of it, and reaching to
China, and the confines of Tartary.

The pheasant, though not originally belonging to the American
contiaent, has been introduced to it ; and is now pretty numerous
in some of the British possessions, and in the United States. They
are, however, not very well adapted for moving from place to place,
on account of the shortness of their wings. _ On this account, we
are told, they are kept in complete imprisonment ia the Isolo
Madre, in the Lago Maggiore, at Turin, as they are not able to
make their flight over the lake. When they make the attempt
they generally perish. It is stated by Sonnini, and other travellers,
that the pheasants of some of the northern islands of the Archi-
pelago, and which come thither from the woods of Thessalia, are
larger and handsomer than those of other countries ; and that it is a ^
great source of amusement among the Turks to let birds of prey,
which they carry in their hands, fly at them. When the pheasant
takes its flight,_ the bird of prey, which they let loose, hoveriag
above, compels it to perch on some tree ; he then places himseK on i
another branch, over its head, and keeps it in such terror, that ,
it suffers itself to be approached, and easily taken alive. This •
fact, it is remarked, sufficiently developes the mystery of fascina- ■
tion.

There are six varieties of the pheasant, exclusive of the common; ;
namely, the gold, the silver, the ring-necks, the white, the pied, ,
and the Bohemian.

That the ring-necked pheasant and the common pheasant inter-
breed has been denied, or at least doubted, by several naturalists of I
note. The ringed pheasant, it is said, chiefly inhabits the forests of I
China, where the common sjpecies are likewise very abundant ; but
there is no issue that would indicate anything like an mtermin^^Ung ,
of the two kinds. The eggs of the ringed bird are of a pale bluish ■<
colour, and jnarked with small blotches of a deeper tint; while
those of the common pheasant are of an olive white, and are desti-
tute of any spots. In a wild state the ringed species are uniformly <
less in size than the common bird, both in length of body and in .
tail. The head of the former is of a whitisn fawn colour, tinted :
with bluish green ; and above each eye there are two white lines, ,
which constitute a sort of eyebrow. The marking in the back of the
ringed kind is different and smaller ; and the rump feathers dis-
play the same peculiar tints which the mixture of fawn and green-

PHEASA2TT SHOOTING. 75

sh blue exhibits. But the most distinctive mark of difference is,
ihat the white ring is broadest upon the sides of the neck, a cir-
3umstance which cannot be overlooked in considering this question
Df identity. The female of the ringed pheasant is Hkewise less
bhan the female of the common kind, both in size and in length of
bail. The entire question, however, of distinctive individuality, is
Qot by any means satisfactorily disposed of. More decided facts
and experiments are wanted to settle the point. Sir William
Jardine says, " The pheasant sometimes also cr9sses with the
domestic fowl. Temminck mentions this as requiring great atten-
tion to accomphsh ; but where poultry are kept upon the borders
of a wood abounding with pheasants, it occasionallj^ happens, and
would do so more frequently if favourable opportunities occurred ;
a specimen in my own possession, exhibiting all the mixed charac-
ters, was procured in a wild state. M. Temminck also records a
soHtary instance of a mule between the female pheasant and male
golden bird, which exhibited a curious but splendid mixture;
all his endeavours, however, to procure a second specimen were
ineffectual. The common pheasant also breeds freely with
the ringed bird, and the offspring is productive. _ This has been
considered by many as a proof that these two birds were iden-
tical; but in the whole of this order, and its corresponding
one among quadrupeds, this law has a much more extended
modification, and can scarcely be taken as a criterion, except m
very opposite instances."

The rearing and preserving of pheasants is an important branch
of sporting science. The bird is not possessed of a very strong
domestic principle, but seems always anxious to regain and secure
its natural freedom, whenever it can do so. This has been the cliief
barrier against an almost unKmited increase of them. Could they
have been housed, and headed, and secured at night like our corn-
mon farm-poultry, they would have multipHed surprisingly ; but it
has been found over and over again that the young birds which
may have been hatched under a hen, although they apparently
might assume many of the habits of tameness and domesticity
wmch mark the common poultry of our country, yet if any one
approached them unawares, they would fly off to the nearest cover
in a state of complete wildness.

The birds are, however, in many cases collected together in
considerable quantities, which go under the name of batteaux,
where they serve for gala days of sport to the nobility and gentry.
We have ourselves always looked upon these exhibitions with pain,
and we conceive them totally opposed in principle to the real spirit
of Enghsh sports. We never could comprehend a man's feelings
in kilSng a quantity of game under such circumstances. Sport
it certainly is not. To enjoy and obtain this there must be a
given portion of uncertainty and trouble connected with its pro-
secution, if a man could "kiU all the game of an extensive and
well-stocked preserve in an hour, there would be no sport ia the

76 SHOOTING,

case, in tlie trae sense of tlie word. It would be one of the
dullest and most uninteresting acts of liis life ; but where he has
to seek, and to find, and to ramble for miles through a thickly-
wooded or moorish country, tliere is pleasurable excitement
produced, and this is the creative and sustaining principle of pure
sport, and the true source of all the enjoyments which the pursuit
of wild animals can confer on man. It is to wander about; the
hopes entertained here, and the fears there; the disappointments
met with on the eve of realized advantages, that constitute the
current of exhilarating feeling and lively sentiment, which vre
connect with the healthy_ and natural indulgence in field sports
generally. It is a bad spirit for a real sportsman to cherish to be
always craving for great success, and to be perpetually out of
humour both with liimself and every one about him, if he does
not get_ his bag sooner and better filled than all his neighbours and
competitors. There isan exclusive and selfish bitterness lying at
the root of all such trains of thought and the habits they engen-
der; and the_ best receipt for eradicating this pernicious principle
is, to look lightly and carelessly on the sport, and to make it
a means, and not an end.

Indeed, we know from experience, as well as from what is daily
passing around us, that itis unpossible_ to keep large collections of
pheasants from depredations. The slightest noise disturbs them
m the night-time, and induces them to crow ; and this discovers
the places in which they are congregated, so that their destruction
is almost inevitable.

Pheasants are subject to considerable mutations and ailments.
One of the most singular of its changes is, that in certain cases,
and in certain years of its existence, the female bird puts on the
appearance of the male. This curious fact engaged the late Dr.
John Hunter in a series pf experiments with a view to ascertain
whether there was in reahty any transfer of gender accompanied by
this change of plumage and outward appearance. Eut he fomid
no organic change whatever. The diseases these birds are subject
to are but little understood. It is said, that they die off suddenly
about the time they are throwing off then- crest and tail feathers,
without any apparent ilhiess, having an abundance of food, of Avhicli
ants and then: eggs form a part. Good air, exercise, and even
choice grass plots, will not stay the ravages of the complaint. It
has been recommended by way of cure, that as in Asiatic countries,
of which the bird is a native, it lives very much on aromatic plants,
aU remedial measures should take this cu'cumstance into considera-
tion. Spices and stimulants are recommended, with nutritious diet,
chopped eggs, and shred beef. Pepper pods, and other aromatics,
are likewise used, in certain small quantities. In spite, however, of
all care, great mortality sometimes prevails among- the pheasants of
particular locaUties. They seem to be afllicted with some epidemic
distemper, which baffles all the skill of gamekeepers, and the
erudite specidations of the natui'alist.

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 'i^

The shooting of the pheasant commences on the 1st of October,
:hich is an interesting day to aristocratic sportsmen, with their
reU trained dogs.

" See how with emulative zeal they strive,
Tliread the loose sedge, and thron^^h the thicket drive !
No babbling voice the bosom falsely warms.
Or swells the panting heart with vain alarms,
Till all at once their choral tongues proclaim.
The secret refuge of the lurking game.
Smft is their course; no lengthened warnings now
Space to coUect the scattered thoughts allow ;
No wary pointer shows his cautious eyes,
Where from his russet couch the bird shall rise ;
Terhaps_ light running o'er the mossy ground,
His devious steps your sanguine hopes confound ;
Or, by the tangled branches hid from sight.
Sudden he tries liis unexpected flight;
Soon as the ready dogs their quarry spring.
And swift he spreads his variegated wing,
Ceased is their cry ; with silent look they wait,
TiU the loud gun decides the event of fate." — Pye.

There are various opinions held among sportsmen as to the readi-
less mxk which pheasants may be shot ; some holding it is difficult,
(rhile others make very light of the matter. This is not a question,
vhich any kmd of authority can determine. In fact, the shooting
)f the bird is easy to one man and not to another, depending more
mhis constitutional habits and temperament than his skill with the
^un and the dogs. The noise which a pheasant makes when he
oangs out of his cover, often shakes a nervous man's frame a little •
md a very slight shake of this kind, at such a critical moment, will
oxercise a powerful influence on the result of his firing. Steadiness
s the great matter in exploits of this kind; it determines the
■relative portion of skill which a man throws into such pursuits. _

Some persons recommend the spaniel for pheasant shooting
Defore any other kind of game dog. They say they cannot be too
strong, too short upon the leg, or have too much courage ; the
thickness of the cover requires strength, zeal, and resolution to
surmount it. Some shooters use beagles in pheasant shooting with
good efi^ect ; and even terriers are employed m some districts. But
everything depends upon the locaKties where dogs are employed.
In thick hedgerows, furze plantations, young woods, and m
tangled underwood of any kind, such dogs as the beagle and terrier
are better suited lor pheasant sporting thanthe spaniel ; but where
the grounds are comparatively open, we think the latter are to be
preferred.

Early in the field for pheasant shooting is recommended ; and
the sportsman should scour the stubbies of wheats barley, and bean

78 ' SHOOTING.

fields well. In very bright days, tlie woods should be carefully
looked after, for the birds often betake themselves to them in such
weather. Cover beating is very essential in pheasant shooting.
The grounds 'should be thoroughly tried both with the dogs and
the beaters. A nide of pheasants are often found huddled together
within a very small compass. Every section and crevice of a cover
should be run over ; as they are frequently found at times and oc-
casions when the sportsman is not expecting them. It is not
sportsmanlike to kill the hen pheasant.

"But when the hen to thy discerning view.
Her sable pinions spreads, of duskier hue.
The attendant keeper's prudent warning hear.
And spare the offspring of the futui-e year ;
Else should the fine, which custom laid of old.
Avenge her slaughter by the forfeit, gold." — ^Pte.

Great attention is requisite to the proper training of dogs.
When this is not the case, as Mr. Daniel observes, "they disturb
the pheasants, who first fly up, and perch upon the lower boughs ; and,
the ground of the covert is in vain traversed, and beat for birds that'
are already some yards above it ; in short, a spaniel that foUows a hare.
further than whilst in view, is never worth keeping. Other circum-,
stances to be minded are, that when a spaniel is once put into covert
he is never to quit it to range in the fields, which some slippery onesi
win do, whilst their owners are beating within it. When a spaniel
owns a haunt, and quests freely, there should be no disappointment j'
whenever the notes are doubled, their master should be certain there
is game, and accordingly press forward. Much depends upon the
practice which spaniels have ; the constant use, and the killing ol
game to them is as essential to the steadiness of a high-mettled
spaniel, as to a high-bred fox-hound : neither can be worked too
hard, if kept well in blood." The writer goes then on to state, that
one of the chief conditions of obtaining this desirable end, is, thai
the dogs be of pure breed. There must be no cross of the hound
in them ; if there be, the contamination will display itself even foi'
many generations, and all such dogs will hunt the hare in preference'
to winged game of any description. And Mr. Daniel corroborates;
this. /'A stronger instance," says he, "could not weU be exhibitec
than in the spaniels of the deceased Lord Waltham and Mr. Hoare.
A road only parted the seats of the two gentlemen, and then- game-,
keepers frequently shot in the woods together • their dogs were
equally handsome, but those of the former would drive hares the
whole day through, and consequently sprung everything that acci^
dentally lay in their course ; whilst those of the latter no more raij
hares than they did sheep ; they would indeed find hares, but foUow
no further than they saw them. They were always in then places,
twisting round every stub with that agihty, and possessed of such
fineness of nose, that neither woodcock nor pheasant could escape
their search. Lord Waltham's spaniel bitches had originally a cross

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 79

^f the beagle ; and althougli this was tried to be remedied by resort-
jig to the best dogs, the tendency to hare could never be subdued."

A similar case is well known to have occurred in the North of
England, about half a century ago, among the dogs of the late
Ralph Lambton, Esq. He had some favourite spaniel bitches that
aad originally a cross with a bloodhound • and this corruption was
3ontinually manifesting itself in the conduct of his shooting dogs,
s^henever she&p or domestic animals of any kind thwarted their
movements. The old and excellent sportsman used jocularly to
maintain, that they would retain their taint, as mankind are doomed
to bear the weight of their origmal transgression till the end of
their existence.

We have often seen dogs more at fault in pheasant shooting
than m almost anything else. Whether it be the particular nature
of the ground in which these birds locate themselves, or whether
there be anything peculiar in their scent, we cannot determine ; but
we have often seen conduct followed by even the best dogs, that
would never have been looked for in any other kind of sporting.
We state these impressions on our memory, without attempting
an>^hing like a solution of the matter.

The season of the year is always to be taken into consideration
in following any particular plan as to pheasant shooting. There is
a difference between October and January in this matter. At the
fall of the leaf the birds are scarcer, and a vast deal more cunning
and evasive ; and they_ take the alarm at the slightest noise that
mdicates the approaching visit of a sportsman. In the opinion of
many able sportsmen, December ought to close the pheasant shoot-
ing ; for it IS contended that if prolonged later in the season, the
bii'ds will fly off and mate with other birds, and will not be likely
to remain if there be a long-continued shooting noise in every di-
rection around them.

Battue-shootijig is common in all parts of Europe, as well as in
Great Britain, where it has become more in vogue withm the last
fOTty years. As we have said, we cannot approve of such exhibi-
itions, as they tend to bring the sportsman's art into disrepute. In
most books on shooting we have various accounts of the most dis-
itinguished of these gatherings among the nobiHty and gentry, but
^they are of little or no interest to the real sportsman. Mr. Daniel
tells us of a day's hattue on Mr. Colquhoun's manor, at Writham,
in Norfolk, when the late Duke of Bedford and six other gentlemen,
m the year 1796, killed eighty cock pheasants and forty hares,
besides a considerable number of partridges, in one day. ^ix.
Coke, also in one day, in October, 1797, upon his manor, at War-
ham, _ and within a mile's circmnference, bagged forty brace of
partridges in eight hours, at ninety-three shots; every bird was
killed singly. The day before, on the same spot, he killed twenty-
two brace and a half in three houi'S. In 1801, the same gentleman
killed in five days, 726 partridges. In January 1803, Mr. Coke,
Su' John Shelley, and Mr. T. Sheridan, went over to Houghton, in

80 SHOOTING.

Norfolk, on a chasse for their friend Lord Cholmondeley, and killed
there, with their three guns only, in one day, fourteen brace and a
half of hares, sixteen couple of rabbits, twenty-four brace of phea-
sants, thirteen brace of partridges, and sixteen couple of wood-
cocks. All these achievements, fifty years back, have been eclipsed
by the exi)loits in more modern batteaux in England ; but the par-
ticulars of them we refrain from giving in detail.

On the Continent similar sports have long been indidged in, and
to a greater extent than in this country. We are told that game
was so splentiful in Bohemia in 1753, that the Emperor Francis L,
made a shooting excui-sion to one of the estates_ of the Prince Col-
leredo ; in the space of eighteen days the imperial sportsman fired
116,209 shots, and killed 19,545 partridges, 18,213 hares, 9,499
pheasants, mth other inferior game, amounting in all to 47,950.

In Sweden there is something of the battue shooting prevalent,
but different in some essential particulars from what is followed
here and in Erance and Germany. Indeed,^ all over the Continent
we find innumerable traces of this kind of sporting with the gun..
but yet not of the kind which can add much either to a true sports-
man's knowledge or his love for his favourite amusement. In
everything of this kind there must be some portion of reason and
sentiment thrown into them, or they cease to have any hold on the
good feelings of the world at large.

CHAPTER Vin.

QUAIL SHOOTING.

The Quail {Telrao Coturnix, Linn.) is described as follows \—\\
is nearly seven inches long ; some approach even to eiglit. The hil
is dusky ; the irides hazel, and m old males yellow ; the crown o1
the head is black, transversely marked_ with rufous brown, aiic
down the middle is a yellomsh white line. Above the eye, in c
backward direction, is another line of the same colour, and on the
chin and throat is a black mark, which lias a turn upwards toward'^
the ears. The remaining parts are white, and the hind portion ol
the neck is black. The scapulars and tail-coverts are of a_ rufoiit
bro^vn tint, and the middle of each feather is streaked with yel-
lowish white, surrounded more or less with black. The sides are oj
the same colour, but not having quite so much of the white streaks
The breast is light ferruginous brown, shafts white, belly paler
The wing-coverts are pale rufous brown, streaked hke the back.
but more minutely distributed. The quills are dusky ; the outei
webs more or less mottled with yellowish white. The tail is dusky,
tipped with white, and consists of twelve short feathers hidden bj

qUAIL SHOOTING. ^J^

the coverts. The hen bird is distinguished by having little or no
black on the chin or throat, and by a dusky mark passing from the
ears downwards. Some black spots are likewise seen on the chest,
and the coverts of the wings are barred with yellowish white
streaks, ^

This bird is known in abnost all the countries of the world, with
the exception, it is said, of America, where it has not hitherto
been discovered. Their numbers on the continent of Eui-ope aro
very great, much more so than in England, Wales, and Scotland.
They are often met with in Ireland in large quantities.

The quail is a migratory bird, and though many attempts have
been made to naturalize them in this country, the instinctive desire
to migrate, has hitherto frustrated all such enterprises. They have
engaged the attention of the naturalist and the sportsman from the
earliest tmies, Pliny says, " Thev alight in such numbers on ships,
(and which is always in the night), by their settling on the masts,
sails, &c., &c,, as to bear down barks and small vessels, and finally
sink them, and on that account the sailors have a great dread of
them, when they approach near to land." In the autumn there are
immense flocks of these bnds found crossing the Mediterranean
from Italy to Africa, taking on their route, both in going and re-
turning, the various islands of the Archipelago as their resting
places. They are often in such prodigious numbers as to absolutely
cover the entire face of the country. In Alexandria they are so
common, that they can be readily bought for a farthing each. It
has been known, that crews of merchant vessels have been so much
confined to feeding on them, that certain diseases have been
induced from their frequent use, and that complaints have formerly
been made on the subject to the British consul at Alexandria.
These birds assemble in autumn on the northern shores to emigrate
southward; and it has been often noticed, that they delay their
departure until the north wind arises, when towards sun-set the
entire body take wing, and display such swiftness as to traverse
fifty lca2:ues by break of day. In Italy, Sicily, and most of the
Greek islands, they arrive at a stated season in vast numbers, and
with singular punctuality, not differing, in the average of years,
above a day or two at the utmost. One hundi-ed thousand have
been known to be caught at one time. They are run after during
the night, and great numbers perish in the chase. In Sicilj^, there
is quite a sensation produced when they arrive. Crowds are
assembled of aU ages and stations of life to witness the sight. The
nmnber of boats is likewise astonisliing ; and their passengers aU
carry guns and pistols, to try their luck at the feathered strangers.
They were so abundant on the island of Capri, at the entrance of
the Gulf of Naples, that they constituted the chief source of revenue
of the bishops of the place. There were one hundred and sixty
thousand captured in one season. In China, and in many of the
islands in the eastern seas, they are often so numerous as to
obscure the sun in theii- flights.

G

83 SHOOTIKG.

The quail has been long famous for his pugnacious habits. He
fights keenly and hard. The Greeks and Ptomanswere great
fighters of this bird; and the conqueror in a regular pitched battle
was highly prized. Indeed, in such estimation was he held, that
we are told, that Augustus put a prefect of Egypt to death for
having brought a conqueror to the table to be eaten. We find
some of the middle age writers speaking of the combats with this
bird, and comparing them to those between cocks. Henrj^ III.,
King of Castile, employed much of his time in catching quails for;
the piu'pose of matching them in fights ; and the Castilians gener-'
ally hunted them morning and evening, and had regular combats
ivith them at places adapted for the purpose. Scaliger tells us,
Ihat the Itahans have gardens purposely laid out to hunt them in ;
and which are fitted up in a very costly manner, and where, with
■ihe guail-pipes, they pursue the bii'd as a great amusement. Burnes, :
^ his Travels in Bokhara, tells us, that " he arrived at the season
of the quails, when every one who could escape from his other
avocations was engaged in hawking, netting, or fighting these
courageous httle birds. Every Tuesday morning the chief had a
meeting in his court-yard to encourage this sport. He used to
send for us to vritness it ; it is by no means destitute of amusement '
whether we regard the men, or the birds ; for chief, servant, and
subject were here on an equahty, the quails being the heroes, not J
the men. They are carried about in bags, and enticed to fight with
each other for gTain which is sprinkled between them. When the
quail once runs, he is worthless, and immediately slain ; but they
seldom made a precipitate retreat. Nothing can exceed the passioni
of the Affghans for this kind of sport ; almost every boy in the'
street may be seen with a quail in his hand, and crowds assenible
in all parts of the city to witness their game battles." These bii'ds
are very abundant in India, and they are entrapped by various de-''
vices, and in great quantities, both for food and for fighting pur-
poses. Johnspn, in his Indian Field Sports, tells us, that the
Hindoos " equip themselves with a frame-work of split bamboos,
resembhng the frame of a paper kite, the shape of the top of a
coffin, and the height of a man, to v/hich green bushes are fastened, '
leaving two loop-holes to see through, and one lower down for
their rod to be inserted through. This frame-work, which is very
light, they fasten before them, when they are in the act of catching
birds, by which means they have both the hands at liberty, and are
completely concealed from the view of the bii'ds. The rod which
they use is about twenty-four feet long, resembling a fishing-rod,
the parts are inserted within one another, and the whoJe contained
"witmn a walking-stick. Tliey also carry with them horse-hair
nooses of difi'erent sizes and strength, which they fasten to the rod ;
likewise bird- lime, and a variety of calls for the different kinds of
birds, with which they imitate them to the greatest nicety. They :
take with tbem likewise tvvo lines, to which horse-hair nooses are
attached for catching larger birds, and a bag or net to carry then.-

QUAIL SnOOTISG.

game Thus equipped, they sally forth; and as they proceed
through the different covers they use calls for such birds as gene
raUy resort there, which from constant practice is well known to

«& fi'^ ^H' ^""'"^^^ tJieircaU they prepare accordingly for
catching them. Supposing it to be a bevy of quails, they continue
calling them until hey get quite close; they then arm the top of
their rod mtha feather smeared mth bird-lime, and pass it through
the loop-hole m then: frame of ambush, and to which they continue
adding other parts, until they have five or six out, which they use
^v\^''^?;* ^^^}^'^}}y' ^^?, touch one of the quails with a feather
which adheres to them : they then withdraw the rod, arm it again,
and touch three or four more in the same manner, before they
attempt to snare any of them." vxv c tucjr

The quail lays more eggs in some countries than in others. In
Italy and J^ ranee, from fifteen to twenty is the average number;
but m hotter sections of the Asiatic and African continents, twenty!
bje and thirty are sometimes found in one nest. This large number
Dt eggs accounts m some measure for their great numbers. Some
sportsmen mamtam, that they hatch twice a year; but this does
QOt seem to be a well established fact. "Where a second bevy of
auails niay have been met with, it has, perhaps, been the result of
accident, and not fau-ly ascribable to any general law of increase,
inis subject IS touched upon m a communication inserted intheiV^?^
^porhnff Magazine, vol. v., wherein it is said, " This place" (the Isle
■A Ihanet) was formerly so famous for them" (quails), "either from
.ts vicinity to the French shore, or the quantity of grain which is
3ultivated that people come from great distances for the express
purpose ot quail shootmg; of late years, however, their numbers
lave considerably decreased, but still the sportsmen in the begin-
nng ol September, may commonly kill from two to three brace a
lay. Along the banks of the Thames, below Purfleet, several
armers and sportsmen have assured me, that about the beginning
)t JNovember, a tune at wliich the departure of the main body has
;aken place, a small number of quails make their appearance, and
jpntmue durmg the wmter always at a short distance from the
•iver s edge ; these are evidently the young birds of the second
)evy, who, for some reason, seek that particular situation after the
mgration of the rest of theii- species."

Qiiail shooting is chiefly confined in Britain to some particular
lections of it : to the counties of Essex, Kent, Cambridgeshire,
sujoll^, and Norfolk. The bevies seldom exceed ten in number,
md are generally under that figure. They are to be found in the
ivemngs feedmg in corn-fields, and sometimes they lie remarkably
itm and may readily be approached, and at other times they are as
^d as possible. A steady dog is indispensable ; but it must be
Remarked, _ by way of caution, that most dogs are apt to be spoiled
or some time after they have been emploved in tracing these bii-ds.
common partridge shot is recommended, but some quail shooters
)refer No. 7.

81 SHOOTING

A writer of travels in the East has the following remarks respect-
ing the quail :— " Li Eg}^t, when these birds arrive in the month
of September, I have more than once seen the Arabs killing and
laming them by throwing short sticks at them. During the time
tliat the Capitani Bey blockaded the harbour of Alexandria "with
his Turkish squadron, one of the Greek sailors of his ship had
caught two or three which had perched on the rigging._ The Mus-
sulman rewarded him generously, and desirous of varying tlie hard
fare which a blockading squadron has usually to sustain, by a more
ample supply of such a delicate rarity, promised a piastre for every
quail that should be brought to him. In a few days, the riggings,
sails, and yards, were covered with flocks of quails ; great numbers
were caught of course, and every one was brought into the cabin,
as llie price had been so liberally fixed. To escape the dilemma of
eitlier ruining his purse or breaking his promise, the Capitani Bey
resorted to the alternative of standing out to sea, as by re-
moving from the coast he got rid of the visits of these expensive
strangers."*

CHAPTEE IX.

■WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

Woodcock shooting is delightfully pleasant and exciting. ^ It has
been called the " Eox-hunting of Shooting," a very appropriate and
expressive phrase, at once descriptive of its character and dignity.
The Woodcock iScolopax Rmticola, Linn,) is placed by naturahsts
at the head of the sjiqje genus. It is described by Bewick and
others as follows : — Its length is about fourteen inches, twenty-six
in breadth, and its weight about twelve ounces, though sometimes
it is found to the extent of fourteen. The shape of the head is
considered somewhat curious, being more obtusely triangular than
round, and the eyes are placed very forward near the top of the
ears, and nearly in a Hue with the corners of the mouth. The upper
mandible, which measures about tlu:ee inches, is furrowed nearly
its entire length, and at the tip it projects beyond and hangs over^
the under one, ending in a kind of knob, which, reseml:)hng those
of others of the same genus, is susceptible of the finest feehng, and I
calculated by that means for aiding, perhaps by an acute sense of'
smeU, to find the small worms in the soft and moist grounds, from
whence it extracts them Avith its sharp-pointed tongue. By means
of its bill it likewise turns over and tosses about the fallen leaves
in search of insects which take shelter underneath. By the entire

* Letters from the Campagna Felice.

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 85

conformation of the bird, and particularly from the structure of its
head, we have an opportunity of displaying some of the wonderful
contrivances which Nature has instituted for the sustenance and
preservation of her various orders of animated Ixdugs. Prom the
extreme sensibility of the mouth of the woodcock, some structiu-al
peculiarities are requii-ed to gain a given end or object--the
capture of insects deeply embedded in either mud, eaith, or decayed
wood.

The woodcock, it has often been said, is naturally a shy and
retiring bird, rarely taking vring by day, unless disturbed ; but just
as daylight is dying away, it quits the wood, and nearly at the Fame
instant tries to reach some meadows in search of wet and splashy
places and moist grounds in search for food. As the day da^vns. ft
again returns to its hiding place. Thus, when most other birds are
recruiting exhausted nature by sleep, _ woodcocks are rambling
through the dark, directed by an exquisite sense of feeling con-
veyed to them by their long and singularly-constructed bill. The
eye is not called into use, and, like the mole, they may be said to
feed beneath the surface ; and by the remarkable sensibility of the
instrument which is thrust into the soft earth, not a worm nor a
grub, however small, can escape that is within its reach. The
eyes of the bird are large in proportion to its general bulk of
body, and, like those of some otlier noctural bii-ds, are particularly
constiTicted for collecting the faint rays of light in the darkened
vales and sequestered woodlands during its nocturnal excursions.
The birds of this class are thus enabled to avoid hitting against
trees and other obstacles that oppose themselves in their flight.
The nerves in their bills, like in those of the duck tribe, are very-
numerous, and highly sensible of the most niinute touch. A wood-
jcock in a menagerie has been known to discover and draw forth
■every worm m the ground, which was dug up to enable him to bore
[with his bill; and worms put into a large garden-pot covered mth
learth, five or six inches deep, were cleared away by the next morn-
ing without one being left. The enormous quantity of worms
'which Avoodcocks devour is scarcely credible ; indeed, it Avould be
a constant labour for any one person to procure such food in suf-
ficient quantity for two or three of these birds. The diiiiculty of

collecting a sufficiency of such precarious ahments has led experi-
ilk w< ' '

mentors to try if bread and milk would not be a good substitute,

' and we are told that the result has been, that by placing clean

.washed worms into the mess, the bird soon acquired the taste for

'the new food, and eventually would eat a basin of milk and bread

iin twenty-four hours, besides the w^orms and grubs it could obtain.

I' The digestive powers of the woodcock are remarkably vigorous

I and rapid. On anatomical examination there is very little found in

its stomach and intestines, save a few fibres of a vegetable texture,

and a little sand, mixed with small stones and gravel.*

There are three varieties of British woodcocks. On this point

* See Bewick, Blumenbach, aud Montague.

86 SHOOTING.

Dr. Latham says : — "In the fiist, the head is of a pale red, body
white, and the wings brown ; the second is of a dun, or rather cream
colour; and the third of a pui'e white. Dr. Heysham, in his
Catalogue of Cumberland Animals^ mentions having met with one,
the general coloui- of which was a fine i^ale ash, with frequent bars
of a very delicate rufous ; tail brown, tipped with white ; and the
bill and legs a flesh colour. In addition to these, some other va-
rieties are taken notice of by the late Marmaduke Tunstall, Esq.,
of Wychff, in his interleaved books of ornithology. Mr. Daniel
seems likewise to be aware of such a difference, for he observes that
there are different sizes of woodcocks. Those found in the firstpart
of the season are of the largest size, fly heavily, and their heads ap-
pear to be muifled, especially the under parts, with short feathers.
The most numerous tribe, which arrive in November and Decem-
ber, are rather smaller, their heads less, the feathers smoother, and
the bills shorter. Woodcocks that arrive iu this country about
Candlemas, are likewise small, and differ in their manner of flying ;
are quicker of wing, take pretty long flights, and are well known to
be very difficult to shoot, on account of their not rising above the
spray, hke the larger muffled woodcocks, but make their way for
some distance as it were among the boughs. Mr. Baillon also
not'ces two kinds of woodcocks. The largest arrive first, and may
be distinguished from the others by the colour of their legs, which
are of a grayish tint, iuclining to rose colour. The smaller kind
have a coating similar to that of the common woodcock, but their
legs are blue. Variegated plumage and other anomahes now and
then occur among these birds ; thus, a pure white one has been
seen, and we can only wonder that still greater variations do not
frequently take place ; for although most sporting works, in their
account of the woodcock, usually confine his foreign residence to
the North of Europe, yet it should be known that he is likewise
found in all the climates, both hot and cold, in the old continent,
as well as in North and South America. It is, however, a curious
fact, that he is everywhere an emigratiug bird. His migrations in.
some countries appear, however, to be confined to a joui-ney from
the plains to the mountains, and vice versa. In Eui'ope he is located
durmg the summer on the Alps, Pyrenees, and other lofty moun-
tains, from whence he migrates to the regions below, and probably
some reach us. His universality thus estabhshed, we need not be
surprised that he should thus sport into varieties, seeing that every
locality, according to its proximity or remoteness from what maybe
considered as its attracting spot for domestication for the time, has
its influence over the size, colour, and even the aptitudes of the
animal."

The sex of the woodcock has given rise to some discussions among
sportsmen and naturahsts. It has been considered as entirely un-
marked by any external signs ; but internally it can be readily de-
tected. Mr. Pennant, however, thinks the question may be easily
set at rest, even from the examination of the bird's feathers, which

"WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 87

in the hen presents a narrow stripe of white alon? the lower part
of the exterior veil of the feather. ^ In the male bird it is different;
the same feather at the same part is beautifdly and regularly spot-
ted with black and_ reddish white. Many sportsmen maintain that
there is another criterion, namely, the greater size of the female
bird; but this is not invariably to be relied on.

The female woodcock makes her nest on the bare ground, and
very often chooses the root or stump of a decayed tree for the lo-
cality. The nest is very carelessly formed of a few drie d fibres and
leaves, upon which she commonly lays four or five eggs, a shade
larger than those of pigeons, and of a rusty green colour, blotched
and marked with dusky ill-defined spots. The young leave the nest
as soon as they are freed from the sheU ; but the parent bird con-
tinues to attend them until they can provide for themselves. Buf-
fon informs us that the mother will sometimes take a weak bird
under its throat and carry it more than a thousand paces.

The flesh of the woodcock is held in high estimation by all lovers
of good and dainty eating ; and hence it is eagerly sought after by
many sportsmen. It need scarcely be remarked th at, in cooking'
it, the entrails are not drawn, but roasted within the bird, from
whence they drop out with the gravy, upon slices of toasted bread,
and are relished as a delicious kind of sauce. The Italians and
Erench have each particular modes of cooking this bird, which they
do in such capital style as to leave an impression on the palate for
some time after. ^

On the migration of the woodcock, it is requisite we should make
a remark or two. They mostly arrive in the sou th of England
during the month 9f October. They do not come in large flocks,
but keep dropping in one by one, tiU about the month of December.
They are very i)robably much influenced in their movements from
the wind, which if it blow from a continental quar ter is more Hkely
to aid their flight than a current in the opposite direction. They
must have the instinctive precaution of landing only in the night,
or in dark misty weather, for they are neverseen to arrive, but are
frequently discovered next morning in any ditch which affords them
shelter, and particularly after the extraordinary fatigue occasioned
by the adverse winds which they have often to encounter in their
aerial flight. They do not remain on the shores to take their rest
longer than a day, but commonly find themselves sufficiently re-
cruited in that time to proceed inland to the very same haunts
which they left the preceding season. In stormy weather they re-
tire to the mossy moors and high bleak mountainous parts 9f the
country ; but as soon as the frost sets in, and the snow begins to
fall, they return to lower and warmer situations, where they meet
with boggy grounds and springs, and little oozing mossy rills which
are rarely frozen, and seek the shelter of the close bushes of hoUy,
furze, and brakes in the woody glens, or hoUow dells which are
covered with underwood; there they remain concealed during the
day, and remove to different haunts, and feed only in the night.

§8 SHOOTING.

I'rom the commencement of Marcli to tlie end of the month, or ]
somethnes to the middle of April, woodcocks keep drawing towards !
the coasts, and avail themselves of the first fair wind to retui'n to j
their native woods. Should it happen to continue long to blow ad- |
versely, they are thereby detained ; and as their numbers increase, i
they are more easily found and destroyed by their numerous enemies. (

Other accounts somewhat vary this migratory process. It is ;
stated that they leave the north with the first frost, and travel j
slowly south till they come to their accustomed winter quarters, j
They do not usually make a quick voyage, but fly from wood to j
wood, reposing and feeding on their journey ; they prefer for their '
haimts woods near moist and marshy springs. They hide them- I
selves under thick bushes in the day, and fly abroad to feed in the I
dusk cf the evening. A laurel or holly bush is a fa^'ourite place j
for their repose. The thick and varnished leaves of these trees
prevent the radiation of heat from the soil, and they are less affec- 1
ted by the refrigerating influence of a clear sky, so that they aftbrd |
a warm and cosy seat for the woodcock. ^ These bkds usually be- [
gin to ily north on the first approach of spring, and theirflights are '
generally longer and then- rests fewer at this season than in autumn, j
In the autumn they are driven from the north to the south by the i
want of food, and they stop wherever they can find it. In the I
spring there is the influence of another powerful instinct added to
this — the sexual feeling. They migrate in pairs, and pass as
speedily as possible to the place where they are likely to find food,
and rear their young, and of which the old birds have already had i
the experience of former years. Scarcely any woodcocks winter iii :
any part of Germany. In France the're are a few found, particu- 1
larly in the southern departments, and in Normandy and Britany. j
The woods of England, especially of the west and south, contain |
always a certain quantity of these bu'ds ; but there are far more in \
the moist soil and warmer climate of Ireland. In the woods of I
southern Italy and Greece, near marshes, they are far more abund-
ant ; and they extend in quantities over the Greek islands, Asia \
Minor, and Northern Africa. '

Woodcocks have been known t9 settle upon a vessel at sea. Mr.i
Travers of Cornwall records an iiista,nce, when at a distance from!
land unusual for birds to be seen, a bird was discovered hovering'
over the ship. When first discerned, it was high in the air, but|
gradually descended, and after making several circuits around, atj
length alighted on the deck ; it was so exhausted that it allowed
itself to be taken up by the hand.

In their flight, woodcocks, like other birds, are attracted by a
^are of Hght, and many instances have occurred at the Cromer and
Eddystone lighthouses, of their falling victims to it. In 1797, at
the lighthouse upon the Hill of Howth, the man who attended it was
surprised by a violent stroke against the \vindows, which broke a
pane of plate-glass cast for the place, more than three-eighths of an
inch thick. On examining the balcony that surrounds the light, he

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 89

found a woodcock, which had flown witli such violence as to break
his bill, head, breast-bone, and both wings. The man had often
found birds which had killed themselves, i3y flying against the win-
dows, but never before knew the glass to be injured.

IJponthe coast of Sussex woodcocks have been seen at their first
arrival, in considerable numbers, in the church-yard, and even in
the streets of Rye, but dui-mg the night, the usual time of their
flying, they removed farther inland and dispersed. At their first
coming on the coast, they are commonly poor in condition, as if
weakened and wasted through great exertion, and are likewise
sometimes scurfy, though not so much so as before their return in
the sprino". The taste of the flesh also undergoes a great change;
it is insipid on their arrival, but when they have been a short time
feeding in the country, its flavour is greatly improved both in rich-
ness and dehcacy. If a woodcock is shot just before its departure,
it bleeds plentifully, whereas at the beginning of winter scarcely
any blood flows from the wounds. Bythis it would seem, that in
those countries where they have their summer residence, they
have a different nourishment to what they find here. Probably the
luxuriant and succulent food which they meet with among us, pre-
pares them for breeding in those countries to which they retire with
the companions of their choice.

It is a well-known fact that the time of their appearance and dis-
appearance in Sweden, coincides exactly with that of their arrival
in, and departure from. Great Britain. Their autumnal and vernal
appearances on the coast of Suffoll^:, have been accurately noticed.
They come over sparingly in the first week of October, the gTcater
numbers not arriving till November and December, and always
after sunset. It is the wind and not the moon which determines
the thne of their arrival ; and it is probable that this should be the
case, as they come hither in quest of food, which fails them in the
places they leave. If the wmd has been favourable for their flight,
their stay on the coast where they drop is short, if any; but if they
have been forced to struggle with an adverse gale, such as a ship
can hardly make head against, they rest a day or two to recover
their strength. So greatly have they been exhausted, that on many
occasions they have been taken up in Southwold streets, nearly
. dead. They do not come gregariously, but separate and dispersed.
In the same manner as woodcocks quit us, they retire from Trance,
I Germany, and Italy, making the northern and cold situations their
i universal rendezvous. They visit Burgundy the latter end of Oc-
' tober, but continue there only four or five weeks ; it benig a dry
country, they are forced away for want of sustenance, by the first
i frost. In the winter they are found in great plenty as far south as
Smyrna, and Aleppo. During the same season, they appear in
vast quantities in Barbary, where the Africans call them the "ass
of the" partridge." It has been asserted that some have appeared as
far south as Egypt, which is the remotest migration to which they
can be traced on that side of the eastern world ; on the other side

90 SHOOTING.

they are common in Japan. The woodcocks that resort to the
comitries of the Levant^ probahly come from the deserts of Siberia
or Tartary, or the old mountains of Armenia, In the neighbourhood
of Athens, hares and other game are ]3urchased for little more than
, the value of powder and shot. In winter, woodcocks abound, de-
scending, after snow on the mountains, into the plains, and suddenly
retiring if the weather continues severe. They enter the gardens
of the town in great distress, rather than cross the sea, and are i
sometimes caught with the hand. i

It is now fully ascertained that woodcocks occasionally breed in I
this country, and even as far north as the Orkney Islands. These
settlements are, however, but rare, amounting to a case or two
every season. i

It is maintained that these birds are not nearly so plentiful as
they were some forty years ago in this country. Perhaps this
may really be the case ; but we have some doubts of the fact.
It is so much the fashion to magnify the past at the expense of i
the present, that we do not attach so much credit to these by- '
gone statements, as some writers do, There^ is a greater number :
of sportsmen now than formerly, at least in the shooting art ; ;
and this may account for fewer woodcocks being killed now by any
single person. The sport, we apprehend, is more generally dif-
fused, but not seriously, if at all, diminished from former times.

Cock spaniels are considered the best dogs to be used in wood-
cock shooting. Some use setters or pointers ; but they are considered
inferior to the spaniel where the woods are extensive, and thickly
set with underwood, and brambles, and thorns. This Idnd of dog
should, however, be well trained, and should be taught both to
hunt close, or widely, just as circumstances require. Both beaters
and markers are required in extensive woods. This employment
of beaters and markers requires a regularly digested plan of opera-
tions, and a minute regard to particulars and instructions pre-
viously agreedupon among the parties. They must take their
stations at a given spot, and pay attention to each other's signs
and movements, otherwise they will be working at cross pnrposes.
and prove worse than useless. Many beaters take sticks, and
other similar things with them, with which to beat the bushes
and underwood; while the markers ascend some elevated piece of
ground, or even some tree, and when the birds rise, mark accurately
where they drop, and give correct instructions to the gunner.

Large quantities pf woodcocks are taken by means of nets and
traps, and find their way to the London markets, where they

fenerally bring tolerably high prices. It is said that in the neigh-
ourhood of Torrington, in Devonshire, these birds are so numerous
throughout the season, that they have been killed to the value of
nearly two thousand pounds in one year. Catchiag them by nets
and spriQgs is common in the hilly countries of Cumberland, West-
moreland, and Durham. The same practices are in operation in
Wales to a great extent. Mr. Dobson says, "The poacher's dog

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 91

in Wales is an ugly raw-boned, cross-made derivation from the
light-setter, degraded through half-a-dozen generations of bastardy;
than which, with a view of being made into pointers, it is not
possible to conceive more nnpromisiag materials ; and upon which,
therefore, if such be the effects producible, it is fair to conclude
what a similar disciphne is capable of doing with superior natures.
By hunger and hard work, both of which they get plenty, they
are brought down to obedience ; and their draw upon a cock in-a
wood, under the dread of their master's aim, with the power of
which they soon become acquainted, is wrought into a full stop."

A few years back, there was a regular system of shooting and
entrapping the woodcock pursued in Scotland, for the Edinburgh
and Glasgow markets. In some localities, in this part of Britain,
the bird is very common, and there is a varied abundance of food
for their su;pport, particularly in the western side of the island,
"srhere the winter season is comparatively mild and open, and the
springs and boggy grounds are free from frost. In a letter written
somewhere about 1826, Sir Walter Scott wrote to a friend in the
following strain, " I have been out for two or three days endeavour-
mgto obtaha a shot or two at a woodcock, but I have not been
successful ; the fact is, these birds are now taken off wholesale by
a band of men who do nothing else for the season but kill them,
and they find a ready and profitable market for them in all our
large and populous Scottish cities and towns. I was lately informed
by one poulterer of Edinburgh, that he had paid one man nearly
one hundred pounds last season for woodcocks, which he had
chiefly shot in the western parts of Argyleshire and Invernesshire.
This seems prodigious." It is likewise stated in the work from
flrhich this letter is taken {Annals of Sporting, Mitibm-gh, 1839),
liiat formal appKcations had been made to the magistracy of
several districts in Scotland, to endeavour to put a stop to this
wholesale destruction and traffic.

It would appear, that poaching for woodcocks must have attained
. high state of repute formerly, from the zeal and contrivances dis-
mayed to capture these birds. Gervase Markham, more than two
senturies ago, describes a stalking horse which was used for this
purpose. He says, " When a man" (we modernize the orthography),
'* intends to compass a shooting among fowls, he must have some
moving shadow or shelter to walk by him ; in this case there is
aothing better than the stalking horse, which is an old jade trained
ap for that use, which being stripped naked, and having nothing
but a string about the nether chap, of two or three yards long, will
gently, and as you have occasion to urge him, walk up and down
in the water which way you will have him, feeding and eatpag
upon the grass, and other stuff that grows therein ; and then being
hardy and stout, without taking any affright at the report of the
piece beMnd his forequarter, bending your body down low by his
dde, and keeping his body still full between you and the fowl.
Then having (as before showed) chosen your mark, you shall take

93 SHOOTING.

your aim from before tlie fore -part of the horse, shooting as iti
were between the horse's neck and the water, which is more safe'
and surer than taking the level under the horse's belly, and much
lesser to be perceived ; the shoidder of the horse covering the body
of the man, and the horse's legs shadowing the legs of the man;
also ; and as thus you stalk upon the great blank waters, so you
may stalk also along the banks of brooks or greater rivers, by little;
and little winning the fowl to as near a station as can be desired ; \
and thus you may do also upon the firm ground, whether it be on
moor, heath, or other rotten earth, or else upon the tilthe where
green corn groweth ; or generally in any other haunt where fowls
are accustomed to feed or abide."* This contrivance Avas long in
use in many parts of England, both for shooting woodcocks, and:
wild fowl. In Markham's day, however, the dog was hkeT\ase;
used along with it, whose movements and use he further describes j
in tlie folloAving words. " And as you make use of this stalking
horse, so must you not anywise want your dog, for he is as useful at|
this time as at any other, nor can you do well anything Avithout liim
especially if it be upon rivers, or broad deep Avaters ; yet you should
have him in obedience, that Avhilst you are stalking you may leave
him with your bags, saddle, bridle, and other needments, where he
may lie_ close, and never stir till you have shot, and then upon the
least gibbet or call to come running unto you, and to fetch forth
what you shall kill ; which with a small practice, he will do readily
and willmgiy, after you have made him understand your mind, for
they are creatures of wonderful great capacity, and naturallv in-
clined to the sport, so that, being kept in true awe, there is notniug
whichthey wul not with great readiness perform." To make this
artificial stalking horse, Markham gives the foUovnng directions.
" Take any pieces of old canvas, and having made it in the shape
or proportion of a horse Avifch the head bending downwards, as if he
grassed, and stopping it with dry straw, moss, flocks, or any other
light matter, let it be painted as near the colour of a horse as you
can devise, of which tlie brown is the best ; and in the midst let it
be fixed to a stafT with a pick of ii'on in it to strike dovm in the
ground at your pleasure, and stand fast whilst you choose your
mark, as also to turn and wind any Avay you please, either for your
advantage of the Avind, or for the better taking of your level ;' and
it must be made so portable, that you may bear it' easily Avith ouo
hand, moving and Avagging in such wise, tliat it may seem to move
and grass as it goeth ; neither must this in any Avise exceed t]ie
ordinary stature or proportion of a common horse, for to be tco
low or little will not cover the man, and to be too big and huge
Avill be both monstrous and troublesome, and give affright to the
foAvls ; therefore, the mean in tliis is the best measure, and only
Avorth the observation." The author tells us, likeAvise, that the
figures of other animals were sometunes used for stalking; such as

* Art of Fowling.

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 93

.he ox, stag, &c. He is urgent iii recommending that, whatever
animal is imitated, it should be made " true in form, and correct in
proportions, as well as coloured to the life." The best time foi
stalking was at early morn, or dewy eve.

Ireland is highly praised for its woodcock sporting. Colonel
Hawker says, " that a real good sportsman feels more gratified by
iflushing and killing a woodcock, or even a few snipes, than bags
jfull of game that have been reared on his own or neighboiu-'s
,estate. Localities of cock shooting are widely distributed over the
^British dominions. L-eland throughout is unquestionably the very
ibest spot for a zealot in cock and snipe shooting ; the nature of the
ground, inclined as it is to bog and marsh, suits the one and the
other of these birds." On the same subject, Mr. ThornJiill says,
" If a sportsman is fond of cock shooting, it wiU repay him well for
Ms trouble to take a trip to Ireland ; it is not material what part
to recommend, as it is impossible almost to go to a bad place for
sport. As to asking leave, it is needless; as the only cause of
jealousy that can subsist between the visitor and the owner of the
ground will be for not acquainting him of his coming, in order that
he might have itin his power to receive him in the usual hospitable
manner, by providing beaters to show hun sport, giving him the
best of fare, a good bottle of claret, a sincere and hearty welcome,
assuring his guest, the longer he stays and honours him with his
companv, the more welcome he is, and the happier he will make
him." *

* On the nature of the Woodcock, and the Sporting coimected withit, eee Bewick,
Montague, Blane, and other writers.

94 SHOOTING.

CHAPTER. X.

SNIPE SHOOTING.

"The snipe is hardly ever found
In woods, he's fond of open ground ;
The rushy pond, the quiet brook.
But chiefly to the marshes look;
Tlie splasliy heath, and boggy moor
Yield frequently an ample^store:
Stick to them well when this the case is,
They very quickly change their places ;
To-day the sportsman can pursue
The numerous game till all is blue,
To-morrow he goes out again,
But mayn't a tingle shot obtain ;
Affeci ed by the wind and weather,
They often flock away togetlier ;
Sometimes they to the hill repair,
Eisiiig in wisps all wildly there ;
Vain the pursuit; but if a gale
Should quickly from the east prevail.
Or even from the boisterous north.
Again you ought to sally forth."— Watt.

Snipe shooting is one of the most lively amusements in which a
sportsman can indulge. It can be enjoyed in almost all parts oj
the kingdom ; and though it does not bring so much grist to the milt
nor replenish the pot so liberally as some other kinds of shooting^^
it makes up for these deficiencies by an increased amount of
pleasurable excitement, and healthy and agreeable exercise.

There are three different kmds of snipes known to the British
sportsman. The Great Snipe {Scolopax Major, Linn.) is a com-
paratively rare bird. The upper portion of its pkmiage nearly
resembles that of the common snipe. The breast, sides, belly, and
vent, are white, spotted, barred, and undulated with black'. Its
weight is about eight omices, ana length sixteen. The bill is hke
the shape of the woodcock's, and about four inches long. The
crown of the head is black, and divided down the centre by a pale
stripe, and over and beneath each eye there is another of the same.
The upper parts of the body resemble those of the common snipe;
the feathers on the neck, breast, and sides, are edged with a dusky
white, and those of the belly spotted with the colour. The middle,
however, is quite plain. The quiUs are dusky, and the tail reddish ;
the two middle feathers of which are plain, and the others barred with
black. The legs are black. This bird is not common in England ;
but only occasionally met with, chiefly in the counties of Lancashii-e
and Kent. Some designate them the solitary snipe, from always
being found alone. The bird is found in Germany and Siberia.

The Common Snipe {Scolopax Galli?iago, Linn!) or the Heather

SNIPE SHOOTING. • j95

Snipe, is described as about four ounces in weight, and nearly
^twelve inches in length. The bill is three inches long, and of a
dusky colour : and in some individual cases, the base is light, flat-
tish, and rough at the ends ; the irides dusky. The crown of the
head is black, with a longitudinal light rufous line down the middle ;
and another line passes from the base of the upper mandible of the
same colour on each side over the eyes. Between the bill and the
eye there is a dusky line. The throat is white ; and the cheeks,
neck, and upper breast, are mottled with black and light colom-ed
patches. The back and scapulars are black, barred with brown,
and striped with yellowish buff-coloured longitudinal lines. The
quills are black ; the first edged with white, and the secondaries
are tipped with the same ; and those next the body are, mth their
coverts, striated and barred with an iron-gray colour. The lower
breast and belly are white; upper tail coverts brown, barred with
black. The tail consists of fourteen black feathers, barred and
spotted with dull orange red towards the end, and with a narrow
bar of black near the tip, where it is of a pale rufous colour. The
legs vary ; in some they are dusky, or lead-coloured, and in others
black.

The Jack Snipe {Scolopax Gallinula, Limi.). Tliis species is
commonly described as about half the size of the common snipe,
and weighs about two ounces. Its length is about two inches and
a half. The bill is nearly two inches long, of a lead colour, black
at the point, and the upper mandible_ of a light colour, and the
irides black. The crown of the head is black, and slightly edged
with rust colour, bordered on each side with a yellowish streak,
beneath which is a dusky one ; and close above the eye is another
streak of a light colour. From the bill to the eye is a dusky stroke.
The black is varied with ferruginous brown, and dusky. The back,
rump, and scapulars are of a fine, glossy, changeable green and
purple, the exterior webs of the latter deep buff colour, forming the
two conspicuous lines from the shoulder to the tail. The quills are
dusky, and so likemse are the wing-coverts, bordered vdth brown.
The lower breast, and all beneath, is white. The tail is cuneiform,
consisting of twelve pointed dusky feathers, dashed more or less
with an iron-gray. The legs are of a greenish hue. The jack snipe
comes latter in the season than the common snipe, and no instances
are known of its ever having remained in this country during the
breeding season. It is very common in most countries of Europe,
as well as in the various states of North America.

We find from the accounts of travellers and naturalists that the
common snipe is almost universally distributed tln^oughout the
globe. In all the old countries in Europe, they are _ tolerably-
abundant ; and in Africa, Asia, and the islands of the Indian ocean,
they are likewise to be found. In the American continent they are
very numerous, especially in the states of North and South
Carolina. In Egypt they are found in the rice-fields or plantations
in such swarms, that it is no uncommon achievement for a man to

SHOOTING.

shoot a basketful in a day. It is said, liowever, that the spori
here is fatiguing, from the light earth of the rice-grounds being so
deeply impregnated with water, that the shooter sinks at every
step he takes, and sometunes above Ins knees. Smpes arrive m
Lower Egypt at the beginning of November, and pass the entire

winter there. ^ , . » -i nr i. t

These birds begin to pipe in the first week m April. Many breeo
in this country. Then nests are composed of aried grass and
plants, and now and then an intermixture of feathers. They lay
four or five ejjgs— sometimes six are found— of a dirty ohve-colonr,
marked irregularly with dusky spots. The young seem ugly and
shapeless. It has been well ascertamed that the mother never
deserts them until their bills have become long, and of sufficient
firmness to enable them to seek and procure food for themselves.
When disturbed much in the breeding season, they soar very
hioh, and ihe male bhdAvill keep on the wing for an hour together,
mounting lOve a lark, and uttering a shrill and piping noise. It
then descends with great velocity, and makes a bleating sound,
resembling that of a goat, wliic his repeated alternately round the
spot which the female occupies, especially if she is then hatching
her e''''''s.

Suipesof all kinds feed mostly on worms and insects, which
abound in moist grounds and marshy localities. Snails have oc-
casionally been found m their stomachs. Their flesh is rich and
savoui-y ; and tliey are cooked in the same maimer as woodcocks,
without extracting the entrails. .

Erom observations made by a gentleman m JN ortolk, some years
ago, and fui'iiished by Mr. Daniel, it appeared that the common
snipe arrived in the vicinity of Norwich in the early part of Sep-
tember, and stopped for a day or two, or perhaps only for ^ few
hom-s. They often came in large flocks, and lay very light on the
ground. At the end of October the greatest number had made
their appearance; but as soon as the cold weather commenced,
they almost entirely disappeared, and returned no more until'
Marcli, previous to their final departure. During the frost the
spring ditches were carefully searched, which remained free of ice,|
and presented both food and shelter; but excepting on two or three
early days of frost, very few bnds were found. The forwardness
or backwardness of spring seemed invariably to regulate then
movements, which induced this gentleman to remark the co-
incidence of the time of the flowering of wild plants and that oi
the rc-anpearance of the snipes. In February a few punctually
arrived, but on frost setting in, drove them back again. The
marshes were searched, biit-iiot a snipe could be seen, In March'
they again visited the moist grounds and springs in considerable
numbers, m company with a large flock of lapwings ; but in a fev>^
days they left for other countries. The next spring, being a verv
early one, many snipes made their appearance in the first week ol
March; they were in flocks, and lay very hght on the ground • bui

SNIPE SHOOTING. 97

in afortniglit they had all gone away. It would appear from tliis,
that the kmd of weather has a great deal to do with the flights of
the snipe ; and that they have a very powerful and unerring instinct
which chrects and guides them, as to the localities where sufficient
lood will be found for a certain length of time.

_ Snipe shooting, as we have abeady observed, afPords a large por-
tion ot amusement to the sportsman. Mr. Thornhill considers it
no bad test of a man's love of genuine sport, to feel a strong par-
tiahty for this kind of shooting. He observes :— " Snipe shooting
IS a sport the best calculated (grousing excepted) to try the keen-
ness of the sportsman, to ascertain his bottom, and if he can stand
laoour, water, mire, sv/amps and bogs. He should be possessed of
a strong constitution, not Hable to catch cold, and have all the
fortitude, as v/ell as exertion, of a water-spaniel; he should l^e
haoitually inured to wet, dirt, and difhculty, and not be deterred
by cold or severe weather." Mr. Daniel says:—" Snipe shooting,
when the birds are plentiful, is an excellent diversion : they are
said to puzzle the marksman by the irregular twistings of their
flight when first sprung ; but this difficulty is soon suimounted
u the birds are suffered to reach to a certain distance, when their
flight becomes steady, and easy to traverse with the gun ; there is
no reason to be apprehensive of then: getting out of the range of the
shot, as they will fall to the ground if struck but sHghtly with the
smallest grain. Snipes, like the woodcocks, and many other bii'ds,
always fly against the mud ; therefore, by keeping the wind at his
back, the sportsman^ has this advantage of the bird when it riser,
that it presents a fairer mark. These birds are scarcely good tiJl
November, when they get very fat. In hard, frosty, and more
particularly in snowy _weather,_ snipes resort in nmnbers to warm
jprings, where the rills continue open, and run with a gentle
jtream ; these, on account of their lon^ bills, are then the only
places where they can hunt for food. Snipes v/ill generally lie well
to a pointer, and some dogs have a singular knack of fincUng and
itandmgto them."

There is much contradiction among sportsmen as to the easiness
)f shooting snipes. Some still contend they are very difficult to
Dring to the ground,_ and others make a light matter of it. To be
30ol and collected is a great point gained; for where there is
perturbation and flustering, the chances are very much against the
shooter. The motion of the bird is irregular, and is supposed to
irise from the nature of its visual organs, being so constructed as
"0 see things in daylight very indistinctly and olDscm^ely ; and this
nduces those gyrations and whirling motions which prove so em-
Darrassing to the sportsman. It must be remembered that m
mipe, as well as in woodcock shooting, there is what is called a
'cnac/c to be obtained; a rapidity of action, and promptness of aim,
vhich practice, joined to a particular temperament of body and
nind, alone secure. It has been remarked, on this subject, " It
s thus we see, in some writings, that the snipe is the hardest to

H

98 SHOOTING,

hit of all birds ; whereas, in others, it is said to_ be anything
but difficult to bring down a snipe._ In_ our opinion, however,
there are two methods of hitting him with moderate certainty;,
the one is hj snap-shootiiig, which is a habit gained by^ some, but
not to be critically described by any, fexcept we regard it as a con-i
sentaneous action of eye and hand at the same moment. The other
certain mode of snipe-shooting is to put the gun into the hand of
the cool and dehberate marksman, who, nothing flurried, waits his
opportunity, and the moment the bird settles into its course, arrests
that course by a shot." Another authority says : — " The shooter
will bring down a snipe with much less difficulty at from fifteen to
twenty paces than at any other distance. The aim is thus taken
just before the bird begins to make its cross flights, but before iti
has attained its full speed. The irregularity of its flight is of little;
consequence during the first and second twisting before the bird is
safely on the wiug, since its flight is then comparatively tardy,
But let the snipe fly ten yards from whence it sprang — let it be.i
for instance, twenty-five paces distant from the gun — it is then ail
the top of its speed, and m the very midst of its sidelong, ellipticalj
gyrations, and more than a match for the majority of shooters."* ;

With respect to the use of dogs in snipe shooting, there is j|
considerable diversity of opinion among sportsmen, some dis;
pensing with dogs altogether ; while others maintain that they are,
not only necessary, but that some particular dogs are more to b(j
depended on in the fmding of these bii'ds than others. Tor oui'selvest
we have tried both plans, and have killed nearly equal quautitiej'
by both ; therefore we are somewhat in the position of the ass ir
the fable, which was placed between the two bundles of hay, anc'
did not knov/ whichto choose. Seriously speaking, however, we;
do think that the weight of evidence and authority are in favour o
dogs, but the /cind of dog may be safely left to the sportsman's owi^
fancy, or the precise circumstances in which he may be placed. Ij
has been said that even in Ireland snipe shooters not only hav(i
dogs, but beaters and markers in addition.

Mr. Thornhill relates a story of a Mr. Molloy, a Quartermaste:
of the 64th Regiment. While he was quartered at Genevi
Barracks, Ireland, _ he became passionately enamoured of snipe
shooting. After his duty was done, or if he could obtain specia
leave for a day, he regularly equipped himself for sporting ; anc
he had always the good luck to spring his jack-snipe, at which h(
fired. He followed up immediately, and the bird dropped so closi
to him often, that he was firmly persuaded he had killed it. He usee
to run with breathless eagerness to lay hold of his prize ; when
lo ! it would again rise and fly a little farther. On one day hi
fired eighteen times at it, and each time he thought he had killed
it. It served him for a ^yhole season. At length, he was one da;
crossing the bog in which it lay, when it rose up, and he ex
claimed, " There's my old friend!" and threw a stick at it, ami

* Oakleigli Shooting Code.

SNIPE SHOOTING. 99

killed it on the spot. Wliencver any of his brother officers found
a jack-snipe, they were alAvays sure to say, " There goes Quarter-
master Molloy."

On the abundance of snipes formerly, Mr. Daniel tells us,
*' Snipes in the Cambridgeshii-e fens were, thirty years ago, most
abundant; those brought to Cambridge market, which at that
time were all shot birds, sold at threepence to fivepence each. In
1775, the compiler killed, in three mornings, thirty-three couple of
snipes ; and from having known his father's men catch them by-
drawing with a net in the night-time, he mentioned to a person
near Milton Fen his surprise that this mode of taking them had
not been resorted to. The fenman inquired what sort of net was
to_ be used, and was told a lark-net would answer the purpose of a
trial; this the fenman soon borrowed, and the first night of his
making the experiment, caught as many snipes as a small hamper
could contain. The practice soon became general, and the netted
were so much better than the shot birds, that the latter would
scarcely find a purchaser in the market. The price at Cambridge
has increased to a shilling, and sometimes eighteen pence apiece.
The Dulce of Marlborough's gamekeeper, some years since, killed
tw^enty-two snipes at one shot."

A Erench sporting writer tells us, that in the year 1793, there
were such immense flocks of snipes settled along the south-eastern
Coast of Erance, that they were taken in cart-loads. They were so
weak and feeble, that the peasants used to knock them down with
theii- hands or their hats. As this occurred at the dreadful climax
of the revolutionary frenzy, the country people thou";ht the pre-
sence of these birds in such multitudes was a miracle, and very-
few, in consequence of this notion, were eaten.*

The localities for good snipe shooting are various. In England,
Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire, are favourite
Counties, and the Essex marshes have been long known and cele-
brated for snipe sporting. The birds are likewise to be found in
several places in the northern part of England, in Yorkshii-e, Dur-
ham, Cimiberland, and Westmorland. They are, on the whole,
more numerous in Scotland than in England. In the former
country wisps of thirty and forty are not uncommon in the boggy
and marshy lands, near the lochs and rivers of this part of Britain.
Ireland, however, carries off the palm for_ the great abundance of
snipes. It is no uncommon sporting achievement to kill forty or
fifty brace in a few hours. They are to be met with in every sec-
tion of the country. In North and South Wales there is Hkewise
good sport. We have known twenty brace killed among the moun-
tain bo^s there in four hours, and this, too, in comparatively un-
favourable weather. We can scarcely move in any direction in
South Wales without meeting with vast numbers of these birds,
only we must seek after and follow them in very odd places, and
must never grumble to plunge up to the middle to gain our object,
* La Chasse, de Normandie. 1801.

100 SHOOTING.

This sport is undoubtedly a very exciting one, but it must be pui--
chased at a certain cost of bodily labour, privation, and uncoiu-
fortableness.

IHAPTER XI.

BUSTAED SHOOTING.

The Gkeateu BustaUD [Otis Tarda, Linn.) is one of the rarest, and
largest of British game bnds. It is about four feet long, and from
twenty-five to thirty pounds weight ; its bill is strong, and rather
convex, its eyes are red, and head and neck ash-coloured ; on each
side of the lower biU is a tuft of feathers, from five to nine inches
long, the back of which is barred transversely with black and rust
colour ; the large quill feathers are brown, and the belly white.
There are twenty feathers in the tail, the middle ones are of a rust
colour, barred with deep black, and those on each side are white ;
the legs are long and naked beyond the knees, and are of a dusky
colour. The bird has no hind toe, its nails are short, strong, ana
of considerable convexity, both above and below, and the bottom of
the foot is furnished with a caUqus prominence, which serves thft
purpose of a heel. The female bird is smaUer in size than the male.
The crown of the head of the former is of a deep orange, crossed)
mth transverse black lines ; the rest of the head is brown. The'
lower part of the foreside of the neck is ash-coloured, and she isi
destitute of the tuft on each side of the head ; in other respects her
plumage resembles that of the male, with the exception that the
colours of the back and_ wings are less vivid and glossy. The male
has an appendage peculiar to himself, being a kind oipotich, capable
of containing nearly seven pints of water, the entrance to which
is immediately under the tongue. It is_ supposed that the bird
fills this with water, to supply its wants in those dry and thirstj
plains which it inhabits. Some naturalists say, that the male fur-
nishes the female with a portion of the liquid, when slie is sitting
on her eggs. Erom the accomits of travellers, it would appear that
the male bustard apphes the water to a _ singular use in Morocco,
where the hawk is employed to capture it ; when it is attacked by
its enemy, it squirts the water out of its pouch against its assailant,
and by this device often bafiles its pursuer. The female bustard
makes no kind of nest, but simply scratches a hole in some dry
field, drops two eggs upon the ground, as large as those of a goose,^
and of a pale olive brown, sprinkled irregularly with a number or
small dark spots, resembling the bro^vn colour of the plumage ; she
sits upon these eggs thirty days, she seems to watch them with

ra.

BTJSTABD SHOOTING. 101

[great jealousy, and it is said, if any one handles tliem in her
absence she immediately abandons them.

Eustards feed on corn and vegetables of various kinds — they
likewise devour great quantities of earthworms. Like the ostrich,
they even swallow small pebbles, and bits of metal. Buffon relates
a somev'hat strange story of one that was opened before the lloyal
Academicians of France, in the stomach of which there were ninetij
doMoons, all worn and polished by the attrition of the coats of the
stomach.

Shooting the bustard was once a very favourite sport with the
gentlemen of England. All kinds of contrivances used to be em-
ployed to gain upon the vv^ary bird; carts and coaches, in which
gmmers were concealed, was a favourite dodge, and Markham tells
us, that in his time, nearly two centuries and a half ago, the stalk-
ing horse was the sm-est mode of capture. It was a great achieve-
ment to get a shot at the bird, and a still greater, to kill him ; it
was not an uncomrnon thing for even greyhounds to course for
bustards — as they display always a great reluctance to take wing,
they were often successfully overtaken by the dogs, and secured.

The Little Bustard {OtisTetrax, Liim.) — This is a very small spe-
cies of the bustard, only being sixteen inches in length, and tliirty-
five in breadth, with outstretched wings ; its weight is about twenty-
five ounces. Bewick says, "It is very uncommon in tliis country;
;We have only seen two, both of them females. It is, however, com-
mon in France, where it is taken in nets, likethe partridge ; but it
is not an easy prey, being a very shy and cunning bird ; if disturbed,
it flies two or three hundred paces, not far from the ground, and
then runs away much faster than any one can follow on foot. The
female lays in June, to the number of three or four eggs, of a glossy
^reen, and, as soon as the young are hatched she leads them about
a,s the hen does her chickens, and they are able to fly about the
ooiddle of August."

The great bustard, half a century ago, was often met with in tiie
southern and south-eastern counties of England, and was occasion-
ally found upon the wolds of Yorkshire. About thirty years ago
two fine male birds were shot in Northumberland, which weighed
about twenty -five pounds each. SaHsbury Plain has long been
noted for them, but we believe, at the present hour, they are but
Seldom seen, even in this favourite locality. In Scotland they have
aot been met with for many years. There have a few stray birds
been taken in the high grounds in Wales, within the last ten years,
[t is very common hi Russia, Germany, and Tartary.

102 SHOOTING,

CHAPTEE Xn.

TEN-BIRD SHOOTING.

This is an extensive field of sporiing* recreation with tlie gun,
and embraces an immense variety of game. It has, however, a dis-
tinctive character; and though its objects of sport are numerous,
there is still such a family bieuess runnhig through them, as to
warrant their being brought under one particular head of treat-
ment.

The Bittern {ArdeaStellaris,lAmi) bears a strong resemblance to
the heron family, only it is smaller, and has a different plumage. ;
The feathers on the top of its head are black, and those on the hind •
head, neck, and breast, are long and loose. The general colourof j
the bird is a dull pale yellow, but very interestingly variegated with \
spots and bars of black. The greater covert and quill feathers are |
ferrugmous, and barred with black in a very regular manner. The |
tail is short, and the legs of a pale green hue, the toes and claws
are very long and slender, and the middle claw is serrated on the |
inner edge. The female is somewhat less than the male, audi
not of such a briglit plumage, the feathers on the neck not being j
so long and flowing. Its ' bill is considerably shorter than the
bill of the heron, and likewise weaker. It makes its nest among
rushes and sedges, and is in all respects a regular visitor of the
fen districts ; it makes its nest in April. _ The female lays from
four to six eggs, which are of a pale greenish ash colour, and she
sits upon them twenty-five days. _ Wlien they are hatched, the
young seem naked and ugly looking, having the appearance of
bemg all legs and neck ; they never venture from the nest until
about twenty days after they are hatched, during wliich time they
are carefully watched and fed by the old birds. Their common
food are slugs, small fish, and frogs. In Pebruary and March the
male bitterns make a deep hollow noise, morning and evening,
which ceases after the breedmg season commences. This is called
the booming of the bittern, and has been often noticed both by poets
and naturalists. Col. Montague observes: /'Those who have
walked, on a summer's evening, by the sedgy sides of unfrequented
rivers, must remember a variety of notes from different water fowl,
the loud scream of the wild goose, the croaking; of the mallard, the
whining of the lapwing, and the tremulous neighings of the jack-
snipe. But of all these sounds, there is none so dismally hollow as
the booming of the bittern. It is impossible for words togive those
who have not heard this evening call, an adequate idea of its solemn-
ity. It is like the interrupted bellowing of a bull, but hollower and

FEN-BIRD SHOOTING. 10a

loiider, and is heard at a mile distance, as if issuing from some for-
midable being that resided ^ at the bottom of the waters. This is
' the bittern, whose windpipe is fitted to produce the sound for
wliich it is remarkable ; the lower part of it dividing into the lungs
being supplied with a thin loose membrane, that can be filled with
a large body of air, and exploded at pleasure. These bellowing ex-
plosions are chiefly heard from the beginning of the spring to the
end of autumn, and are the usual calls during the pairin°' season.
From the loudness and solemnity of the note, many have heen led
to suppose that the bird made use of some external instrument to
produce it, and that so small a body could never eject such a quan-
tity of tone. The common people are of opinion that it thrusts its
bill into a reed, which serves as a pipe for swelhng the note above
its natural pitch, while others imagine that the bittern puts its head
mider water, and then, by_ blo^ving violently, prodaces its boomings.
The fact is, that the bird is sufficiently provided by nature for this
call, and it is often heard where there are neither reeds nor water
to assist its sonorous invitations. It hides in the sedges by day,
and begins its call in the evening, booming six ^ or eight times, and
then discontinumg for eight or ten minutes, it renews the same
somid. In Scotland, the sound of the bittern is so very common
that every child is familiar with it, though the bu'ds, from being
shy, are not often seen. The poet Thomson seems to have had a
very erroneous opinion of the manner in which the bird produces
the noise, when he says : —

" So that scarce

The bittern knows his time with bill engulfed.

To shake the sounding marsh,"
On the contrary, I have repeatedly remarked that the bittern
usually booms while flying high in the air ; its lofty spiral flight
is, indeed, a matter of common remark —

" Swift as the bittern soars on spiral w'mg"—So2itJiey.
A line which, I may remark, is not very ornithological, inasmuch as
neither the bittern nor any other kuid of bird has spiral wings.
Southey, however, seems to have been well acquainted with the
boom of the bittern —

" At evening, o*er the swampy plain.

The bittern's boom came far,"
The shooting of the bittern can scarcely be called a sport or
amusement, as their numbers are but limited, and they are seldom
sought for as especial objects of game. They are easily shot.
They rise heavily on the wing, and move forward in a slow and
deliberate pace, and are, therefore, a good mark for the fowler, _ We
have seen them, however, rise rapidly, and with sphal m^otions,
and when this is the case they are not very readily shot. A double
gun is of advantage in seeldng for this shy bird. When wounded
it fights hard, and when driven to extremity will attack a man with
vigour, and the most undaunted courage, striking his legs with its
bill, and even in some cases aiming a blow at his head. This bkd

104! SHOOTING.

was once held in high esteem at the tables of the greats and is still
highly prized by the real sportsman.

The Heron {Ardea Major, Linn.). — There are few enthusiasts of
the gun Avho will not give themselves a good deal of trouble to have
a shot at the heron. He is, when on the wing, a noble looking
bird. The habits of this curious object of sport are very singular,
but seem admirably fitted by nature for the purposes it has in
view. Buffon calls it "a picture of wretchedness, anxiety, and
indigence, condemned to struggle perpetually with misery _ and
want, and sickened by the restless cravings of a famished appetite;"
but all this is mere delusion. The bird is just as happy as any
other bu'd is ; and it follows its instinctive habits and purposes
with the same unerring regularity which we every way see around
us, in every part of the feathered creation. Itis seen to stand for
hours fixed like a stake to a given spot — ^no evidence of life in it —
watching, Avith intense look and a fixity of purpose, for the rnoment
the trout or the miimow shall come within the range of its long
cranked neck. Its movements are among the wonders _ of this
class of fen-birds : they display so much artistic skill in then:
direction and ends.

In Mr. Wood's edition of "White's Selborne," he sa}S, in a
note, " The heron or hem is stiU not uncommon in England, and
may be often seen near water. In the summer of this year, 1853,
while passing Canterbury on the South Eastern Railway, I saw
four herons standmg close on the banks of the Stour. They_ of
course took to flight as the train passed by, and were accompanied
by three magpies, which started from the same spot. The common
crow is very apt to attack the heron as it flies_ along. I have seen
an unfortunate heron passing by Lord Barrington's estate, near
Shrivenham, completely mobbed by crows, who continued their
annoyance until the birds were out of sight .... There are
upwards of thirty regularheromies in England . . . This bird
wiU carry away an amazing quantity of shot if fired at. I once
succeeded in surprismg a heron on the banks of the Isis, as it was
standing on one leg and watching the water. I was in a boat at
the time, having a gun imder a cushion for the benefit of the
water-fowl. The heron's v/ings looked so impenetrable, that before
firing I roused the bird, and caused it to open its "svin^s ready for
flight, when the entire charge came against its side with a sound
audible in the boat. The heron, however, flew off apparently
unconcerned, and continued its flight far over the fields with
undimmished strength."*

The voracity of the heron is proverbial. It is sm^prisiug the
c(uantity of fish they will devour in twenty-four hours ; some young
birds have been known to consume fifty small roach in a day.
These birds make their nests of pieces of stick, Hued vt^ith wool
end feathers, and the female lays five or six eggs, of a pale green

* Wood's Edition, Routledge and Co. Loudon, 1S54

FEN-BIRD SHOOTING. 105

colour. Dimng incubation, the male bird passes much of his time
perched by the side of the female. They desert their nests during
the winter season, _ except in the month of February, when they
pay them again a visit, and put them into a state of repair.

Although the heron is a greedy_ eater, it is long, lank, and
awkward in shape. It seldom weighs more than three or four
pounds, notwithstanding^ it measures about three feet in len^-th,
and the breadth of its wings, from tip to tip, is above five feet.
The bill is full six inches long, straight, pointed,_ strong, and ser-
rated; and the upper mandible is of a yellowish horu colour,
ruimin!^ dark towards the ridge, and the under one is yellow. A
bare skin is extended from the beak towards the eyes, the irides of
whicli are yellow, which gives them a fierce and penetrating aspect.
The brow and crown of the head are white ; the eyes bordered by
black lines, which stretch along to the nape of the neck, where
tiiey join a long, flowing, pendant crest of the same colour. The
upper part of the neck, in some birds, is white, in others pale ash
coloured ; and the fore part, lower down, is spotted with a double
row of black feathers, those falling over the breast being long,
loose,_ and unwcbbed. The shoulder and scapular feathers are
likev.'ise of the same kind of texture, of a gray colour, generally
streaked wdth white, and spread over its down-clothed back. The
ridge of the wing is wdiite, coverts and secondaries lead-colour, and
bastard ^nn?s and quills of a bluish black, as are also the long soft
feathers v/liich take their rise on the sides under the wings. These
fall down, meet then- tips, and hide all the under parts ; the latter,
next the skin, being covered Vvdtli a thick,_ matted, dirty-white
do^vn, except about the belly and vent, which are almost bare.
The tad is short, and is constituted of twelve feathers of a brown-
ish-red colour. The legs are dirty-green, long, bare above the
knees, and the middle claw is jaggecl on the inner edge.

The female bh-d differs from the male in not possessing the long
flowing crest, or the long feathers which ornament the_ breast of
the male. The entire plumage of the female is comparatively more
subdued and uninteresting.

Shooting the heron may generally be referred more to chance
than any settled plan of sporting with the gun. The extreme
shjTiess and cunning of the bird makes it difficult tp get within a
shooting range of it, and it is commonly only l3y accident thai the
sportsman falls upon it unawares and secures it. When not
fatally wounded at first, it will turn upon both the shooter and the
dog, if he has one ; and with its hard pointed bill can inflict a
sharp wound. We once shot one in the north of England, which
was merely winged. When it fell, a trout of ten inches dropped
out of its mouth. On our dog approaching' it, it was struck upon
the forehead by the bird's bill, and a wound more than half an inch
deep inflicted upon it. Such occiu*rences are far from being rare
in the shooting annals of this curious specimen of the fen-birds.

In England herons were for centuries considered royal game, and

106 SHOOTING.

j)rotected as sucli by the law. Whoever destroyed their eggs was
liable to a penalty of t^yellty shillings for each oiFenc8._ _ When
lieron-havv'king was a favouiite divprsion_ among the nobility and
gentry, the bird was considered a rich dainty at their tables.

The Great White Heron {Ardea Alba, Linn.) is seldom found ia
Great Britain. It is much about the same size as the common
heron, only its legs are a little longer. _ It is devoid of a crest, and
its plumage is enth-ely white ; its bill is yellow, and its le^s black.
It is found in considerable numbers in the Russian dominions, and
in most of the countries contiguous to the Caspian and Black Seas
and the lakes of Tartary. It is met with in the United States of
America from June to October, and is often shot in these localities.

The NigJit Heron {Ardea Nycticorax, Linn.) is only about twenty
inches in length. The bill is nearly four inches _ long, shghtly
arched, strong, black, and inclining to yellow at its base. The
skm from the beak round the eye is bare, of a greenish hue, and
its irides are yellov,-. A white line is extended from the beak, and
over each eye a black patch, glossed with green, covers the crown
of the head and nape of the neck, from which three long and nar-
row wliite feathers, tipped with bro^ni, hang loose and vravin^g.
The hinder part of the neck, coverts of the wings, sides, and tail,
are ash-coloui-ed, and the throat is vvdiite. The fore part of the
neck, breast, and belly, are of a yellowish white, approaching to
buff; the back is black, and the legs a greenish yellow. The
female bird is nearly of the same dimensions, but she differs cou«
siderably in her plumage from the male. The former is less bright,
distmct, and vividly portrayed; neither has she the dehcate plumes •
which flow from the head of the male.

The night heron frequents the sea-shores, rivers, and inland
lakes and marshes, and lives upon crickets, slugs, frogs, reptiles,
and fish. It remains concealed during the day, and does not roam
abroad until the approach of nightfall. It is heard and known by its
rough, harsh, discordant cry, vv^hich is by some compared to the noise
made by a person striving to vomit. She builds her nest on rocky
cliffs, and lays three or four white eggs. Bu"ds of this kind are very
difficult to shoot, on account of their extreme caution and wariness,
_ The Ruff {Tringa pugnax, Linn.) — This is a fen-bird of a pecu-
liar kind. The length of the rnif is about twelve inches, and its
weight ranges between six and eight ounces. The bill is about
an inch long, and is tipped Vv'ith black, but reddish at the base.
The distinctive mark which separates the male from the female is
the singular wide-spreading, variegated tuft of feathers, wliich in
the breedmg-season grows out of their necks. This tuft, a portion of
which stands up like ears behind each eye, is in some black, in others
black and yellow, and in some rather rare cases white, rust-colour,
or barredwith glossy violet, black and white. The entire face oi
the bird is covered -with reddish tubercles, or pimples ; the wing
coverts are brownish ash-coloui' ; the upper parts and the breast
are generally marked with transverse bars, and the scapulars v.dth

FEN-BIRD SHOOTING. 107

■oiindisli shaped glossy black spots, on a rusty-colotured grornid.
Che quills are dusky; the belly, vent, and tail coverts aie wlnte.
Che tail is brown, and the four middle feathers in it are barred
nth black. The legs are of a yellowish hue. The male does not
Lcquire the ornament of his neck till the second season, and before
hat time is not easily distniguished from the female, except by
)eing larger. After the moulting, at the end of June, he loses his
•uff and the red tubercles on the face- and from that tmie until
he spring of the year, he again, in the plumage, looks hke his
nate This singular tuft in the male bird, it has been remarked, is
lot a warlike ornament, but only a Idnd of defensive armour,
itted, by the length, stiffness, and closeness of the feathers, to
yard off the blows of an assailant.

The reeve, or female, is smaller than the ruff, and isentu'ely
lestitute of the collar of feathers around the neck. She is brov/n
n the upper parts, and the middle of each feather is dusky, and
;he larger quills are of the same hue. The secondaries are ot
nifous brown, and the legs are yeUowish. She lays four eggs m
;he grass, the ground-colour of which is white, with Kon-coioured
spots There is a kuid of understood i-ule among sportsmen not
:o take the reeves, for two reasons : first, because they are smaUer ;
md, secondly, by sparing them the breed is increased. Whenthe
reeves arrive, the male bird or ruff takes to what is caUed hllingj
that is, he chooses a pecuhar spot for love adventures, which is
"•enerally some elevated locahty. Each ruff is said to take posses-
sion of some smaU moimd, or part of a hiH which he wears quite
bare by killinc/, or wearing it away with his teet. Mr, pamel teMs
as that " When a reeve alights, the ruffs unmediately tail to
fio-hting; they use the same action in fightmg as a game-cock-
place their biUs to the ground, and spread then; ruffs. Wlien a
Fowler discovers one of these hilis, he places his net oyer-mght
which is of the same kind as those called clop, or day-nets, only it
is generally single, and is about fourteen yards long' and tour
broad. At daybreak he resorts to his stand, at the distance of
one, two, three, or four himdred yards from the nets-the Mer the
season the shyer the birds, and he must keep the further oft. Me
then makes his pull, taking such birds as are withm reach • alter
that he places his stuffed bnds, or stales, to entice those that are
continualiy traversing the fen. A fowler has been known to catch
fortv-four birds at the first haul, and the whole taken m the
morning were sLx dozen. When the stales are set, seldom more
than two or three are taken at a time. .^ experienced towler mU
take forty or fifty dozen in a season; they are fattened lor the
table with bread and milk, hempseed, and sometimes boiled wheat;
but if expedition is required sugar is added which m a lortmght
makes them a lump of fat ; they then sell ior half-a-crowii each.
Great nicety is requhed to kill them at the highest pitch of latness:
if that is passed over, the bii-ds are apt to fall away.. The method
of killing them is by cutting off the head with a pair of scissors ;

108 SHOOTING.

tlie quantity of blood that issues is very great, considering the size
of tlie bird. Like the woodcock, they are dressed with then,
intestines ; and, when killed at the critical time, epicures decl^iie
them to be the most dehcious of all morsels."

These birds leave Great Britain in the winter, and are then sup.
posed to associate with others of the fen-bird species, among wliich
they are no longer recognised as the ruff and the reeve. Li the
spring, as soon as they arrive again in England, and take up their
residence in the fenny districts, where they were bred, they then
become the objects of the fowler's and the shooter's sport.
^ The autumnal catching is commonly about Michaehnas, at which
time few old males are taken, from which an opinion has been
entertained that they migrate before the females and young. It
is, however, more probable that the few which are left after the
spring fowling, like other polygamous birds, keep in parties sepa-
rate from the female and her brood till the retui'n of spring, _ That
some old ruifs are occasionally taken in the autumnal fowKng wej
iave the assertion of experienced fowlers; but we must admit
others declare none are taken at this season. It must, however,
be recollected that in the autumn the characteristic long feathers
have been discharged, and consequently young and old males have
equally their plain di-ess ; and this circumstance may tend to give
rise to the contrary judgments on the matter. It does not appear i
to be the opinion of fowlers that the males are mpre than one;
season arriving at maturity, because the ruffs taken in the spring,'
destitute of the characteristic long feathers, which constitute theu*i
principal distinction, are comparatively few to those possessing the;
ruff; the opinion, therefore, that these ruffless males are bir^s of 1
a very late brood of the preceding season, is a reasonable conjecture.

The_ shooting of the ruff and reeve is confined to particular;
locahties in England- chiefly to the fens of Lincolnshire, Cam-
brigeshire, Isle_ of Ely, and to the East Ridmg of Yorkshire. .
There are likewise a few to be found in the^ femiy districts about t
Eridgwater, in Somersetshire, but these having been considerably ,
drained of late years, the birds are now scarcer. In the marshy
lands between Boston and Spilsby, they may yet be met with in i
considerable numbers. These birds are tolerably easy shooting —
no particular dexterity with the fowling piece is required.

The Knot {Tringa Canutus, Linn.) is another of the sporting ;
fen-bu'ds. It is associated with royalty. We are informed from
history, that King Canute was so fond of eatmg them, that the bird
itself became known by the name of knute, or knout, as this king's
name was expressed by his subjects, and, in the course of time the
word became shortenened to knot when applied to the bird. It
measm^es about nine inches, has a tail of a dusky brown colour, of
rather more than aninch long. _ The extent of the wdngs is about
fifteen inches ; and its weight isabout two ounces eight di"achms.
The bin is one inch and three-eights long, black at the tip and
dusky, fading into orange towards^the base. The tongue is nearly

TEN-BIKD SHOOTING. 109

f ilie same lengtli, and is sharp and horny at the point. The sides
f the head, neck, and breast, are cinereous, edged with ash-coloured
jray ; and the chin is white, with a stroke of the same colour
)assing' over each eye. All the upper parts of the plumage are
iarkish brown, but more deep and glossy on the crown of the head,
3ack, and scapulars, and each feather is edged wdth ash or gray.
Che under parts are a cream-coloured wliite, streaked or spotted
irith brown on the sides and vent. The great coverts of the
jrings are tipped with white, which form a bar across them when
jxtended; and the legs are of a yellowish hue, and short, not
neasuring more than two inches and an eighth, from the middle of
the toe to the knee. The thighs are feathered nearly to the knee,
md the toes are divided without any connecting membrane.

These birds are more easily taken with nets than shot. When,
'■the sportsman is following them with the gun, they generally run
very fast ; and it is always a matter of considerable labour and time
' beforehe can make them rise within a fair range. Their motions
are quick when on the wing — a httle whirHng and unsteady. IVhen
a severe frost sets in, they betake themselves to the sea shore,
where they are easier killed with the gun, than upon the fenny
.marshes. They are netted by the fowlers in Lincolnshire, in great
cnumbers. They are decoyed into the nets by carved wooden
[figures painted to represent themselves, and placed within_ them,
much in the same manner as the ruff is taken. The knot is like-
wise fattened for sale, and esteemed by many equal to the ruff in
.delicacy of flavour. The best season for its capture is from August
to November.

i The Bed Shank or Pool Snipe {Scolopax Calidris^ Limi.)— This fen-
jbu'd is rather a favoiu-ite with many sportsmen, as it affords them
|a good deal of amusement at certain periods of the year. It is
I twelve inches long, and twenty- one broad, and weighs about five
i ounces and a half. The bill from the tip to the corners of the
mouth is nearly two inches long, blackish at the point, and red
towards the base. The feathers on the top of the head are dark
brown, edged with a pale rufous hue. Over each eye there is a
whitish line, from the corners of which dark-brown spots extend to
the beak. The irides are hazel. The hmder part of the neck is
obscurely spotted with dark brown, on a rusty ash-coloured
ground. The throat and fore part are more distmctly marked or
streaked with spots of the same colour. The breast and belly are
white, tinged vf ith ash, the spots are thinly distributed, and are
shaped something like the heads of arrows or darts. The general
appearance of the upper parts of the plmnage is glossy oUve brown,
and those on the shoulders, scapulars, and tertials are transversely
marked with the same coloured waved bars, on a pale rusty
ground. The bastard wing and chief quills are dark brown ; and
the inner webs of the latter are deeply edged with white, freckled
with brown; and some of thtse nuills next the secondaries are
beautifully marked near their tipt.mih^arrow brown lines, exactly

110 SHOOTING.

pointed and shaped to the form of each feather. Several of the'
secondaries are barred in the same fashion, and some are white,;
The back is white; the tail feathers and coverts are elegantlj
marked with alternate bars of dusky and wliite. The middle ones
are slightly tinged with rnst colour. The legs are red, and
measuie from the end »f the toes to the upper bare part of the
thigh, four inches and a half.

The red shank is of a soHtary character, being mostly seen alone^)
or in pairs only. It is an inhabitant of the fenny districts, of thei
wet and marshy lands, where it breeds and rears its young. It
lays four eggs, of a whitish hue, tiaged with oHve, and freckled
with irregular spots of black, chiefly on the broad end of the eg£
It flies round its nest when disturbed, making a noise similai
to the lapwing._ The red shank is not very easily shot. Its flights
are rapid, and its movements spiral. It affords, however, excellent
sport to a young shooter.

The Godwit (Scolopax Mgocepala, Linn.) — This is a fen bird, of
w;hich there are several varieties, or at least there is a considerable
difference of plumage among the class ; and this circmnstance has,
^iven rise to many attempts among sportsmen and naturalists to'
increase the number of species. _ The length of the bird, from the;
extreme end of the biU to the tip of the tail, is twelve inches, and!
to the end of the toes nearly fifteen inches. Its breadth is twenty-
one inches and a quarter, and its weight is five ounces and two
drachms. The biU is of a slender coiiformation, measuring two
inches and a half from the corners of the mouth to the tip, and is!
for half its length, nearest to the base, of a reddish cast, and thei
other part black. The irides are hazel. The head, breast, neck,i
and belly, are spotted in streaks, mottled and barred with dingy!
ash-brown and dull white, which become darker towards the hhideri
part of the neck. The throat is white, and Hues of the same colour*
pass from the upper sides of the beak over each eye, from the
corners of which two brown ones are extended to the nostrils.'
The shoulders, scapulars, lesser coverts, and tail, are of a glossy
olive-brown. The feathers on aU these parts are indented on the \
edges, to a greater or less extent, with triangular-shaped wliite
spots. The back is white, and the rump barred with waved hues
of ash-coloured bro->vn and dingy white. The feathers about the \
vent are marked in a similar manner, but with a larger proportion
of white ill them. The tail and coverts are Ukewise barred ^dth
narrow waved Knes, of a dull ash-colour, and in some specimens are
nearly black and white. Eive of the chief qmlls are dark brown,
tinged with ohve ; the shaft of the first quill is white ; the next six
are, in the male, rather deeply tinged with wliite, and shghtly
spotted, barred with brown. The secondaries, as far as uncovered,
when the wings are extended, are of the same snowy whiteness as
the back. The feathers which_ cover the upper part of the tliighs,
and those near them, are bluish, with a reddish or vinous hue.
The legs are of a deep orange red, and measure from the end of the

xEIS-BIRD SUOOTING. HI

middle toe-uail to the upper part of the thigh, five inches and
a half.

Colonel Montague says there is a larger kind of ffodmt thsin this;
one weigliing twelve ounces, and measuring about eighteen inches
in length. The godwit was known formerly as a permanent resi-
dent with us, resorting to the fens from the moors, where they are
taken by means of a stale or stuifed bird, after the mamier of the
ruif and reeves. Towards the winter the goodwit may be seen at
the mouths of many of our large rivers, and, as we understand, it
was then a very popular object of pursuit to water-fowl shooters.
A-t Hudson's Bay it packs in such numbers, that there have been
fifty and sixty of them killed at one shot. There is another variety
of the godwit _ besides that above mentioned, having the greater
covert of its wdngs so deeply margined with light gray brown as to
appear almost all white at a distance,_ and the sides of the body have
a few long streaks of brown. The bird is met with in various parts
of Europe, Asia, and A.meriea ; and in Great Britam, in the spring
and summer, it takes up its residence in the fenny districts and
marshy grounds, where it_ rears its young, and feeds upon small
worms and insects. Dui-ing these seasons it only removes from
one boggy locality to another; but when severer frosts come in
winter, it betakes itself to the salt-marshes and sea-shores. The
flesh of the godwit is highly esteemed by epicures, and sells at a
high figure.*

The Wheatear {Motacilla CEna7ithe, Linn.) — This is a small bird
for small sportsmen. It is often shot on the Brighton Down, and
is taken there, and in some other neighbouring localities, ia great
numbers, by means of two turfs placed on edge, at each end of
which a small horse-hair noose is fixed to a stick, which the bird,
either in search of food or to evade a storm of rain, attempts to get
under, and is caught. Colonel Montague says, " In confinement
they are almost continually ia song, and sing by night as well as
day; they have a very pleasant, variable, and agreeable song, dif-
ferent from all other birds ; sometimes it is very loud, and they
continue it a great length of time, not continualljr breaking off like
a robin-redbreast and some other birds ; but their winter song is
best and most varied." The following beautiful lines on this
interesting migratory bird, are from the pen of Miss Charlotte
Smith:—

" Prom that deep sheltered soKtude
Where, in some quarry, wild and rude.
Your feathered mother reared her brood,

Why, pilgrim, did you brave
The upland winds, so bleak and keen,
To seek these lulls, whose slopes between.
Wide stretched in gray expanse, is seen

The ocean's toiling wave ?

* Bewick, Montague, and Blaue.

112 SHOOTIIfG.

" Alas ! and has not instinct said,
That luxury's toils for you are laid.
And that, by groundless fears betrayed.

You ne'er perhaps may know _
Those regions where the embowering vitie
Loves round the luscious fig to twine.
And mild the suns of winter shine,
And flowers perennial blow ?

** To take you shepherds' boys prepare
The hoUow turf, the noose of hair ;
Of those weak terrors well av/are.

That bid you vainly dread
The shadows floating o'er the downs.
Or murmurmg gale that round the stones
Of some old beacon as it moans,
Scarce moves the thistle's head.

" And if a cloud obscures the sun,
With faint and fluttering heart you nui.
And to the pit-fall you should shun

Resort in trembling haste ;
While on the dewy cloud so high.
The lark (sweet minstrel of the sky)
Sings in the morning's beamy eye,

And bathes his spotted breast."

The Landrail or Corncrahe {Rallus Crex, Linn.) — ^We have kno^n
many keen sportsmen rather fond of landrail shooting, not so much
from the abundance of what may be called sport, if the number of '
birds captured is to form the estunate, but from the number of j
disappointments which they experienced. Tantalizing is an element '
in fowling amusements of considerable value. It would not do to
have tilings all our own way ; there would then be no sport, in the
proper sense of the word. To those minds vfho like a little excite-
ment and drollery with their shooting excursions, we would recom-
mend them to set about the pursuit of the corncrake. We have
ourselves spent many an agreeable hour in ramblmg after tliem,
and often without being able to take one of them.

The landrail is rather more than nine inches long, and its general
bulk of body is considerably compressed. The bill is light browB,
and its eyes hazel. Most of the feathers on the upper part of the
plumage are of a dark brown hue, edged with pale rust ; both
winged coverts and quiUs are of a deep chestnut colour. The fore-
part of the neck and breast are pale and ash, and a streak of the
same colour extends over each eye, from the bill to the side of the
neck. The beUy is p, yellowish wliite, and the tliighs, sides, and
vent, are marked with faint rusty-coloured bai'S. The legs are a
pale flesh red.

FEK-BIRD SHOOTING. 113'

These birds make their appearance about the same time as the
quail, and frequent the same localities, and hence, in some
countries, the landrail is called the king of the quails. Its cry is
well known, and when once heard cannot be easily forgotten. It
shelters among the long grass, and is rarely seen, for it invariably
skulks among the thickest parts of the herbage, and runs so
quickly through it, that it is, m nine cases out of ten, impossible to
overtake it. Wlien hard pressed by a dog, it will sometimes stop
sliort and squat do^vn, by which device the dog overshoots the spot,,
and loses the trace of it. It seldom springs but when driven to
extremity, and generally flies with its legs hanging down, but-
nevei- to any great distance. When it ahghts, it sets off running
with surprising speed, and before the fowler reaches the spot, is far
out of his reach.

The nest of _ the landrail is made of dry grass, and a few soft
leaves, and a little moss mixed up with the whole. It is commonly
embedded in some hollow part of the sm-face of the field, but occa-
sionally it is met with on high and even ground. The female lays
ten or twelve eggs of a dull white colour, and the young, as soon
as they escape from the shell, run mth surprising swiftness.

This bnd leaves the island before the winter, and repans to other
comitries in search of its food, which consists chiefly of slugs, of
which it destroys a prodigious quantity. It likewise devoui-s
worms and insects, as well as seeds of various kinds. On its first
arrival in England, it is so lean as to weigh less than six ounces,
from which one would conclude that it must have come from very
distant parts ; before its departure, however, it has been known to
exceed nine ounces. Its flesh is considered a great delicacy.

Mr. White says—" A man brought me a landrail, or daier-hen,
a bird so rare m this district that we seldom see more than one or
two in a season, and those only in autumn. Tliis is deemed a bird
of passage by all tlie \vriters, yet, from its formation, seems to be
poorly qualified for migration ; for its wings_ are shorty and placed
so forward and out of the centre of gravity, that it flies in a
very heavy and embarrassed manner, with its legs hanging down,
and can hardly be sprmig a second time, as it runs very fast, and
seems to depend more on the swiftness of its leet than on its
flying. When we came to draw it, we found the entrails so soft
and tender, that in appearance they might have been dressed like
the ropes of a woodcock. The craw, or crop, was small and lank,
containing a mucus, the gizzard thick and strong, and filled with
small shell-snails, some whole, and many ground to pieces, through
the attrition which is occasioned by the muscidar force and motion
of the intestine. We saw no gravel among the food."

That the bnd is a migratory one there can be little doubt, though
from its conformation it seems ill adapted for any long and exten-
sive flights. Its wings are short, and they are not placed in the
centre of gravity. Its unwillingness to rise upon the wing arises
from its slow and sluggish disposition, and its great timidity, for it

I

114. SHOOTING, i

will sometimes squat so closely to the ground as to suffer itself to
be taken up by the hand, and yet it will at times run with prodigious
s^^nftness.

The Plovers and tlieir varieties. — These are a numerous family,
and are not destitute of interest to the sportsman.

The Great Plover. {Charadrius (Edicnemus. Linn.)— Some
sporting writers call this the stone curlew, and Norfolk plover, and
consider it a diminutive type of the bustard. It is about sixteen
inches long, bill of a moderate length, eyes and eyelids of a pale
yellow hue, with a pale streak above and below, which forms a
very characteristic mark. The upper parts of the body are tawny-
brown, and on each feather there is a dark streak down the centre.
The fore part of the neck and breast are nearly of the same colour,
but much paler. The belly, thighs, and vent, are of a pale yello-wisa
white, and the quills are black. The tail is short and rounded, and'
a dark band crosses the middle of each feather. The tips are
black, and the rest white : the legs are yellow, and naked above
the knees, which are very thick, as if swollen, and its claws are
black.

This bird is found in considerable numbers in Norfolk, and in
some of the more southern counties of England. It is not known '
in the northern parts of the island. It frequents dry and stony
places, by the sides of sloping banks. It makes no nest ; the
female lays two or three eggs on thebare ground, sheltered by a
stone, or in some small hole formed in the sand. The eggs are of
a dirty-white colour, marked with deep red spots, mixed with
slight streaks. Although this bird has great power of wing, and j
flies with great strength, it is seldom seen during the day, except
it is surprised, when it springs to some distance, _ and commonly
makes its escape before the sportsrnan comes witliin gun-shot. It
runs along the ground nearly as swiftly as a dog. After running
some time, it stops short, holding its head and body still, and on
hearing the least noise it squats close on the ground. In the even-
ing it comes out in quest of food, and may then be heard at a great
distance. Its cry is singularly hoarse, and has been compared to
the turning of a rusty handle. Its food consists chiefly of worms.
It is said to be tender and savoury eating when young, but when
aged to be dry, hard, and black. In White's History of Selborne,
it is stated that the young run immediately from the nest almost as
soon as they are excluded, and that the female leads them to some
stony field, where they bask, skulking among the stones, wliich
they resemble so closely in colour as not easily to be discovered.

This bird is migratory. It arrives in this country in April, and
remains all the spring and summer, and at the commencement of
autumn prepares to take leave by getting together in flocks. It is
supposed that these plovers retire to Spain, and frequent the
sheep-walks with which that comitry abounds.

These birds are difficult to approach, and tantalize both tlie
gunner and his dog. We happen to loiow one sportsman who was

fe:?t-biri> shooting. 115

so lucky as to shoot tliree in one day, but he had to toil hardly for
his prize.

The LapwiJig, or Pewit. {Fringilla Venellus. Linn.) — This is a
common bii'd amcng sportsmen ; it falls in our way in every direc-
tion, where there is poor, barren, and moist land. Its weight is
about eight ounces. The plumage, taken altogether, is beautiful,
■ and the male and female greatly resemble each other, the latter,
however, being rather the smaller of the two. They live mostly
on worms, and when it visits, at particular seasons, the sea-shore,
it then lives on an abundant supply oi-molhcsca. It is a well-known
bird, chiefly by its singular cries when flying, and its motions are
agile and froHcsqme. The female lays four eggs, of a dirty oUve
colour,_ spotted with black, which she deposits in some small inden-
tation in the ground, having previously made a kind of rude nest,
composed of a little dry grass and heather. The young brood set
out on their travels as soon as they leave the shell, and the parent
bird displays a great deal of tenderness and soKcitude over them.
When a stranger is near, or even if he be a quarter of a mile off,
she raises an alarm by rising in the an, and making many circum-
volutions, both to attract and distract Ms attention. When an
enemy approaches near to her resting-place, v.^here her young are
crouched, she will often alight on the ground, and run among our
feet, and feign lameness, very much in the same manner as par-
tridges do under the same circumstances. Buffon says, that about
the latter end of July the lapwmgs have their gatherings, both old
and young. They hover for some time in the air, at a considerable
elevation. On these occasions they perform so many and such
regular evolutions, that some wi'iters have supposed that they are
drilling then* young in the art of flymg.

At certain seasons these birds search the dry heather of the
downs for insects and grubs ; and not long after they are found
feedingon shell-fish in the moist and swampy ditches. They are
fine eating, and their eggs bear a high price in the market.

The shooting of them in the sunimer months is a fine recreation.
It requires a pecuhar knack to bring them down with certainty.
The rapidity with which they vary their position when on the
ground, seldom admits of a grand combination for a sitting, or
rather a running shot. On the whole, when on the Aving, their
mode of flight is favourable to the shot telling upon them in
vital quarters. No. ^ shot is generally recommmended for this
hhd.

The Golden Plover {Charadrms Phwialis, Linn.)— This bird is
described as bcin^^ about seven or eight ounces in weight, and its
length about ten inches and a half. The bill is a Httle more than
one inch in length, dusky in its hue. The irides are hazel. The

feneral plamage above is dusky, spotted with greenish yellow,
righter on the back and scapulars, and palest on the wing-coverts.
The sides, head, and neck of the body are lighter-coloui-ed ; and
the middle of the belly and vent are wMte. The quills ai-e dusky.

JIQ SHOOTING.

^lio-Mly margined at the tip with gray. The tail is dusky, spotted
vin'th yellow, and of a dull white hue. The legs are blacK. ^

The golden plover is very common in this country, and mdeed
in ahnost all the other countries in Europe. In America it is very
numerous, from Hudson's Bay as far as Carolma, migratmg Irom
one locality to another, accordmg to the seasons that produce its
food. The male and female are very nearly ahke m size and
piumao-e In young birds the yellow spots are not very prominent,
as the plumage at this period of their growth incluies more to a

^^These plovers used formerly to be killed in great quantities by
means of a stalking horse. If you fire at these birds as they liy
over you, they will dart down for the moment, and spread in every
direction ; so that bv taking a random shot with your first barrel,
you may often bring down the hiids to a fan: one for the second.

The Gra?/ Plover (Trmga Sqmtarola, Linn.)— Authors and sports-
men differ in then: classification of this bird ; some making it a
lapwing, and some a species of sand-piper. It is about eleven or
twelve inches long, and varies from twenty-four to twenty-iive
broad. Its general weight is about seven ounces, its bill is
black : the head, back, and wing-coverts, are of a dull dusky brown,
edo-ed with greenish ash-colour, and some with white. The cheeks
and throat are white, and marked with oblong dusky spots. _ The
belly, sides, and rump, are white, the sides being marked with a
few scattered dusky spots. The outer web of the quills are:
black ; and the lower parts of the inner webs of the first lour are;
wliite. The feathers of the tail are marked with alternate bars of
black and white. The legs are of a duU green hue, and the hmd

toe is small. . , t> -x • tj- •

The gray plover is not very common m (jreat Jintain. it is
occasionally met with in large flocks on the sea-coast. Its flesh is
esteemed a great delicacy. . ^ ^ i j

In cold and frosty vreather these birds seek then: food on lands
near the sea-shore, and in open weather they frequent ploughed
fields, especially if sown with grain. Aft_er feeding they fly tor
some watering spot, where they wash their beaks and leet, and
seem to delight themselves much in this habit. In the night-tune
thev run up and down, feeding on the worms which are then out
of the ground, and of which they devour a great quantity. Mr.
Daniel says that " at this time they always make a small cry, as if
to keep their flock together till day-break, when they mute and fly
to the coast. They are sometimes taken m nets at then- first coming,
and the fowler is cautious to set his nets to play with tlie wind.
Eor instance, when the wind is easterly, they may fly Avesterly.
The north-west is the worst wmd to take them ; all sea-fowl fly
against the wmd whenever they design to rest on the land. The
preferable places for setting the nets are in large common fields of
green corn, and near to water. Their flesh is very delicate. In
Carolina they ai'e seen in the valleys, near the mountams, m great

rjiX-iiir.D SHOOTING. 117

nuinbers, but seldom aliglit.^ They are,_we are told, very common
in Siberia, appearing there in autumn in vast flocks, coming from
the extreme north, where they breed/'

The bird is very common in Ireland. They arrive there in
immense quantities. They are difficult to get within gun-shot,
being wary and extremely shy.

The Water-rail {Rallus AqiiaticMS, Linn.) — This is a curious
specimen of the fen-bird. He resembles the landrail in general
appearance and figure, but is quite distinct in liis habits and in-
stincts. The water-rail is one day crouched in the long grass of a
high district, and in the next he is squatted on, or flying about, the
marshy and boggy grounds. When hunted closely he may be
readily sprung, and makes a passable shot.

Colonel Montague says of this bird, — "It seldom takes wincr,
but dives on the least alarm, and will remain under water, amongst
the reeds or other aquatic plants, with only its bill above for
respiration. Its nest is formed, like the rest of the grebes, of a
prodigious quantity of flags, or other water plants, but is gene-
rally fastened to the reeds or flags, m order to prevent its being
carried away by the current. ^ Temminck gives a similar state-
ment. The eggs are five or six in number, of a dii-ty white ; the
shape oblong, and less than those of the pigeon. These are gene-
rally covered with weeds, so that when the bird quits her nest
suddenly they are not exposed to view. In large rivers, these
birds are frequently devoured by pike and trout while they are
diving- in pursuit of small fish. We once took from the stomach
of the last a water-rail weighing fifteen ounces, the trout weighing
only four pounds. After the breeding season, the bird is fre-
quently found in some of our inlets of the sea, where it is said to
feed on shrimps."

The Gallinule, or Moorlien {Foiiica CJdoropus, Linn.) — Tliis is
another fen-bird which engages the attention of young and amateur
sportsmen. In many of its habits it is very like the water-rail.
The moorhen is not met with in any great numbers ; but they are
scattered here and there over almost every country. It is not
ascertained whether they migrate, or not; but it is weU known
that they change their place according to the seasons of the year j
frequenting elevated tracts in summer, and more sheltered ones ia
the winter. It is very common in Great Britain, and sportsmen
meet with it on the borders of rivers and ponds, where ^villows and
sedges grow. Mr. Daniel says, " It is like the water-rail ; it con-
ceals itself durhig the day; in the evening it runs and skull<:s by
the margin of the waters, among the roots of the bushes, oziers,
and long loose herbage which overhang the banks, in quest of its
food, which consists of insects, woi-ms, aquatic plants, and seeds;
it will lilcewise pick up corn from the neighljourmg stubbles ; it is
at all times very good eating, but from September to December the
flesh is extremely delicious."

The nest of the female moorhen is made of reeds and rushes,

118 SHOOTING.

pretty closely woven together. It is placed in some comer or
chink by the side of water, or upon the stump of an old tree root.
She lays seven eggs, which are about two itiches in length, of yel-
lowish' white hue, marked with a good many irregularly placed
spots of a reddish colour. Some writers affirm that during incuba-
tion, she never leaves the nest without covering_ the eggs mth
leaves. She has two, and sometimes three hatchings during the
summer. The young ones take to the water very soon after they
leave the sliell.

The length of the bird is about fourteen inches, and the breadth
twenty-two. It weighs from twelve to fifteen ounces. The bill is
red, with a greenish yellov/ tip, and about an inch long. The head
is small and black, cxcei^t a wliite spot under each eye. The irides
are red. The colom- of the plumage is sooty-black, tinged with
shining ohve green. The outer edge of the Aving, outside feathers
of the tail, and under-tail coverts, are of a dirty white appearance.
The legs of a pale yellow to dark green. _ Their toes are very long,
their sides are broad, and furnished vfith membraneous edgings,
which enable the moorhen to svnm, and run rapidly over the surface
of shmy mud. Its feathers are tliickly set, and bedded in down.

The moorhen is difficult to shoot in the water; it dives the
moment it sees the flash of the gun. The best method of kiUing it
is to aim a httle below it in the water ; this is often found effectual
by sportsmen.

The Coot {FulicaAtra, Linn.) — This bird is well known through-
out England, and permanently resides here. Its common weight
is about twenty-eight ounces, and it is fifteen inches in length. The
biU is of a greenish white hue, and about an inch and a quarter in
length. The irides are red. The upper portion of the plumage is
black, except the outer edges of the wings, and a spot under each
eye, which are white. The under parts of the body are of a hoary-
dark ash or lead colour. The skin is protected with a coat of thick
down, and covered with feathers closely bedded together. The
thighs are placed far behind^ and are strong, fleshy, and yellow
above the knees.

The common coot has so many _ features in unison with tlie
water-rail and moorhen, that many writers have considered them as
belonging to the same species. Others again describe the coot as a
distmct genus, chiefly on account of its being fin-footed, and from
its_ constant attaclunent to the water, wliich it seldom leaves.
Withthis bird naturalists commence to arrange the general tribe
of SAvimmers, and place it among those that are the most completely
dependent upon the watery element for their subsistence. It
swims and dives with as much ease as almost any other of the
aquatic tribes, and, also, hke those which seldom venture on land,
it is a bad traveller, and may be said not to travel, but to splash
and waddle between one water and another, with a laboured, ill-
balanced, and awkward gait.

The Greater Coot {FuUca Aterrima, Lmn.) — This bird is of a

rEN-BIBD SHOOTING. 119

larger size tlian the last,^ but differs little in colour or plumage,
except its being a sliade darker. It is found in Lancashire, and in
Scotland. Inmany sections of the European continent these birds
are very-plentiful. There is a curious anecdote told of a bald coot,
that built her nest in Sir William Middleton's lake, at Belsay
Castle, in the county of Northumberland. The rushes of which
it was constructed having been loosened by a high wind, the nest
was di'iven about, and floated upon the surface of the water, in
every direction, notmthstanding which, the female continued to
sit, and brought forth her young upon her moveable habitation.

^ Tor cooking these birds the following recipe has been given from
high authority. After picking them, take off the black down, by
means of powdered black rosin and boiHng water, and then let them
soak all night in cold spring-water. This process makes them look
as delicate as a chicken, and to become tolerably tender and juicy.
Unless this be done, the skin, in roasting, becomes oily, and has a
strong fishy taste and smell : and when taken off becomes dry, and
good for nothing. But, after all, the best method is to skin them at
once, and after soaking them twenty-four hours in cold spring- water,
repeatedly changed, they can be made into a pudding or pie, or into
soup. By these means, the skin is got rid of, without losing the juice
of the flesh ; and their fishy taste is, in a great degree, drawn off
by steam.

Mr. Daniel says, — "The female makes her nest in the rushes,
surrounded by the water, with a large quantity of coarse dried
weeds matted together, and lines it with fine soft grass. She lays
from twelve to fifteen (some say eighteen or twenty) eggs, about
the size of a pullet's, and of a pale brownish colour speckled with
numerous small dark spots, which at the thicker end seem as if
they had run into each other, and formed bigger blotches. So soon
as the young quit the shell, they plunge into the water, and dive
and swim with much ease ; but they still gather together about the
mother, take shelter under her wings, and do not forsake her for
some time. Erom the circumstance of coots laying so numerously,
and hatching twice in the season, they might_ be expected to be
more abundant ; but they are at first covered with a sooty-coloured
down, and are of a shapeless appearance ;_ and while in this state,
and before they have learned from experience to shun their foes,
the moor buzzard, kite, and other of the hawk tribe, make dreadful
havoc amon^ them. The pike is likewise an indiscriminate devourer
of these birds. The young coots are extremely good put iuto pies,
or boiled ^\dth onions, like rabbits ; and ia the winter, when fat,
and they haunt the sea-shore, they are of g3 high flavour and
equally as pleasant to taste as the widgeon."

The coot is a difiicult bird to flush, and to obtain a fair flying
shot at. The suspicious and stealthy habits of these birds keep
them for ever out of sight, and dogs are seldom able to make much
impression upon them in rousiug them from their lurking holes.
We have seen them pursued in Erance by two shooters, one on

130 SHOOTING.

eacii .side of a narrow and sedgy stream, when, with the addition,
of a couple of industrious dogs, execution is sometimes done, and
a few brace bagged in the course of a day ; but it is only in some
favoured locality tliat success can be realized even in that country,
where the birds are niore nmnerous than they are with ui. It is
not often that these birds are regularly sought after by gunners in
}^]ngland ; the shooting of them belongs rather to the stray or catch-
luck of the sijortsman than to his ordinary coui'se of amusement.

In many ot the rivers that lie along the south-eastern portion of
the coast of France, and which are of a sedgy and torpid character,
the coots _ are very numerous ; but what is somewhat curious,
the inhabitants in rural districts consider them very ominous,
and whenever they see one fly out from its hiding-place, they
cross themselves, and look upon the circumstance as dire and
threatening. This may, perhaps, be susceptible of some degree of
explanation, when we consider the shy and retii'ing habits of the
bird. These give rise to mystery. Wimt is not often placed before
the senses becomes impressed with the attributes of spuitual
agency, and an unlaiown power. This has been the case in all ages,
and with almost every member of animated creation, _A great deal
'■ of the religious feeling of savages hasno other foundation tlian this.
Tlie Curlew {Scolopax Aqimta, JAmi.) . — We have often found
shooting the curlevv^ a favourite diversion; but he is a shy bird,
and requnes the utmost cncumspection in aU attempts to get
within range of him. He measures about two feet in length, and
from the tip of each wing averages about three feet. Tlie bill is
fuU seven inches in length, regularly curved, and of a tender sub-
stance at the point, wliich is blunt. The upper mandible is of a
blackish hue, gi-adually rmniiug into bro^ra toAvards the base; and
ihe under one is flesh-coloured. The head, neck, and upper part
of the back, andwing-coverts, are of a pale brown, and the middle
of each feather is black, fringed and deeply indented \\\\\\ pale
rust, or light gray. The breast, belly, and lower portion of tlie
beak, are of a dull white, thinly spotted with black ; and the two
former -^dth oblong strokes of the same colour mathematically set.
The quills are black, the inner webs being crossed or spotted with
white. The tail is barred with black, on a white ground tmged witli
red. The legs are bare a little above the knee, and of a bluish
hue, and the toes are thick and strong, and flat on the under side.

These birds difl^er considerably both in size and plumage ; som.e
weighing twenty -fom- ounces, and others thirty, and even upwards.
In the general plumage of some kinds, the white parts are nuicli
more distinct and clearly defined than in others, which are more
uniformly gray, and tinged with pale brown. The female is very
much like the male. She makes her nest upon the ground, in a
dry tuft of rushes or grass, or of such withered materials as are
found near the spot. She lays /our eggs, of a greenish hue, which
hav3 a number of brQwn spots irregularly distributed over them.
The food of these birds consists of worms, flies, and insects, which

TEN-BIRD SHOOTIN{J. 121

they pick out of the soft mossy ground by the pools or water m
such parts of the country as they frequent. In winter they de-
part to the sea-side, where they are seen in great numbers, then
live on worms, marine insects, and other fishy materials, whicli
they pick up on the beach, and among the loose rocks and pools
left by the retning tide. The flesh of the curlew has been charac-
terized by some_ as very good, and of a fine flavour ; whde others
have unceremoniously condemned it. The truth is, when they Kve
in the moors, and feed on insects, and other things in the boggy
ground, they are excellent eating ; but after they have been a short
time by the sea-coast, and obliged to live on salt-water diet, their
flesh becomes strong and unsavoury. The bird was held in high
repute in former times, as the old proverb tells us : — •

A curlew, be she white, or be she black,
She carries twelvepence on her back.

As we have said, the bird is a shy and suspicious one, and is
very difficult to approach with the gmi and dog. In fact, we have
often failed in getting near it, when the number of birds was great.
The only chance is to steal a march upon it, by getting round some
hill, or elevated piece of ground, and then trymg our luck at a
random shot. These birds require rather heavy shot; No. 3 and
■ i\o. 2 are commonly found requisite.

These birds are very numerous in some districts of Ireland, and
in the boggy moor grounds in all the counties of Yorkshire,
Durham, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Northimiberland, they
are found in considerable numbers. These birds are always
more or less difficult to approach "within gun-shot. They are
cunning and artful, and attempt to lead the sportsman astray,
much in the same manner as the plover does. The only way of
getting near them is to take the advantage of some cover; a hill,
a vfall, a bush, or something of the kind ; but even with all or any
of these screens or aids, it is often surprising to witness with what
kecmiess of sight they will espy an enemy, and how rapidly they will
wheel round and get out of the reach of his weapon. What we
now state refers to the sojourn of the birds in the moors and
S";:>ongy grounds during the summer months for the purposes of
incubation. They are often more approachable when they frequent
tii8 sea-shore in winter; and they evidently seem to throw off here
a goodly portion of their constitutional timidity and suspicion, for
wc have often got witliui reach of them, even in a direct fine, so as
to bring them^do^vn with a good fowling-piece. "When they are
pursued in the moors, dogs are useless ; nay, worse — they disturb
the birds long before the sight of the sportsman himself makes any
impression upon them. In curlew shooting by the sea-side, dogs
are entirely unnecessary.

These birds are very numerous in Ireland, and in some districts
are shot in great numbers through the summer months. They
likewise abound in the swampy moors of Scotland.

123 SHOOTING.

Punt-sliootmg for this bird by the sea-side is sometimes followed
by sportsmen. It is both amusing and excitmg._ They gather to-
gether in great numbers in autumn, roosting in some particular
and favourite locaUties, not far distant from each other. These
spots reqmre to be well known by the shooters previous to their
operations. When they are approached by means of a punt or
boat, wMch should be done in line frosty weather at full tide, and
just after or before day-break, the party should conceal themselves
by stoopmg or lying down in the punt, and then, when within
range, a raking fire from each gimner should be made. Sometimes
a good bag of bii'ds is obtamed m this way.

There is a species called the little curlew, which affords some
sport. These bnds are found in considerable numbers on the
Essex coast and some parts of South Wales.

CHAPTER Xni.

SEA-rOWL SHOOTING.

Sea-fowl shooting is a highly-exciting and laborious pursuit. It
has, however, many redeeming qualities, which, to a vigorous body
and mmd, full of ardent sporting enthusiasm, and of a love of the
novel, picturesque, and sublime of nature, prove a sufficient com-
pensation for all the perils and toUs that attend it.

Sea-fowl, according to the nomenclature of sportsmen, are a very
numerous family. We shall treat of them in the order commonly
followed by other writers on the subject.

T\ie Stormy Petrel {ProcellariaPelagiea,Unm?) — Tliis, tomany
sportsmen, is abird of iuterest, chiefly from the difficulty attending
his capture. It is the least among the web-footed birds kno-\vn, and is
about the size of the common swallow. These birds are well-known
omens to mariaers, often congregating in considerable nmnbers
about the wake of the ship. They are heard only at night, and are
recognized by their shrill and j)iercing cry. The following account
of this singular bu'd is taken from Loudon's Magazine of Natural
History: — "As the stormy petrel is scarcely ever seen near the
land, except in very boisterous weather, one of the natives of the
island of St. Hilda, for a trifling remuneration, agreed to traverse
the face of a huge rock and fetch me some petrels out of its
fissures. Accordingly, accoutred with a rope of hemp and hog's
bristles coiled over his shoulders, he proceeded to the cliff. Having
made one end fast by means of a stake, he threw the coil over the
face of the rock, and gradually lowered himself down, but with the
utmost caution and circumspection, carefuUy pressing his foot hard

SEA-FOWL SHOOTING. 123

ipon the narrow ridges before lie at all loosened his jSrm grasp of
,ne rope, which he never altogether abandoned. I had previously
;hrown myself upon my chest, to enable me to have a better view
)f him by looking over the cHtf, and certahily to see the dexterity
md bravery with which he threw himself from one aperture to
mother was truly grand. The trembhng roar of the Atlantic was
■oamiug many hundreds of feet beneath, and dashing its curling,
3ream-iike surge against the dark base of the cM in sheets of the
nost beautiful white, while the herring and black-backed gulls,
ilteniately sweepmg past him, so as to be almost withui reach of his
irm, threw a wildness mto the scene by the discordant scream of
;he former, and the laughing, oft-repeated bark of the latter. This,
lowever, he appeared entii-ely to disregard, and, continuing his
search, returnecf in about half an hour with seven or eight of the
itormy petrels tied up in an old stockmg and a pair of the Manx
)uffins, together with their eggs. The birds, he told me, he had no
lifiicuity in captui-ing. _ The eggs of the stormy petrel are sur^
)risingly large, considering the diminutive size of the bird, being
IS large as those_ of the thrush. The female lays two eggs of a
lirty or dingy white, encii'cled at the larger end by a ring of fine
ust-coloured freckles. The birds merely collect a few pieces of
Iried grass, with a feather or two, barely sufficient to prevent the
iggs from rolling or moving on the rock."

The Gull Family^ {Lams, Linn.). — Some sportsmen count eleven
lifferent species of this bird. Colonel Hawker maintains there are
hh-tcen. They have all, _ however, a great family resemblance.
Cheir leading characteristics are a compressed biU, elongated and
)ouited, with the upper mandible turned towards the end, and the
ower underneath forming a salient angle. Their nostrils, placed
owards the middle of the biU, are long, narrow, and bored
lirongh. Their tail is full, and legs rather long, and the thumb
hort. All the gull tribes are more or less objects of the gunner's
port, and the shooting of them is often attended with considerable
ixcitement and pleasure ; not so much on account of the birds
hemselves, considered in the light of game, as from the interesting
ocalities to which the sportsman is directed in the pursuit of them.
Chese birds generally congregate in vast flocks in those parts of
he coast of Great Britain that are high, abrupt, and little fre-
luented by either boats or land travellers ; and where, in fact, the
Tigged natui'e of the cliffs, and the air of solitude and desolation
iround, seem to impart to them ideas of comparative safety and
Retirement. To a man with a fowling-piece in his hand, and who can
ehsh the grand and sublime of natui-e under all aspects, we know
tf nothing more grateful, than a ramble along the headlands of the
soast in quest of these birds. Everything around is vast and im-
losing. The ocean imparts a solemn feeling over the most volatile
inderstanding, and directs the thoughts to objects of contemplation,
oth agreeable and improving. We dive into nature's secrets by
uch sporting rambles among the feathered tribes in this section

1^^ , SHOOTING.

of lier vast domains, and can scan tlie singular economy that prej
vails in the congregated famihes that are here bred and nonnshei
by her paternal hand. The enterprising fowler scrambles from one
chtf to another, sometimes with fear and trepidation, while he oiteu
recoo-nizes birds of which he knew httle or nothmg before ; and
perchance may cast his eye on the nest of the eagle whose maraud
mg flights are marked in every direction with blood and rapine.
"High from the summit of a craggy cliif
Hung o'er the deep, such as amazmg frowns
On utmost Ivilda's shore, whose lonely race
Resign the setting sun to Indian worlds,
The roval eagle draws his vigorous young.
Strong' pounced, and ardent with paternal fire,
Now ht to raise a kingdom of their own.
He drives them from the fort, the towering seat,
Por ages of his empire ; which in peace
Unstained he hold, while many a; league tosea ^^
He wings his course, and preys in distant isles. '

Thomson.

To point out all specific localities where gull shooting can b(
best obtamed in this country, and where all the mdn-ect advan
ta"-es derived from it can be reahzed, would lead us too much mtf
matters of detail. But we may remark that the northern parts o
the kingdom are more prohfic of these birds than the southeriil
They are found in inconceivable numbers in the Fern Islanas, oi
the coast of Northumberland; and all around the northern anc
western parts of Scotland they are to be found equally numerous, n
particular rocky localities. In the Orkney and Hebrides islands
there is good sport; for we conceive that most sportsmen wh(
have had opportunities of enjoying this rpecies of shooting, luus
have remarked, that the farther you extend north, and get mto corn,
paratively unfrequented places, the loss shy the bu-ds become, an(
the richer harvest awaits the guimer. The weather, too, has
great influence over sport. All these diflerent knids of sea-lowKni
more approachable in stormy than in fme weather; only the latte
is not so pleasant to the sportsman hunself. But there is n
getting all matters to square evcidy in sporting practices. Ill:
good must be blended with the evil, to make even sport itself keenlj

"^pllsllCCl

The Su'cm famili/ [Juas^ljhm.). —These birds have long bee
illustrious among sportsmen. The ancients consecrated tlici
to Jpollo and the M^tses. Callimachus, in his hymn upon tli
island of Debos, says—

" AVhen from Pactolus' golden bani';:s
Apollo's tuneful songsters, snowy swans.
Steering their fliglit, seven times their circHiig coui-se,
Wheel round the island, carolling meantime
Soft melody, the favourites of the nine,

SEA-TOWL SHOOTING, 125

Tlius ushering to birth with dulcet sounds
The god of harmony, and hence seven strings
Hereafter to his golden lyre he gave ;
For ere the eighth soft concert was begun
He sprung to birth." — Dod's Callimachus.

These bkds are considered at the head of -the web-footed bird?,
md to shoot them is considered a great and honoui-able achieve-
(nent among gunners. The hoofers or wild swans are very easily
iiUed, if the fire be directed towards the head or under the wing ;
3ut they are ahnost shot proof in other parts of their body. The
light of the swan is very rapid. Hearne says, " Notwithstanding
heir size, these birds are so extremely swift on the wing wlien in
iill feather, as to make them more difficult to shoot than ahnost
my others, it being frequently _ necessary to take sight ten or
twelve feet before the bills. This, however, is only when they are
fljdng before the wind in a brisk gale, at which time they seldom_ fly
it a less rate than an hundred miles an hour ; but when flying
icross the wind, or against it, they are not able to make any great
progress."

The swan measures five feet in length, and above seven in
breadth, and weighs from thirteen to sixteen pounds. The biU is
three inches long, of a yellowish hue from the base to the middle,
and thence to the ti]3, black. The bare space from the bill over
the eye and eyelids is yeUow; and the entire plumage in adult
birds is of a pure white • and they are clothed, next to the skin,
with a thick fine down. The legs are black.

This species of swan usually congrcgate together — keeping in
groups or families, except at the pairing season, and when the
severe frosts of winter overtake them. At this season they
assemble in prodigious ctuantities, near great rivers and lake ,_
situated in thinly inhabited countries in the northern parts ( f
Europe, Asia, and America. When the weather becomes veiy
severe, they shape their flight very high in the air, and divide_ their
number in quest of more genial temperature. _ In such hard Avintei s
they are sometimes met with in various sections of Great Britain,
and in other more southern countries of Europe. The rule as io
their migrations has been observed in America. They do not, how-
ever, remain longer than to the ajoproacliing spring, when they
again retire northward to the arctic regions to breed. In these
movements to and fro, a few straggHng birds stop_ short, and
perform the offices of incubation by the way; for it has been
ascertained that they breed in the Hebrides, the Orkney, Shetland,
and other sohtary isles. But the great body of them go far north,
and are to be met with in the large rivers and lakes near Hudson's
iBay, and those of Kamtschatka, Lapland, and Iceland. They are
|Said to return to the latter place in flocks of about a hundred at a
time in the spring, and also to pour in upon that island from the north,
in nearly the same manner, on their way southward in the autumn.

1^ SHOOTING.

Tiie Sioan Goose {Anas Cygnoides, Linn.) is another interesting
species of this family^ of web-footed birds. It is a full yard ii
length, and is of the size between the swan and the common .^oose.
It is known from the goose by its stately deportment, and by its
having a large knob on the root of the upper mandible, and a skhi
almost bare of feathers, L.Liiging down like a pouch or wattle undei
the throat. A white -line or fillet is extended from the corners oj
the mouth over the front of the brow. The hue of the bill is
orange, and the irides of a reddish brown. A dark brown oi;
black stripe runs down the hinder part of the neck, from the head!
to the back. The fore part of the neck and the breast are yeUowishj
brown, and the back, and all the upper parts, brownish gray,!
fringed ^vith a light colour. The legs are orange. j

Some ytniters maintain that these birds came originally froin|
Guinea, m Africa. The breed now, however, is very commoni
everywhere, and they are widely and numerously dispersed, both!
in a wild and domestic state. They are found in great numbers:
about Baikal, an eastern section of Siberia, and .likewise in
Kamtschatka. They are kept in a state of domestication in mosti
of the Russian provmces.

The Mute Swan {Anas Cygnus Mansiietus, Linn.). The plumage oi'
this swan is of a snowy_ whiteness. It is much larger than the
wild swan; often weighmg twenty-five pounds, and measuring
three feet and a half in length. The female frames her nest
among the rough herbage, near the water's edge. She lays from
six to eight large white eggs, and she sits on them for the space of
sis weeks — some say eight — before they are hatched. The young
do not acquire their fuli plumage till the second year.

The swan, from the earhest records of our history, has been pro-
tectecl on the river Thames as our royal property, and it continues
at this'day to be accounted felony to steal their eggs. By this means}
theii' increase is secured, and they prove highly ornamental to the
river scenery generally. We are told that, in the reign of Edward
IV., the estimation in which they were held was such, that no
one Yfho possessed a freehold of less than the clear yearly value of;
five marks, was permitted even to keep any. In those timesj
hardly a piece of water was left unoccupied by these birds, as v.tII'
on accomit of the gratification they gave to the eye of their lordly!
owners, as that which they also afibrded when*^the}r graced the!
sumptuous boards at the splendid feasts of that period; but the'
fashions of those days have now passed away, and swans are not:
now as common as they were formerly, being by most people con-i
sidered a coarse kmd of food, and"^ consequently held in little]
estimation; but the cygnets (the yomig swans) are still fattened!
for the table, and are sold for a guinea each, and even more ; hencei
we may infer that they are better food than is generaUy imagined, |
, Wild Geese {Anser, Linn.). — These birds form an important item"
in the shooter's vocabulary. Six dilferent species visit the British |
shores in winter. The gray-lag is one of these bii-ds, and is tliQ

SEA-FOWL SHOOTING. 127

origin of our common domestic ^oose. ^ These are well known to all
country people _ in Britain, from the circumstance of their always
flying in a particular figure — that of a wedge. They are a diificult
bird to approach in regular hunting form. They are shy and wary
to a proverb. When they arrive in winter, they frequent the sea-
coast, and little rivulets and creeks, feeding on marine and other
grasses,^ and display a great partiality to green wheat. The only
mode of getting within range of them is by ambush, or advancing
lUpon them under cover of some kind. Colonel Hawker recom-
mends that we "ascertain in the water meads what part they have
used (which we shall be able to see by their _ dung and feathers),
and then we should wait for them at dusk in some ambush that
commands the fresh places adjoining. Contrive, if possible, to get
the line of a dyke_ or drain, so as to take their company in the
flank." Mr. Daniel likewise says : — "Theii- flight is always (ex-
cept in_ thick fogs) very elevated; their motion is smooth, ac-
companied with little rustling, and the play of the ^vings seems
pever to exceed two or three inches ; the regularity with which
^hey are marshalled implies a sort of intelligence superior to that
of other birds, which migrate in disorderly bodies. The arrange-
ment observed by the geese is at once calculated to preserve the
ranks entire, to break the resistance of the air, and to lessen the
exertion of the squadron. They form two oblique lines, like the
letter V ; or, if their number be small, only one line ; generally
they amount to forty or fifty, and each keeps its_ rank with ad-
mirable exactness ; the chief, who occupies the point of the angle,
and first cleaves the air, retii-es, vrhen fatigued, to the rear, and
the rest by turns assume the station of the van. Pliny describes
the wonderful harmony that prevails in these flights, and remarks
that, unlike the cranes and the storks, which journey m the ob-
scurity of the night, the geese are seen pursuing their route in
proad day.'*

The wild goose generally weighs about ten pounds; and measures
two feet nine inches in length, and five feet in bi-eadth. The bill
is thick at the base, tapers towards the tip, and is of a dullish red
hue, with the nail white. The head and neck are brown, tinged
with dull yeUow, and from the separation of the feathers, the latter
appears striped downwards. The upper part of the plumage is of
% deep brown, mixed with ash-gray ; each feather is lighter on the
edges, and the lesser coverts are tipped with white. The shafts of
ihe leading quills are white, and the webs gray, and the tips black.
The secondaries are black, tinged A^dth white. The breast and
belly are crossed and clouded with dusky and ash colours on a
whitish ground. The tail feathers and vent are of a snowy white-
aess. The middle feathers of the tail are dusky, tipped with white ;
:hose adjoining more deeply tipped, and the exterior ones are nearly
all white. The legs are pale red. . _

During any succession of frosty days, especially if accompanied
with a snow-storm, there are few places on the British coast which

228 SHOOTING. '^

will not afford more or less of wild goose sliooting. If going on |
the water, or into the marshes, after these bu-ds, does not suit the |
sportsman's convenience or choice, by attending the brooks and I
small rivers that are only partially frozen, and followmg then- coui'se, '

he may frequently find cliversion, and be ahnost certain of meetn
ing with some of these bnds. There are many localities on the
moor districts of the north of England where these wild geese

frequent every winter, even when it has not been very cold or

The Siberian Goose (Jnser BuficoUis, Limi.)— This is called the
laughing goose, or white fronted. These are seldom seen in this
country. Colonel Hawker teUs us, that they Avere unknown here
tiU the frost of 1830, when there were eighty of them alighted in a
field near the village of Wilford, where, he says, they were l3eset by
a swarm of gumiers, and attacked, but only Avith very moderate
success. The §-allant Colonel liimseK succeeded, however,_ on the
foUoAvdng day, m bringmg down twenty. They are described as
very har^ to kiU.

The Cormorant {Pelicanus Corbo, Linn.)— There are three va-
rieties of this bnd known to shooters; the great black, the cole-
goose, and the crested. The common cormorant Aveighs about
from four to seven pounds, and the size varies from thirty-five
inches to four feet six inches in breadth. The bill, to the corners
of the mouth, measui-es four inches, and its ridge tAvo and three
quarters. It is of a dark horny consistency, and the tip, or nail,
of the upper bill is much hooked and sharpened. Erom the base
of tins it is furrowed on each side nearly to the top, without any
visible appearance of nostrils. The lower biU is compressed, and
covered, about the gape of the mouth, Avith a naked yeUoAvish
skin, extended under the clun and throat, where it hangs loose, and
forms a kind of pouch, Avhich, together Avith the springing blade on
each side forming its rim, is capable of extension to a great Avidth,
and by it the bird is enabled to SAvalloAV prey apparently too large
to be admitted into its throat. The skin about the eyes is naked,
and of the same colour as the pouch ; the eyes, which haye a re-,
markably wild stare, and are placed near the bill, look like tAVC
little greenish glass globes. The croAvn of the head and neck are
black ; and on the hinder part of the former the feathers appeal
elongated, and form a sort of loose crest. In some s}pecimens oi
the connorant the throat is Avhite, Avith a kind of stripe passing
from, it, upwards, behmd each eye. In others the cheeks and tliroal
are mixed Avith brown and white ; AvhUe in other species the heac
and neck are streaked Avith scratches of the latter colour. The
middle of the belly is Avhite, with a patch of the same colour ovei
each tliigh. All the under parts, hoAvever, together Avith the back
and rump, are commonly of a glossy blue black, AA-ith green shades
The shoulders, scapulars, and wing-coverts, are of a bronze broAvr
hue, tinged and glossed with green; and each feather is borderec
Avith sliining bluish black. The secondary quills are nearly of th(

SEA-FOWL SHOOTING. 129

ame coloiu-. The coverts and primaries are dusky. The tail con-
ists of fourteen stiff husky feathers, which look as if they wevo
iiscoloured by being dipped in mud or dirty kemiel-water. The
egs are thick, strong, black, and coarse, about two inches and a
alf long, and the outer toe is more than four inches in length.

The cormorant is_ a native of almost every climate. They abound
a great numbers in Greenland and Nova Zembla, and parts ad
acent ; and the natives have a curious method of taking them, by
Qcans of lui'es or decoys. They make use of the jugular pouch of
he bird for a bladder to float their fishing-darts, after they are
hrown. Their skins, which are tough and leathery, are used for
,'arments, and their flesh for food. But it is said that the eggs of
he bird are too foetid even to be eaten by Greenlanders.

These birds usually assemble in flocks on the summits and inac-
;essible parts of the rocks which overhang or are surrounded by
he sea, upon which the female makes her nest of the withered
ea-tang, weeds, sticks, and grasses, which are cast on shore by the
raves ; she lays four or five greenish- Avhite eggs, of the size of
hose of a goose, but of a longer shape. There are sporting writers
.nd naturalists who assert that, in some parts of the world, these
irds build their nests on trees, like the rook and the heron ; others,
gain, stricken with the singular conformation of the feet and the
errated claAvs, have ascribed properties to them which they do not
lossess, and maintain that they hold their prey in one foot, while
vith the other they push forward to the shore, or carry it thither
a the same manner on the wing. But this is pure fancy, unsup-
)orted by any evidence of fact. The truth is, the feet of these birds
ire not fitted for any such purposes. They are, like those of all the
Xpert diving tribes, placed far behind, and while, by the position
f these, and the powerful stroke from their broad webs, the birds
ire able to pursue and overtake their slippery prey, the hooked
harp-edged beak is the only fit instrument both to catch and se-_
!ure it, and there is no need to use the awkward expedient of
emovmg it afterwards to the foot.

At sea, or in the inland lakes, these birds make dreadful havoc.
horn the greatest height they drop down upon the object of pur-
.uit, dive after it mth the rapidity of a dart, and, with an almost
merring certainty, seize the victim ; then emerging with the fisli
icross the bill, with a kind of twirl, throw it up into the air, and,
lexterously catching it head foremost, swaUow it whole.

While at rest on the shore, commonly on the ledge of a pro-
ecting rock, these birds sit, more or less, in an erect posture,
md are propped up by the stiff feathers of the tail ; and in places
vhere they nave not experienced the direful effects of fire-arms,
-hey have been known, however wary at other times, to sit and re-
;eive repeated shots, without offering to move out of the danger.
it other times and places, while they sit in a dosmg and stupified
jtate, from the effects of one of their customary surfeits, they may
asily be taken, by throwing nets over them, or by putting auoaso

X30 SHOOTTXG.

around their necks, which they avoid no further than by slipping ;
the head from side to side as long as they can. j

Notwithstanding the natural Avildness of their disposition, it
seems, according to some accounts, that certain species of these
birds were formerly tamed, and rendered subservient to the pur--'
poses of man, both in this and other countries. Among the
Chinese, it is said, they have frequently been trained to fish, and
that some fishermen kept many of them for that purpose, by which:
they gained a good livelihood. A ring placed around the neck
hinders the bird from swallowing; its natural appetite joins with.'
the will of its master, and it instantly dives at the word of com-
mand ; but unable to gorge down the fish it has taken, it returns
to the keeper, who secures it t9 himself. Sometimes, if the iish be
large and ill to manage, two will act in concert, one bii'd taking it
by the head, and the other, by the tail. Willoughby tells us, that
in England, when these birds are brought to the rivers, their hoods
are taken off, and then a leather thong is tied round the lower
part of their necks, that they may not swallow down the_ fish they,
take. The birds are then thrown into the water ; they dive imme-
diately, and, for a time, with remarkable swiftness, pursuing the
fish with great ardour. _ Wlien they have caught thern, they rise to
the surface, and pressing the fish lightly with their bills, they
swallow them, till each bird has swallowed five or six ; then the
keepers call them to the fist, to which they_ readily fly, and little by
little, one after the other, vomit up all their finny captures, whicn^
appear sometimes a little bruised, with the nip the bii'd has given
them with its hooked bill. When the fishermen have done, they
set the bird on some high place, and then loose the string from
their necks, which leaves the passage free of air to the stomach, and
by way of encouragement part of the prey is given back again to
each bii'd. Whitlock tells us, likewise, that he had a cost of cor-i
morants manned like hawks, which would come to hand. He took;
great pleasure in them, and relates, that the best he had was one.'
presented him by Mr. Wood, Master of the Cormorants to Charles
the Eirst.

Dr. Heysham relates, that about the year 1759, one of these bii'ds
perched upon the castle at Carlisle, and soon afterwards removed
to the Cathedi'al, where it was shot at upwards of twenty times,;
without effect ; at length a person got upon the cathedral, fired at;
and killed it. In another instance, a flock of fifteen or twenty perched^-
at the dusk of evening, on a tree, on the banks of the river Esk,.
near Netherby, the seat of Sir James Graham. A person who saw
them settle, fired at random at them, in the dark, six or seven times,
without either killing any or frightening them away. SiiTprised
at this, he came again at daylight, and succeeded in killing one,
when the rest took flight.*

Colonel Hawker tells us, that the cormorants may be seen in the

* Latham, Willoughby, Bewick, &c.

SEA-FO-^TL SHOOTING. 131

vening, pursuing a regular course towards the cliff, on the sea-
oast, where they roost, and that in their flight they are often mis-
aken for Brent geese, and shot at as such by inexperienced
hooters. They are likewise sought after by adventurous persons,
rho are able to reach the middle of the rocky heights. Inattempt-
ag to shoot them in such positions, much circumspection is requi-
ite in secreting the sportsman from observation, so keen-sighted
re these birds, and so jealous of any object that bears even the
emblance of a weapon, that they immediately take the alarm at
he slightest display of an enemy, and thus elude the devices of
he best sportsman. The shooting of these birds is considered an
ixcellent exercise for young gunners.

The TFilcl Duck {Anas Bochas, Linn.) — This is the parent of our
lomestic duck, and is a little less in size than it. The wild mallard,
tr_ drake bird, measures about twenty-three inches in length, and
hirty-five in breadth. It commonly weighs from tliirty-six to forty
)unces, the bill is of a yellovdsh hue, not very flat, about an inch
)road, and two and a half long, from the corners of the mouth to
he tip of the nail ; the head and upper half of the neck are of a
flossy, deep, changeable green, terminated in the middle of the
leck by a white collar, with which it is nearly encircled. The
ower portions of the neck, breast, and shoulders, are of a deep
inous chestnut, and the covering scapular feathers are of a kind of
ilvery white, while those underneath are rufous. Both are prettily
irossed vsdth waved threads of brown.^ The wing coverts are ash ;
he quills brown, and between these intervenes what is called the
wiuty-spot, in the duck tribe, which crosses the closed wing in a
ransverse, obHque direction; it is of a rich glossy purple, with
' dolet or green reflections, and fringed by a double streak of white
m\ lilack. The beUy is of a pale gray, delicately pencilled, and
T' issed with numberless narrow-waved dusky lines, which, on the
idrs and long feathers that reach over the thighs, are more strongly
md distinctly marked. The upper and under tail coverts, the lower
)art of the back, and the rump, are black; the latter are glossed
vith green. The four middle tail feathers are hkewise black, with
RU'ple reflections, and, like those of the domestic drake, are stiffly
iurled upwards, the rest are sharp pointed, and fade off to the ex-
erior sides, from a brown to a dull white. Legs, toes, and webs,
ed.

The plumage of the female, which is called a flapper, is very
iifferent from that of the male, and possesses few or none of its
)eauties, except the spot on his wings, AH the other parts are
)lain brown, marked with black. She makes her nest, lays from
;en to sbiteen greenish-white eggs, and rears her young generally
n the most sequestered mosses or bogs, far from the haunts of
nen, and hidden from his sight among the reeds and rushes. To
ler youn^, helpless, unfledged family (and they are nearly three
nonths old before they can fly), she acts the part of a fond and
iutiful parent, carryiag or leading them from one pool to another.

132 SHOOTrNG.

as her fears and iiiclmations direct her ; and she is known in this
country to use the same Avily stratagems to niislead the sportsman
and his dog as those akeady noticed respecting the partridge. _

Like most of the duck tribes, the mallards, in vast quantities,
leave the north at the end of autumn, and, migrating southward,
arrive in the beginning of winter in large flocks, and spread them-
selves over all the loughs and marshy wastes in Great Britaiii.
They pair in the spring, when the greatest part of them again
retui-n to the north to breed, during the summer months of com-
paratively warm weather and long days. A few straggling^ birds
remain every season with us, and breed, rearing their young in o\ir
boggy grounds, which remain with us throughout the year.

It is somewhat curious and out of the usual course of nature,
that these ^vild ducks have been known to build their nests on
trees, even to the height of twenty-five feet from the ground.
There are several well-attested instances of this in the annals of
British wild-duck sporting.

Wild-duck shooting is one of those sports which recjuires to be
well timed. One cannot go out whenever fancy may prompt and
pursue the amusement with any hope of success. These bii-ds are
very shy, and must be plied and dodged about to gain upon them,
so as to bring the shot witliin range of them. They have fixed
times of feeding and visiting certain locaHties ; and the only way to
effect any destruction among them, is to watch their movements,!
and conceal yourself from observation. You may thus often inter-!
cept their flight when congregated in considerable nmnbers, and ,
bring down several at a shot. They are sometunes very easily:
killed, and sometimes ahnost impervious to the lead pellets. All
depends upon the part of the body hit. Regular wild-duck shooters '
are often very successful in moonlight nights. The bii-ds are theui
less shy and suspicious. We have ourselves often been very lucky
under these lunar auspices.

With respect to wild-duck shooting in boats along the sea-shore,
in rather stormy weather, we have little to say grounded on our own
experience. The truth is, we have several times been rather vahant
in this kuid of sport, but we never got a quarter of a mile from the
shore till our stomachs rebelled, and we were literally dead for the
time being. All the wild-ducks in Christendom could not have
raised us pn our legs. To persons who are proof against tliis
insidious sickness, we have no doubt such sport abounds with the
exciting and pleasurable to a reasonable extent ; but we say to all
who are not possessed of such singularly constituted stomachs, to
eschew the sport, and keep on terra firma.

There are few places near the shores of Great Britain where wild-
duck shooting cannot be had. Some localities are certainly more
famous than others ; but there is an abundance for all sportsmen
during the season : and it is an interesting sport on this account,
that there are fev/er restrictions upon its exercise than upon almost
any other kind of game. Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshii'e, Martin

SEA-POWL SHOOTING. 133

Mere, in Lancasliire, in North and Soiitli Wales, in Scotland, in
the Fern Islands, off Bambro Castle, in Northumberland, there are
countless thousands of these birds to be met with in the winter
season. It is necessary to observe that, by a recent Act of Parlia-
ment, no Avild-fowl, either young or old, can be legally killed from
the last day of March to the first of October.

TiiQ Pochard, or Lunbird (Ancfs Ferina, Linn.)— Mr. Daniel gives
us the best account of this bird: — "It is about the size of a
widgeon, weighs one j^ound twelve ounces ; its length is nineteen
inclies ; breadth two teet and a half j the biU is broader than the
widgeon's, of a deep lead colour, with a black tip • irides orange ;
the head and neck orange chestnut, with a small triangular spot of
white under the centre of the lower mandible ; the lower parts of
the neck and breast, and upper part of the back, dusky black;
scapulars and wing-coverts nearest the jpody of a gray white,
elegantly marked with narrow lines of black ; the exterior wing-
coverts and quills dusky brown ; secondary quill-feathers regularly
edged Avith a stripe of white ; the beUy ash-coloured and brown ;
vent-feathers and coverts of tail black ; the tail consists of twelve
short feathers of a deep gray ; the legs lead-coloui-ed. The female
has the head of a pale reddish brovm ; the breast is rather of a
deeper colour ; w4ug-coverts and beUy cinereous ; and the back
marked like that of the male. These birds are eagerly bought by the
London poulterers under the name of dun birds, as they are deemed
excellent eating ; the greater part of what appear iu the markets
are caught in decoys ; but the construction and mode oi working
are perfectly distinct from that whereiu the other wild-fowl are
taken. A decoy for dun birds is called a flight-pond, and has nets
fastened to tall stout poles, twenty-eight or tliirty feet long ; at the
bottom of each pole is fixed a box, filled with heavy stones, siiffi-
cient to elevate the poles and nets the iustant an iron pin is with-
drawn, which retains the nets and poles flat upon the reeds, small
willow boughs, or furze. Within side the nets are small pens,
made of reeds about three feet high, for the reception of the birds
that strike agaiust the nets and fall down ; and such is the form
and shortness of the wing of the pochard, that they cannot ascend
again from these httle inclosures if they would ; besides, the num-
bers which are usually knocked into these pens, preclude all
chance of escape from them by the wing. A decoy-man will some-
times allow the haunt of dun birds to be so great that the whole
sui'fac-e of the pond shall be covered with them previous to his
attempting to take one. Upon such occasions he bespeaks all the
assistance he can get, to complete the slaughter by breaking their
necks. When all is ready, the dun birds are roused from the
pond, and as all wild-fowl rise against the wind, the poles in that
quarter are unpinned, and fly up with the nets at the instant the
dun birds begin to leave the surface of the water, so as to meet
them in their first ascent • and they are thus beat down by hun-
dreds. At the pond of Mr. Baxton, at Goldanger in Essex, as

134; SHOOTING.

many pochards liave beeu taken at one drop as filled a waggon, so
as to require four stout horses to carry them away ; and tlie lower
birds in the pens have been known to be killed and pressed entirely
flat, from the numbers of their companions heaped up above them
by the fatal stoppage of the poles and nets._ The few attempts
made to domesticate the pochard have been hitherto unsuccessfud.
They do tolerably well where there is plenty of water, but cannot
bear Avalking about on hard, pebbly grounds."*
■ These birds leave the northern regions on tlie commencement of
winter, and direct then- course southward. It is said that they
frequent Egypt, and the entire section of the Holy Land, and are
very numerous_ in some of_ the lakes and marshy districts hi
America, especially in Carolina and Louisiana. Li France they
make their appearance about the month of October, in numerous
flocks, and about the aime period they may be found in aU the low
and fenny districts of Great Britain.

We have seen capital sport with the gun in_ shooting these bkds,
especially in a severe snow storm, accompanied with a hard frost.
They are not so difficult to knock down with tolerably sized shot
as some other wild fowl ; it is, however, always a matter of diffi-
culty to get -within range_ of them, for they are very shy, and
remarkably quick in recognizing an enemy.

The Widgeon. {Anas Penelope, Linn.) — This weU-known bird
weighs about twenty-three ounces, and measures nearly twenty
inches in length, and two feet three in breadth. The bill is an
inch and a half long, narrow, and its outer edges are serrated.
The upper mandible is of a dark leaden hue, tipped with black.
The crowii of the head is very high and narroAV, and is of a cream
colour, with a small spot of the same under each eye. The rest of
the head, the neck, and the breast, are of a bright rufous chestnut,
faintly freckled on the head with black spots, and darkest on the
chin and throat, which are tinged with a vinous coloui-. A band
composed of beautifully waved or indented narrow ash-brown and
white Imes separates the breast and neck. The scapulars and back
are marked mth similar feathers, as are also the sides of the body
under the Avings, even as low as the thighs. These, however, are
paler. The beUy to the vent is white, and the ridge of the wing
and adjoining coverts are of a dusky ash-colour, approaching to
brown. The great coverts are brown, fringed with white, and
tipped with black, which forms a border to the changeable green
heautij-spots of the wings, which arehkewise bordered on the under
side by the deep velvet black tips of the secondary quills. The
exterior webs of the adjoining quills are white, and those next the
back, which are very long, are of a deep brown, fringed with
yellowish white. The greater quills are brown, the vent and
upper tail-coverts are black.

Widgeons fly in small flocks during the night, and may be dis-

* Rural Sports, vol. iii, p. 281.

SEA-FOWL SHOOTING. 135

tinguislied. from other wild fowl by tlie peculiar whistling note
they use while on the wing. They have been domesticated in
many places, and are generally much admired for their liveliness
and beauty.

These birds quit the lonely and desert regions of the north out
the approach of frosty weather, and direct their course to the
south, breaking into detached and diverging lines, and spreading
themselves over the shores, morasses, and lakes of different
countries. Great quantities of them are found in the east, par-
ticularly in Egypt, and in the islands of the Mediterranean.
They remain in^ these parts during the winter, at the end of
which the old birds pair, and the whole tribe, in fuU plumage,
take their departure northward about the end of March. While
the widgeon remains with us, it frequents the same places, and
feeds in the same mode as the maUard, and is often taken in the
decoys along with that and other species of the duck tribe.

There are a great number of birds called divers, and among the
number are the scoter, scaup, golden-eye, and morillon, which are
calculated to afford the foAvler some share of sport. Colonel
Hawker says there are seven kinds of these divers to be found in
Great Britain, exclusive of other _ six which are separately classed
as the genus Ifergtis. Mr, Daniel says that "they vary much
both in plumage and size ; some weighing two pounds and a half,
and others a pound less, are caught in the decoys ^vith the ducks.
In hard weather, they frequent the shores and tide rivers m great
plenty, and are ahnost always, at that season, fat and in good con-
dition. They do not fly in such large flocks as many of the duck
species, and usually close to the surface of the water, and bear
very hard blows from the shot without dropping, rmless struck
upon the head or wing. The scoter is seen in prodigious num-
bers from November to March on the IVench coasts, especially if
the wind be to the north or north-west. The day seems to be
spent by these birds between diving and flying to small distances
over the water, which they do so low as often to dip their legs in
it: they swallow their food whole, and soon digest the shells,
which are found crumbled to powder among their excrements.
They have been kept tame for some time, and will feed on soaked
bread. The flesh tastes fishy in the extreme, and, from this
cause, is allowed by the Homan Catholics to be eaten on fast days
and in Lent, and indeed, to say the truth, must be a sufficient
mortification."

As far as our own personal experience goes ia the shooting of these
divers, we think it amusing enough, but not very profitable. We
have never been able to hit one bird out of ten. They are uncom-
monly quick in their diving movements ; the m.oment the gun is
pointed, down they go. In stormy weather, that is, with a wind
from the north-east, cold and frostv, a sportsman by the east coast
of Britain may now and then way-lay these birds on their flights,
and succeed in bagging a few brace, but this requires great

136 SHOOTING.

exertion, patience, and_ the concurrence of favourable circum-
stances, even to do this. These birds seem to have powerful
instincts that man is their natural enemy.

The Teal {Anas Crecca, Lmn.). — This is one of the most favourite
of the duck tribe among sportsmen. It is a beautiful bird, and
admirabl)^ proportioned. It is about twelve ounces in weight, and
is fifteen inclies in length, and twenty-four in breadth. The bill is ;
dark, tipped with white. The irides are pale ; and a glossy bottle-
green patch, fringed on the upper side with pale brown, and
beneath with cream-coloured white, covers each eye, and extends
to the nape of the neck. The rest of the head, and the upper part
of the neck, are of a deep reddish chestnut, darkest in the forehead,
and freckled on the chin and about the eyes with cream-coloui-ed
spots. The_ hinder part of the neck, the shoulders, part of the
scapulars, sides under the wings, and lower belly towards the vent,
are elegantly pencilled with black, ash-brown, and white traversed !
waved lines. The breast, gradually_ resembling the beautifully \
spotted appearance of an Indian shell, is of a pale brown or reddish
yellow, and each feather is tipped with a roundish heart-shaped
black spot. The belly is a cream-coloured white. The quills, lesser
and greater coverts, are brown, and the last are deeply tipped with
wliite, wliichform a bar across the wings. The first six of the
secondary quills are of a fine velvet black, wliile those next to
them towards the scapulars are of the most resplendent glossy
green, and both are tipped with white, formmg the divided black
and green bar, or beauty-spot of the wmgs.

The tail consists of fourteen feathers of a hoary-brown colour,
with pale edges. The legs and feet are of a dirty lead colour. The
female, which is less than the male, is prettily freckled about the
head and neck with brown and white. She has not the green
patch between the eyes, but a brown streak supplies its place, ,
whicli_ extends itself to the nape of the neck. The crown of the
head is dark brown. The upper mandible yellow on the edges,
olive green on the sides, and olive bro^vn on the ridge. The nail
is black, and the under bill yellow. The breast and oelly are of a
glossy yellowish white, spotted irregularly with brown. The upper
plumage is dark brown, each feather is bordered with rusty brown,
and fringed with gray. The wmgs and legs are nearly the' same as !
those of the male bird.

Teals are common in most parts of Great Britain in the winter
months, but it is not very well ascertamed whether they remain
throughout the year to breed, as is the case in Prance. We have
seen ourselves about a dozen nests of these birds during the last
forty years, but not more. The female makes a large nest com-
posed of soft dried gTasses, lined with feathers, cunnmgly concenled
m a hole among the roots of weeds and bnhushes near the edge of
the water ; and some naturalists have asserted, that the nest, in
some cases, actually rests on the surface of the water, so as to rise
and fall with it. The eggs are of the size of those of a pigeon, and

SEA-rOWL SHOOTING. 137

amount to six or seven in number. They are of a dull white coloiu-,
freckled witli small brownish spots. Some have been known to
lay twelve eggs. Buffon says, that numbers of young teal are seen
in poolsj feeding on cresses, wild chervil, &c., and, imques-
tionably, as they grow up, they feed, Hke other ducks, on the
various seeds, grasses, and water plants, as well as upon the
smaller animated beings with which all stagnant waters are so
abundantly stored. The bird is highly extolled for the excellency
of its flavoiu'.

We have already remarked, that teal shooting is considered a
crack amusement. Colonel Hawker says, " Of all the prizes that
a wild-fowl shooter could wish to meet with, a flock of teal is the
very first. Independently of their being by far the best birds of
the whole anas tribe, they are so much easier of access, and require
such a slight blow, that no matter whether you are prepared for
wild-fowl, or partridge, or snipe, you may at most times, with very
little trouble, continue to get near them ; and this being once done,
you have only to shoot straight to be pretty sure of kilhng. * * *
If you spring a teal, he will not soar up, and leave the country like
a wild duck, but most probably will keep along the brook like a
sharp flying woodcock, and then drop suddenly down; but you
must keep your eye on the place, as he is very apt to get up again,
and fly to another before he will quietly settle. He will frequently,
too, swim down stream the moment after he drops ;^ so that, if you
do not cast your eye quickly that way, instead of continuing to
look for him in one spot, he will probably catch sight of you, and
ly up, while your attention is directed to the wrong place."

Teal are seldom seen -in any quantities ; scarcely ever more than
ten or twenty are assembled together, and this only m stormy
weather, and in certain favourite localities near the coast, or the
edges of a sheet of water, whose edges are fringed with long grass,
or brushwood. They are comparatively a solitary bird ; they con-
fine themselves chiefly to famihes ; and it is only in this way that
they are interesting to the sportsman. A man may range a consi-
derable section of marshy country, and not see more than a pair or
two of teals. In all the moor and boggy districts m the north of
England they are to be met with ; but as we have just said, never
in any quantities. . .

There is a large portion of wild-fowl shooting carried on as a
matter of business and trafiic, and not properly of sport. This is
chiefly confined to the low districts of the coast, where bn-ds ot the
duck kind especially congregate in immense quantities, at certain
seasons of the vear. Many persons gain a good livelihood by this kmd
of shooting. The following is substantially the account of the matter,
relative to the Hampshire coast, and the Isle of Wight, which Mr.
Gilpin gives. The coast between Hampshire and the Isle ot Wight
is peculiar, consisting at ebb-tide of vast muddy flats, covered with
green seaweed ; it afl'ords the fowler an opportumty of practising
arts perhaps not elsewhere resorted to. Eowlmg and fishmg are,

138 SHOOTING.

indeed, on this coast cornmonly tke emploj^nents of tlie same
person. He who in summer with his line or net j)lies the shores
when they are overflowed by the tide, in winter mtli his gun, as
evening draws on, runs up iii his boat amon^ the little creeks,
which the tide leaves in the midlands, and lies in patient expecta-
tion of his prey. Sea-fowl usually feed by night, when, in all their
multitudes, they come down to graze on the savannahs of the
shore. As the sonorous cloud advances (for their noise resembles
a pack of hounds in the air in full cry), the attentive fowler hstens
which way they bend their com-se; perhaps he has the mortification
to hear them alight at too great a distance for his gun (though of '
the longest barrel) to reach them; and if he cannot edge his boat
round some creek, which it is not always in his power to do, he
despairs of success that night; perhaps, however, he is more
fortunate, and has the satisfaction to hear the airy noise approach
nearer, till at length the host settle on some plain upon the edge
of which his boat is moored. He now, as silently as possible,
primes both his pieces anew (for he is generally double anned),
and listens with all his attention. It is so dark', he can take no
aim ; for if he could discern the bu^ds, they would also see him, and
being extremely timorous, would seek some other pasture. Though
they march with noise, they feed in silence ; some indistinct noises,
however,_if the night be still, issue from so vast a concourse ; he
directs his piece, therefore, towards the sound, fires at a ventui-e,
and instantly catching up his other gun, discharges it where he
supposes the flock to rise on the wing. His gahis for the night are
now decided, and he has only to gather his harvest. He imme-
diately puts on his mud-pattens (flat square pieces of board, which
the fowler ties to his feet that he may not sink in the ooze),
ignorant yet of liis success, and goes groping about in the dark in
quest of his booty, picking up sometimes many, and perhaps not
one ; so hardly does the poor fowler earn five shillings, exposed in
an open boat, during a solitary winter night, to the weather as it
comes, raiu, haO, or snow, on a bleak coast, a league probably from
the beach, and often liable, without great care, to be fixed in the
mud, where he would become an inevitable prey to the returning
tide._ I have heard a poor fellow say, he never takes a dog with
him in these expeditions, because no dog could bear the cold which
he is obHged to suffer ; for the tide often throws next dav, on many
different parts of the shore, many of the birds which he had killed,
but could not find in the night.

The danger, Mr. Daniel tells us, of fowlers attacking the wild
fowl in small boats, arises from the cii'cumstance that when there
happens to be ice in the river, they get encii-cled by it, and can only-
hope to extricate themselves by foUoT^dng the current, wherever
it may take them. It not unfrequently happens that the men are
detained two or tliree tides before they 'can work their way out of
the icy entanglement. They suffer much, in such cases, from cold
and privation. He says further, " The punt is but ill calculated to

SEA-POWL SHOOTING. 139

sustain pressure against its sides, whicli are not twenty inches high
from the surface of the water ; in this the punter by night drops
down with the tide, or uses his paddles after the fowl ; he knows
their haunts, and takes every advantage of Avind, tide, moon, &c.
His gun, which carries as much as a little cannon, is laid with the
muzzle over the stem of the punt in a liitch, which regulates the
line of aim. At the bottom of the punt he lies upon his belly, and
gets as near the route of the fowls that are upon the water as pos-
sible ; when within range of liis gun, he rattles with his feet against
the bottom of his punt, and when the fowls begin to spring at this
unexpected sound, at that moment he puUs the trigger, and cuts a
lane through their ranks. He instantly follows the direction of his
shot, and gathers up those that are killed or just expiring, for very
seldom he makes it answer to row after fowl that are only wounded.
He then charges his gun, and drifts further down the river, in
hopes of a second, third, and successive shots. By this mode a
man has brought home from fourscore to a hundred of wild fowls
of various kinds in one night's excursion ; and this _wiU not seem
an exaggerated account when the multitudes which, in hard, frosty
weather, with the wind at east or north-east, haunt the Blackwater
river are known. * * * The gun proper for this shooting, when
followed as an amusement, has no occasion to be more than three
feet four inches in the barrel. The regular shooter for profit uses one
of three feet eight, which would not weigh less than twelve pounds
(upon this scale the whole gun will be about eighteen pounds
weight); this quantity of iron, of the above length, will be as
capable, or more so, of throwing shot as sharp and distinct as a
barrel two feet longer. Should this heavy mass be objected to as
cumbersome to carry, let it be remembered that these guns are not
meant to lie upon the arm, or to be carried about in the fields; the
shooter is either seated in a boat or upon a marsh ; in either situa-
tion the gun does not fatigue him, since he has nothing to do but
elevate it as the wiid-fo\vl fly over liis head, and after firing and
charging, let it again lie by mm until fresh objects require its use.
Without this ponderous substance, no man can stand the recoil of a
gun that will carry a sufiicient charge for doing execution at great
lengths, and to kill manv birds at a shot. A common fowling-piece
may do its business well, so far as its capacity extends, but it wiU
carry very few pellets of either single or double Bristol shot ; the
latter is generally used by the punters for day, and the former for
night-shooting ; the largest BB patent shot is too light for either,
but even with that a gun with a common-sized bore would not carry
enough to do any great execution, if a rout of fowls were ever so
numerous."

On and in the vicinity of thel'ern Islands, near to Berwick-upon-
Tweed, there are an immense quantity of wild-fowl congregated,
and here they breed in surprising numbers. It is impossible, in
walking on the ground, to step upon a single square foot of space
without crushing eggs beneath your feet. In the winter season,

140 SHOOTING.

when there is a storm from the east or north-east, with a heavy sea
breaking on the shore, the wild-fowl may be shot, even on the
main laud, in considerable quantities, by artfully conceahng oneself
along the beach. We have seen the storms have so bewildermgau j
effect, even on thesehardy birds, that they seemed quite stupid, and 1
would have come witliin twenty yards of our gims, even in day- ■
light. Heavy guns for boat-fishing are not used in this district, ,
solely from the cause that the sea runs so wHd and stonny, even ia i
tolerable weather, through the various channels which divide
this singular group of barren rocks from each other.

Lake and Fond Shooting has likewise a pecuHar character, and
can only be followed in particular sections of the kingdom. These
are chiefly the fenny districts of Lincolnshu-e and Cambridgeshire,
where the various kind of wild ducks breed among the reeds and
long grass in the boggy grounds ; here the young are hatched, and
obtain, in the month of August, the name o^ flappers, and the shoot-
ing of them then commences, and is found to be excellent sport.
This kind of shooting is altogether different from that which is
practised on the coast, where the bii-ds only come to feed at parti-
cular seasons, and where they never breed.' These fens, or snares,
or broads, are somethnes amazingly stocked with birds of aU kinds ;
and great numbers are shot, or taken in traps and nets, and sent to
the London market.

A gun oi fifty pounds weight is found to be the most eligible. The
old heavy pieces of seventy and eighty pounds rendered the punt ('
immovable when fouled on grass and wdnkles, which are shells =;
strewed over the oozes in comitless myriads. The sportsman in li
such a punt rows with his back to the gun, until he sees the fowl, ,1
when he turns on his face, and works himself along with a kind of l!
prong, weighted to catch the ground. "When there is so much li
water that the shoving-pole cannot readily reach the ground, two )i
paddles are made use of to push the fowler forward. Having ''
given these general directions, we must refer the reader to Colonel I,
Hawker's work for further information, as to mud pattens, mud
boards, and to several modifications of the launching punt, the
launching sledge, the Sussex mud-boat, and the Poole canoe ; all
devices and instruments to facilitate the capture of the wild fowl
in the creeks and oozes of this part of the British coast.

Before parting from this branch of our subject, we must quote a
few sentences respecting a scheme the Colonel calls an island:
"The plan I adopted a few seasons ago was to make an island m
the middle of the ooze, where I was sure of the first shot, unless
any one was there whose punt di'ew less water than mine, which
happened not to be the case. The way to make an island that will
stand the overwhelming south-westers is this : Go at low water,
and drive strong poles, from nine to twelve feet long, into the mud,
at about the interval usual for hedge stakes, till they stand no
more than two or three feet in height, then make a hedge to inclose
as much space as you may wish your gun to sweep ; fill in your

SEA-POWL SHOOTING.

141

erce with faggots, well lashed on, and then cover them with mud,
sea-weed and light gravel, taking care to leave a sniooth np-hill
mrface, which yonr gun wiU play weU upon, and without leaving
my protuberance that would protect the bn-ds from the shot,
/^fter your island has stood a few heavy gales, you wiU then see
vrhether you have to replenish it or not ; and when all appears to
stand well, go and cut off your stakes level with the island, as they
might otherwise wholly alarm the hkds, and partly protect them
from your shot. Let your island be completed a few weeks betore
the autumnal passage of the bh:ds, and I'll waiTant that the hrst
heavy gale and spring tide will drive to it some home-bred ox bu^ds,
if not curlews. These, provided they are not driven away by some
premature tyro of a gunner, will bring down the bu-ds of passage
which migrate to the coast; so that, with the first gopd Me and
very high wind, you may expect to see— not one particle ot your
island— but only the rug or carpet,^as it were, which is lormed by
the innumerable birds that cover it." , j -x-.

There are a number of miscellaneous matters connected with
wild-fowl shootms: which we shall hastily run over. _

The dress of the wild-fowl sportsman should suit his amusement.
Mr. Daniel says:— "To be properly equipped for this sport m
severe weather, it is essentially requisite to be well clothed, iiannel
shirt drawers, and additional exterior and warm garments, will
not be found unpleasant to those who face the cold wmds upon
the marshes, or sit fixed in a punt alongside the oozes ; thick yarn
stockings, and over them what are termed wads by the fishermen
(knit wooUen stockings that come up to the middle ; and however
inelegant m their appearance, prove very sohd comlorts to, the
wear?r); and over these double defenders of the legs, a pair ot
waterproof boots will also be found indispensable A cap must be
worn, made of skin, instead of a hat; the wild fowl will not ap-
proach near the latter, and nothing so much or so soon shies

them.

There is no kind of sporting with the gun that requires more at-
tention to health than wild-fowl shooting. It is a severe and much
exposed amusement, and should be very guardedly engaged m by
young men of a consumptive tendency. Indeed, we have kno^vn
many a man possessed of what is called an iron constitution, sink
under long continued exposure to night air, want of sleep with
perhaps a too great indulgence in tipphng, to keep the eoldout
?rhe best means for this is to go out to the sea-shore i^a frosty
night pretty weU soaked with warm tea; it will enable the spoits-
man to stand longer uninjured by cold and damp than anything he
can take. We have found this to be true from personal experience,
as well as from the testunony of others. ,

Wild-fowl shootmg can be obtamedinahnost every section .ot
the coast of Great Britam and Ireland, and m most of the mountain-
ous and moorish districts of both islands. North and fouth Wa es
presents some fine lakes for this kind of shootmg, and so likewise

143 SHOOTING.

do all the Highland localities of Scotland. The whole coast of this
part of Britaiii opens out a grand field for the sport ; and to one
who wishes to enter zealously into it, we would recommend him
to take a tour round the western isles, by the north cape, re-
tunung by the eastern side of the island. He will find sport of
this description to his heart's content.

We find that wild-fowl shooting is zealously pursued ia India, .
both by British residents as well as natives. "The English/' says •
Mr. Pennant, "send out their servants _ as weU as Indians to shoot j
these wild-fowl on their passage. It is in vain to foUow them ;
they therefore form a row of huts made of boughs, at musket-shot
distance from each other, and place them in a line across the parts
of the west marshes of the country where the fowl are expected to
pass. Each stand is occupied hj a single person ; these, on the ap-
proach of the birds, mimic their cackle so well that they will answer,
wheel, and come near the hovel. The sportsman keeps motionless,
and on his knees, with his gun cocked, and never fires till he has
seen the eyes of the wild-fowl. He fires as they are goiag from
liim; then picks up another gun that lies nigh him, and discharges
that. The fowl kiUed he sets up on sticks, as if alive, to decoy
others- he also makes artificial birds for the same purpose. In a
good day (for they fly in very uncertain and unequal numbers) a
single Indian will kill two hundred. Notwithstanding every kind
of wild-fowl has a different call, yet the Indians are admirable
in their imitation of every one."

CHAPTER XIV.

BOOK SHOOTING.

This is very excellent sport, and comes to the sportsman's re-
lief at a seasonable time — the month of May. The rook is about
the size of the carrion crow, and is very like it, except in its glossy
plumage. _ The base of the biU of the rook, and nostrils, as far as
the eyes, is covered with a white skin, which constitutes one of
the points of difference between it and the common carrion crow.
Hooks are gregarious, and collect ia vast multitudes at mormng and
evemng to repair and return to their feeding and resting places.
Dui'irig the breeding time they live together in large societies, and
bmld their nests on trees close to each other, and not unfrequently
even in the heart of a populous city. " Some years ago there were
several large ehn-trees in the college garden, behind the Ecclesias-
tical Court, Doctors' Commons, ia which a number of rooks had
taken up theii' abode, forming ia appearance a sort of convocation of
aerial ecclesiastics. A young gentleman who lodged in an attic,
and was their close neighbour, frequently entertaiaed himself with

hooe: shooting. 143

huimii"- this covey of black game by means of a crossbow. On the
)pposite side lived a curious old civilian, who oDservmg Irom Ins
itudy that the rooks often dropped senseless from their perch or,
IS it may be said, without using a figure, hojopedthe twig, makmg
10 sio-n ' nor any sign being made to his vision to account lor tiie
)henomenon, set his wits to work to consider the cause. It was
)robable during ^profitless time of peace, and the Doctor having
)lenty of leisure, weighed the matter over and over, till he was
it length fully satisfied that he had made a great ormthological
liscovery, that its promulgation would give wmgs to bis tame,
md that he was fated by means of these rooks to

' Volito vivus per era virum.'

Eis goosequill and foolscap were quickly in requisition, and he
ictually mote a treatise statmg circumstantiaUy what heMmselt
liad seen, and, in conclusion, giving it as the settled conviction ot
tiis mmd that rooks were subject to i\itfaUi7igsichiess ! ^

Rookeries are famous for their strites and contentions, ihe
birds are singularly sharp, and very clever at takm- wha. does not
belong to thera; and these invasions on the rights ol property
sause immediate reprisals, and restitution of the stolen goods We
bave often seen nests torn to pieces by what may be termed gene^
ml acclamation, and their occupants drummed out ot the society.
They display great economy in the building of then: nests, almost
invariably using the old one, when it happens ;to be i)reseived.
TheTtrim it up afresh, and place the softer articles m it, for.the
eggs and the young. They begin to build m March; one brmg-
£- materials, while the other watches the nest,, lest it should be
plmdered by its brethi'en. They lay five or six eggs, of a pale
green coloui', marked with smaU browmsh sjDots After the breed-
m- season rooks forsake then: nest-trees,.gomg to roost elsewhere ;
but return to them in August, and agam m October, when they re-

^^TherTis^one^ trait in the character of the rook wluch is peculiar
to that bird, and which does him 119 Httle credit : it is the distress
which he exhibits when one of his own kmd has been killed or
wounded by a gun, while feeding in a field or flying over it. In-
stead of being scared awaj by the report of the piece leaving the
wounded or dead bnd to its fate, he shows the greatest anxiety and
sympathy for him, uttering cries of distress, and plainly proving
that he wishes, if he can, to render his brother some assistance.
He hovers over him, and sometimes makes a dart from the air close
up to him, apparently to try and divine the reason why he hngers
behind.

" While circling round and round
He calls his lifeless comrade from the ground."

» Houe's Every-Diiy Book.

144 SHOOTING.

If the bird be woimded, and can flutter along- the ground, the
sympathizer appears to animate him to make fresh exertions by
incessant cries, flying a little distance before him, and beckoning
him to try and follow. It is saidthat even when a dead bird has
been hung in terrorem, to a stake in a field, he has been visited by
some of his former friends, but as soon as they found that the case
was hopeless, they have generally abandoned that field altogether.

As soon as the young rooks leave the nest, they are fit for the
sportsman's gun. There is a much better chance, however, of
killing and getting them when they leave the nest and sit upon
the branches of some neighbouring tree. These are called branc ^>ers.
When the young rooks are sitting on the edge of the nest, if shot,
they almost invariably tumble into the nest, or if only wounded,
hang to it with singular tenacity. When they sit on tlie branches
apart from the iftst, and are killed or wounded, they generally faU
to the ground.

_We have often been highly amused with the apparently in-,
stinctive care and abhorrence which rooks manifest for a gun. In'
many parts of England, the countiy people generally firmly believe
that these birds can smell powder, from the singular adroitness
they display in detecting the presence of the deadly instrument.
We have often tried them with a stick, or pole, like a gun ; but
they always seemed to be aware of the difference between the sham
and the real instrument. Their instinctive manoeuvres as to this
matter are known to all sportsmen who ever carried a gun.

r!«£ON SHOOTING. 145'

CHAPTER XV.

PIGEON SHOOTING.

The shooting of these wpll-kllo^vn birds is both a sporting and
gambling amusement ; it is interesting, however, under both aspects.

The bird has been noticed from the earliest of times for its
domestic habits and instincts. It knows its way home, though it
be hundreds of miles off; and this has been, and still is, justly "con-
sidered one of the most surprising and unaccountable facts in the
entire history of animated beings. Anacreon, in his Odes, has
immortalized the pigeon as the bearer of epistles. Taurosthenes
sent his father a message by this bird of his success in the Olympic
games on the day it occuiTcd. Pliny states that a communication
was kept up daring the siege of Modena, by pigeon carriers.
Ariosto (Canto XY.) makes the Castellan de Damiata, spread the
news of OrHlo's death aU over Egypt. Sir John Maundeville, who
flourished in the reigns of the second and third Edward, notices the
value of the colverees in China, for the transmission of letters on
important business.

The varieties of the pigeon family are very numerous, and
naturalists and ornithological ^vriters have differed considerably on
the subject of their classification. Limiasus places them among
sparroivs, upon the grounds that both pair in the season of love,
both work jointly in making the nest, and_ take their turns in
sitting on the eggs. La YaiUant's classification seems now, how-
ever, to be the one generally acquiesced in, at the present time. He
arranges these birds under three definite sections ; the first contains
colonibes, ramiers, and toiirterelles ; the second, columbars, and the
third, colombi-gallines.

We shall first notice pigeon-match shooting. When this com-
menced in England, it is difiicult to say. We find it noticed at
length, and as an established sport, above sixty years ago, in the
Sporting Magazine (1793.) The account given of it there is substan-
tially the same as the amusement displays at present - and on this
account, we shall lay it before the reader, as being the best we have
of the matter.

'' The great celebrity of this sport, in whioh some of the first
shots in England are so frequently engaged, encourages us to com-
municate an account of its fashionable influence and increasing
prevalence, as a subject entitled to a place in our sporting detail.
Matches coming under this denomination are of two kinds : — the
first are supported by private subscription, among such gentlemen
only as are members of their distinct and separate clubs. _ Others of
an inferior complexion come on, or take place, by pubhc contribu-
tion from candidates of every description, and are generally
excited and brought about by the landlords of inns, who offer prizes

L

liQ SHOOTINXi.

of plate, purses of gold, &c., &c., to loo shot for. This practice of :
pigeon shooting is also common in almost every partof the kingdom, :
but in none is it so frequently repeated or so fashionably fojlo^yed :
as in and around London. In the counties of Buckinghamshire, :
Berkshire, Hampshii-e, and Surrey, it is patronized, where, at this I
season of the year, it is in perpetual _ succession at one spot or '
another. Having proceeded thus far in our general account, it !
becomes us now to enter on such description of the sport as may;
render it perfectly easy of comprehension to those who have never
had an opportunity of beiug present at so eager a struggle for
superiority. In direct conformity mth propriety, we advert first j
to the match, as it is generally made and decided between a given j
number of gentlemen from different clubs opposed to each other, or |
members of the same club, when, by tossing up for the fii'st choice, i
they continue to choose in rotation till the party is completely
formed, which maybe contracted or extended to any number required
for the convenience of the company intending to shoot. The match
thus made, and the names of the opponents arranged upon paper by
the arbiter, the sport begins in the following order :

"Several dozens of pigeons having been provided for the purpose,
are disposed in baskets behind the company, there to wait the
destructive crisis, the ' deadly level' that dooms them to instant
death, or gives them liberty. A shallow box of about a foot long,
and eight or ten inches wide, is sunk in the ground parallel withi
the surface, and just tvv^enty-one^ yards from the footmark at whichl
each gunner is bound to take aim. The box has a sliding lid, to<
which is aifixed a string held by one appointed to the office, wno is;
placed next the person gomg to shoot, from whom he takes thei
word of command for drawing the string whenever he is ready toi
take his aim, another pigeon being so expeditiously placed in thei
box for the succeeding shots stands ready (by the runners that,
fui-nish the pigeons), that ten, twelve, or fifteen dozen of pigeons
are deposited in the box, flown, and shot, in much less time than it
is possible to conceive. The gunuer is not permitted to put his
gun to his shoulder tiU the bird is on the wing ; and the bird must
fall within one hundred yards of the box, or is deemed a lost shot;
During this rapid succession (one of each side shooting alternately),
the arbiter is employed in pencilling opposite to each name the
success of every mdividual, hj A 1, or A 0 ; this, at the end of the
match, denotes the superiority, by demonstrating which party hasi
killed most pigeons at the least number of shots. Exclusive o*f the
general betting upon the match, there is a variety among_ indi-i
viduals — the shots of some against others, and the field betting of
the bird agaiust the gun, as fancy may prompt, or the reputation
of the gunner dictate. He that kills most pigeons in the match, at
an equal number of shots with the rest, is by such pre-emiuence
the captain of the day, stands elected as chairman for the meethig,
and does the offices of the table accordingly.

" Matches of an inferior description are still more numerous, and

PIGEON SHOOTING. 147

generally come under the denomination of a help-all or make-feast,
at the instigation of those industTious, liberal landlords who adver-
tise three pieces of plate to be given to tlu-ee best shots ! but at the
moment of entering the list, it becomes a collateral part of the
contract, that each adventurer is to contribute his proportion
towards the gifts of the plate, to pay for his pigeons, and to dine at
the ordinary. These matters properly adjusted, the shooting is
carried on in precisely the same manner as before described, with
this exception only, that every individual shoots_ for himself alone,
without any connection with party. The candidate killing_ most
pigeons at the least number of lots, becomes entitled to the piece of
plate highest in value, and _ so in proportion; but in so great _ a
number of candidates there is frequently an equality of success ;_ in
such cases they are called ties, and are shot off at the remaining
pigeons till the superiority is ascertained and the victor proclaimed.
Tliis done, the day concludes mth the same degree of festivity and
superabundance as before described, but in a style of inferiority,
necessarily regulated by the pecuniary resources of the parties con-
cerned. Looking, however, to its attraction as a matter of sport,
little or nothing can be said in its favour when put in competition
with the more noble and manly enjoyment of the sports of the
field. The liberal mind feels a temporary repugnance at the idea
of first confining, and then Kberating from that confineraent, hun-
dreds of domestic animals doomed to instant death, with a very
slender probability in tlieir favoar, when .a moderate shot Avill bring
down fourteen or fifteen, and some nineteen out of twenty. This
picture affords but an indifferent idea of the sportsman's humanity
who indulges largely in this species of gratification; and further,
we presume to observe, for the information of the inexperienced,
that it is the most infatuating and expensive amusement the juve-
, nile sportsman can possibl)^ engage m ; for one day very seldom
I terminates without the appointment of a second ; one extravagance
I as constantly engenders another, to the utter exclusion of economy,
I w-hich is upon all similar occasions generally laughed out of coun-
' tenance. Experience has also comanced us, that eight, nine, and
': ten pounds for pigeons, in addition to the bill_ of fashionable exor-
' bitances for the day, amounting to the inconsiderable reckoning of
two or three guineas each, has sent many a pigeon-shooter to his
bed, and awakened him to the pillow of reflection."

That these statements may not appear altogether one-sided,
we shall give a quotation of a somewhat modifying character
as to the uses and nature of this practice of pigeon-match
shooting. We agree with Mr. Daniel, that " shooting of
pigeons and of game is so widely different, that a person m^ay
almost always strike his bird from the box, that scarcely ever
makes shift to hit it when rising from the bush, imless a pointer
ascertains to an inch from what spot he may expect the bird to
spring. No method is so advantageous in learniu.^ to shoot well
as acquiring it by practising it at game; the pigeon from the

148 SHOOTING.

trap glides off in silence, and not a nerve is discomposed oy the
siniJlest alarm ; but in the field, where the partridge or pheasant
rises with aU the ^dgour of an animal exertmg his powers to pre-
serve life and hberty, the consequent sound of their pinions in their
ascent to the aii-, which is always attended \vith considerable noise,
will perhaps create more of that trepidation, which, when possessed i
even in a trifling degree, eftectuaUy deters from steadiness in shoot-
ing, than if the" shooter had never accustomed hiniseh: to fire at
objects whose flight is so dissimilai-. Many young shooters exer-
cise their skill at swallows, swifts, and martins; but the flight of
these is so irregular and unlike that of every other bird which the
sportsman pui'sues, that even a certainty of killing them (which, by
the way, a despicable bad shot may acquire a knack of doing by
seizuig a particular moment when they are just upon the turn, and
are for an instant stationary), does not at aU forward their dex-
terity in bringing down any other species of game." Mr. Daniel
says again, that " as a mode of shooting to bet large sums'
of money upon, pigeon-match shooting is perhaps the least objec-
tionable,' since every shooter has an equal chance as to the distance
f i-om whence the bird is sprung ; but certainly it is not exactly the
kind of shooting that a sportsman mil ever try or fancy as an
amusement." A decided favoui'er of this sport observes, '' that
whatever degree of utility may otherwise attach to it, pigeon-
shootiag has^the further merit of annually delivering some hun-
dreds of miserable bh-ds from the clutches of metropoHtan black- :
guard fanciers, by whom they are too often kept iu an unnatural .
and torturing state of confinement. _ Indeed, then: carriage ui sacks :
to the place of execution is no mitigation of their tortures, yet
happy are those which there find their quietus. ^ Further, it is an i
Englislunan's sport, since it is a free one, iu which a man may exer-'
else his gun, although of the unprivileged class."

Pigeon-match shooting is stiU practised in many parts of England, I
and in the metropolis and suburban localities. The terms of these ^
matches vary, according to the fancy of the concoctors of them.
Sometimes they are arranged for single, sometunes for double
guns ; sometunes for this weight of shot, and sometimes for that.
XVe think, however, within these few years these matches have,
been decidedly on the dechne, and are not now considered so 'I
fashionable as they were wont to be some years ago.

The Bhigdoi-e, or Cushat {Cohimha Palumbus, Linn.) — We shall i
noAV make a few observations on wild pigeon shooting. This birdi
varies from twenty to twentj'-two ounces, and its length is about
eighteen inches. The bill is yeUo^-ish, and the irides are of a Hght
yellow. The head, coverts of the wings, and scapulars, are of
deep bluish ash hue, and the neck and breast vinaceous, beautifully
glossed with green and copper-colotu', changeable when viewed
under different shades of light. On each side of the neck there
is a larffc patch of glossy white, which almost joins behind ; the
back and tail are ash-colour, and the latter black at the point. The

PIGEON SHOOTING. 149

rent and thighs have an ash hue, and the bastard wing is ahnost
black. Eehind it a few of the coverts are white, forming a line
down to the larger quills, which are dusky, fringed wdth white.
The legs are feathered much below the knee, which, with the het,
are of a pui'plish red. There is little or no distinction in the
plumage of the sexes, but the female is not quite so large.

It is a disputed point among naturalists whether the wild pigeon
migrates farther than from the northern parts of tliis island to the
southern. Its nest is rather rude, as most schoolboys know.
Graham says : —

" So rudely is it formed.
That oft the simple boy who counts the hours
By blowing off the dandelion flowers.
Mistakes the witch-knots for the cushat's nest."

Some writers think the wood-pigeon (for it often goes by tin's
name) has decreased within late years very much. We think
this a mistake. Of course we do' not know how matters stood
w^henMr. White of Selborne wrote his admirable History, but we
know something of the bkd for the last half centui-y, and our
belief is that it is as numerous now,_ if not more so, than at any
previous period of history. It is impossible to travel in any
direction in Great Britain and not see vast flocks of them, at least
on those tracts of country which abound Avith a fair portion of
wood, and are in a state of tolerable cultivation. Mr. White says
on this point that " he had often killed near twenty in a day, and
that on some occasions, with a long fowhng-])iece, he has even
shot seven or eight at a time on the wdng, as they canie wheeling
over his head, and that there were often among them little parties
of small blue doves, which are called rockiers."

The v\ild pigeon requii-es rather a severe blow with the shot to
knock it down. Its feathers are close, and resist shot like those
of water-fowl. When these bnds collect in considerable mmibers
about turnip fields in Avinter, they invariably set scouts out to
watch over a sm-prise. These sit on some two or three of the
Idghest trees in the neighbourhood, and when they give the alarm
the entne body move ofi" in quick time. We have been often
struck, and sometimes a little mortified into the bargain, to see
how adroitly and cleverly these sentinels perform their duty. Yet
in spite of their instmctive and systematic vigilance, the sports-
man'may often succeed in getting Avithin range of them, anddo
considerable execution, by having a pretty good gun, and using

Eretty good sized shot. In the months of Jidy and August we
ave often noticed this bird visiting old pasture fields, and feeding
rather keenly on the seeds of a species of grass which is then
alnmdant. We have not failed to profit bythis hint as to such
localities, and have sometimes done execution in them when all
other places were of little avail.

150 SHOOTI^'G.

As pigeons are required to be bred for the purpose of sbooting.
matches, a few words on the best modes of doing this are requisite.
The fii'st thing is a commodious place to rear and protect them.
This, of course, will necessarily be yaried according to the circum-
stances and position of the pigeon-breeder. But whatever be the .
size or shape of the dove-cote, it must have two holes or rooms to
■nest in. Without this arrangement is made, there_ will be con-
stant confusion, and the eggs wiU get broken continually. If a
dove-cote can be entirely isolated, it will prove m.ore secure than
any other, as vermin will then find it difficult, and in some cases
impossible, to shelter themselves in it. When pigeons are kept in
a room, and they have to lay their eggs on the floor, they are hable
to be destroyed by rats.

It is recommended that every dove-cote should, if possible, have
a south-west aspect ; and if a room be fixed upon for that purpose,
a hole may be made in the roof of the buildiag for the passage of
the birds, and which can be closed at convenience. A platform
should be constructed at the entrance for the pigeons to ahght
upon, and with some defence against strange cats, v/hich will often
destroy a whole dove-cote in a single night. If cats can be reared
to be familiar with pigeons, then they may be of important use, ia
guarding the dove-cote from the intrusion of rats and mice. This
platform should bp painted white, this being a favourite colour with
the birds, and it is likewise conspicuous as a mark to enable them
to find their way home. The boxes should also be coloured, and
renewed whenever necessary, for which purpose lime and water
■will be sufiicient.

Cleanliness is of great importance in a dove-cote • the want of it
will soon render the place a complete nuisance, and the birds will
become covered with vermin. The place should be thoroughly
cleaned once a week._ Water to pigeons is of great moment.
They have an instiuctive anticipation of rain, and wiU remain on
the_ house-tops, spreaduig their wings, and patiently waitiag its
arrival. Wlien they are confined in a room, they should be allowed
a wide pan of water ; and this should be often renewed, as a bath;
which cools, refreshes, and assists them to keep their bodies clear
of vermin. In attendance on pigeons, caution is requisite 'with
respect to their fighting, to whicli they are more prone than might
be expected, often to the destruction of eggs and young.

The common baiTcl dove-cote is known to every one, and there-
fore needs no formal description. It is adapted to almost every
situation and locaHty.

Pains must be taken to pair the pigeons properly; this is a
matter of some nicety. This may be done according to the fancy
of the keepers, for the purpose of varying the colours, or with any
other view. Old pigeons are difficult to retain securely; they are
apt to take flight on every opportmiity of gaining their freedom.
It is better to have what is called squakers, or such as have not yet
flown : these, being confined, in a short time, well fed, and gradually

PIGEON SHOOTING. 151

accustomed to the siirromidiug scenery before tliey have acquired
sufficient strength of wing wherewith to lose themselves^ will
become perfectly domesticated.

In a room or loft appropriated to the rearing of pigeons, the
shelves should be placed sufficiently high for security against
vermin, a smaU ladder being a necessary appendage. The usual
breadth of the shelves is about twenty inches, with the allowance
of eighteen between shelf and shelf, which will be quite enough
not to incommode the tallest bnds. Partitions bstween the
shelves may be fixedat the distance of about three feet, making a
bHnd, hj a board nailed against the front of each partition, where
there will be two nests in the space of every three feet ; so that
the pigeons wiU sit in privacy, and not be nable to disturbance.
Or, a partition may be fixed between each nest; a good plan,
wliich prevents the young from running to the hen, sitting over
fresh eggs, and perhaps occasioning her to cool and addle them ;
for, when the young are about a fortnight or three weeks old, a
good hen will leave them to the care of the cock and lay again.

Pood and water should be given to pigeons in such a mamier as
to keep them from being contaminated with du-t of any kind.
Earthen pans may be used for this purpose ; but there are neat
meat-boxes and water-bottles made for the purpose, ^yhich are
excellent things, and preseiTC great cleanliness m feeding. The
meat-box is formed in the shape of a hopper, covered at the top to
keep the grain clean, which descends into a square hollow box.
Some fence this ofP mth rails or holes on each side,_ to keep the
grain from being scattered over ; others again leave it quite open,
that the young birds may the more readily find it for their food.
The water-bottle is a large glass bottle with a long neck, holding
from one to five gallons ; it is belly-shaped like an egg, so that
the pigeons may not alight upon, and soil it. It is placed upon a
stand or three-footed stool, made hoUow above to receive the belly
of the bottle, and let the mouth into a small pan beneath ; the
water will gradually descend out of the mouth of the bottle as the
pigeons drink, and be sweet and clean, and always stop when the
surface reaches the mouth of the bottle.

The Stock-Bom {Gohmba (Enas, Linn.) There is considerable
•uncertainty about the identity of this bird. Bewick calls it the
tcild-pigeon ; and Colonel Montague ike rock-clove, ox rockier ; and
he says that ornithologists seem to differ concerning the rock and
the stock pigeon, though it appears almost impossible to conceive
them a distinct species. In those described under such names,
there seems to be so much similitude, except what may be ex-
pected from a species half reclaimed, and frequently returning to
their natural wild habits again, that we cannot but consider them
as one and the same species. Bewick rather coolly says, that the
stock-dove, rock-pigeon, and wood-pigeon, with some small dif-
ferences, may be included under the same denomination. The
wood-pigeon ought to be taken entirely out of this class, because it

159 SHOOTING.

is well known never to produce any sexual intercourse with our
domestic pigeon, though every effort has been tried which ingenuity
could suggest. Besides, as it has been often remarked the deter-
minate size of the wood-pigeon, from which he never seems to
vary, is quite u'reconcilable with the notion that he is of the same
species as the common bird.

The stock-dove is very generally diffused throughout all the
countries iu Europe. It is said to be migratory ; but this is not
well ascertained. The nest of the female bird is very loosely and
rudely put together; so much so, that the eggs can be distinctly
seen from the under part of the nest. She lays two white eggs.
These birds live on )vild fruits, herbs, and on all kinds of grains.
They are very partial to peas. They are delicate eating, except
wheii they have been for some time feediug on tuiiiips ; they then
acquire a strong and rancid flavour.

They are a shy bird to approach, but are somewhat more easily
killed with shot than the common wood-pigeon. When they
assemble in large flocks, they set scouts to Avatch ; but by a little
•care, and keeping perfectly still, if possible, the sportsman may
succeed in getting a fair shot at them. Some writers say they are
more common in the southern counties of England than in the
northern. They are likewise numerous in some oistripts of Wales.
In some of the continental states, particularly in Hungary,
Bohemia, and Servia, they appear in great flocks, at certain
seasons of the year, and are shot in large numbers by the sports-
men and peasants of these countries.

Turtle Dove {Columha Tutur, Linn.) — The length of this bird is
nearly twelve inches. The bill is broAvn; the eyes yellow, and
surroimded -with a crimson circle ; and the top of the head is ash
colour, mixed with olive. On efich side of the neck there is a spot
of black feathers, ti]3ped with white. The back is an ash colour,
with each feather fringed with a reddish bro^vn, and the wing
coverts and scapulars are like^Aise of a reddish hue, shghtly spotted
with black. The quiU-feathers are dusky, with pale edges. The
forepart of the neck and breast is of a light, pui;plish red ; and the
belly, thighs, and vent, are white. The two middle feathers of the
tail are brown, the others dusky, and tipped with white. The two
outermost are also edged with the same, and the legs are of a
reddish hue.

The note of the turtle dove is singularly tender and plaintive,
and lias been famed for tliis from the earliest times by poets
and sentunentalizers of all grades. In addressing his note, the
male Im-d make use of a variety of wimiing attitudes, cooing at
the same time in the most gentle and soothing strains. This has
given rise toi ts_ emblematical representation of connubial attach-
ment and happiness. These bnds arrive late in the spring, and
depart about the latter end of August. They frequent the thickest
and best sheltered localities of woods and plantations, where they
build their nests on the highest parts of tne loftiest trees. The

SaOOTING or SMALL BIRDS. 153

female lays two eggs, and has only one brood iu tliis comitvy ; but
in warmer climates she is supposed to breed several times through-
out the year. Turtle-doves are pretty common in Kent, where
they are sometunes seen in flocks of twenty to thirty, frequenting
the pea-fields, where, it is said, they do great damage. Their stay
in this country seldom exceeds four or five months, during which
time they pair, build their nests, and rear their young, until they
are strong enough to foUoAv them in their retreat.

A variety of the common turtle has been described by the name of
the spotted necked tui'tle-dove. The difference consists in the whole
side of the neck being black, and instead of those feathers l^eing
tipped with, white, there is a round spot of white on each, very
near the end. Dr. Latham says this bird was shot in Buckingham-
shire, and that he observed one of these amongst some birds that
came from the last expedition to the South Seas ; but as it was in
a parcel wherein were some which belonged to the Cape of Good
Hope, it is possible that this single bu'd might come from that
place. The bastard produce of the common turtle with the turtle
of the aviary, has been proved by frequent experiments to be
ban-en, although the two species from whence it originates appear
to be closely allied, and a mixed breed is easily produced.*

CHAPTER XYIl.

SHOOTING OF SMALL BIEDS.

We confess to feeling some compunctions of conscience in writing
this chapter. If we could consult our own sentiments, and make
them the standard of other sportsmen's amusements, we should
say. Never fire a shot at any of the birds herein mentioned. As
lovers of nature, and of aU that animates the hedgerows and the
fields with their presence and their song, we have a strong disl-ke
to be the instrument of destruction to what have aU our lives been
objects of interest and pleasure. We know this is not in strict
accordance with the sporting code, and if our principle were legiti-
mately carried out, it might put, perhaps, an end to all shooting.
-We see the logical dilemma, and feel its force ; but still we cannot
altogether conquer our internal emotions, and so continue to do
what men in almost aU departments of life continue in some
measure to do, from the antagonistic elements of human nature —
to feel one thing, and do the contrary.

The Eedicmg {Turchs Iliaciis, Linn.)— This bird is nearly about
five ounces in weight, and is about eight inches in length.

• History of the Pigeons de Voliere. Paris. «

154; SHOOTING.

The bill is dark brown, the eyes a deep bazcl, and tbe plumage in
general is similar to that of the thrush, A white streak runs over
the eye wliich distinguishes it from that bird. The belly is not
quite so much spotted, and the sides of the body, and the general
mass of feathers under the wmgs, are tmged with a lively red,
which constitutes its peculiar characteristic, and which confers
upon it its name. ^ _

These birds arrive in this country a little earlier than the field-
fares, and when the latter come they mingle freely together. They
frequent the same localities, live upon the same kind of food, and
are very sirailar to each other in their leading features. The red-
wing leaves in the sprmg, for wMch reason their song is not
known to us • but travellers tell us it is very harmonious and
sweet. The female builds her nest in low bushes or hedges, and
lays six eggs of a greenish blue colour, with small black spots
dotted upon them.

We are told by historians that the Romans held the flesh of the
redwing in the highest estimation, and they kept thousands of
them together in aviaries, and fed them with a species of paste,
chiefly composed of bruised figs and flour, and on various other
kmds of food; all with a view to improve then- dehcacy. These re-
ceptacles were so contrived as to admit light barely sufficient to di-
rect them to food. Every object which could possil^ly remind the
birds of their former liberty was sedulously kept out of sight ; such
as the fields, the woods, the bkds, or whatever might disturb or
break in upon their memories, or impair their improvement. Under
this treatment, the redwing fattened to a great extent, was sold for
a high price, and was raised to the highest edible dignity
amongst this luxurious people.

Be-wick tells us that a redwing was taken up, November 7, 17S5,
at six o'clock in the_ morning, which, on its approach to land, had
flown against the lighthouse at Tynemouth, and was so stunned
that it fell to the gTound and died soon after ; the light, it is con-
jectured, had attracted its attention. The same vrriter observes,
that whearedwuius appear on the eastern coast, they as commonly
announce the approach of the woodcock as does the arrival of the
wryneck that of the cuckoo in the south.

The best time for shooting the red^ving is in hard frosty weather :
they are then more bold in maintaining their feeding grounds, and
collect besides in greater numbers. The sportsman should, how-'
ever, shelter himself as much as possible. At all times these birds,
set scouts to watch ; and on this account it requires considerable
art to get within range of them.

_ The Fieldfare {Turdus Filarus, Linn.) is an interesting and beau-
tiful bird. It is about ten inches long. The bill is yellow, and
each comer of the mouth is furnished with a few black and bristly
hau's. The eye is light brown, and the head and back part of the
neck are of a light ashen hue ; the former spotted with black. The
cpverts of the wings are of a deep hoary brown, the rump ash-

SHOOTING or SMALL BIRDS. 155

coloured, and the throat and breast yellow, with regular spots of
black. The beUy and tliighs are of a yellowish brown^ and in the
young- birds more decidedly yeUoy.

There are some varieties of this bird which display a somewhat
different plumage ; but these differences are not of a very im-
portant cast. They are mostly confined to the comparative laint-
ness of the black spots on the breast, or the greater predomiuance
of white ia various sections of the body. •

The fieldfare is migratory, and arrives in this country commonly
in the first week in October; but this depends considerably on the
state of the weather. They are considered as prognosticators of
the forthcomittg winter. When they make their appearance early,
it is said that we shall have a hard season ; when late, a mild one.
They generally come here in lar^e flocks, and disappear about the
latter end of Eebruary, or the begiuning of March, and retire to
Russia, Sweden, Norway, and as far as Siberia and Kamtschatka.
Buffon teUs us, they do not arrive in Prance till December, when
they assemble in flocks of two and three thousand. Their food is
haws and other berries, andhkemse worms, snails, and slugs.

The fieldfare is a shy bird to approach with a gun. When they
are in any considerable numbers, they appoint regular scouts to
give the alarm of danger. They can therefore _ seldom be shot, ex-
cept by stratagem, or by accidentally 'gettiug withui range of a flock
of them. The shot easily kiUs them, their feathers beiug loose and
their frames deHcate.

Bewick says that fieldfares seem of a more social disposition
than the throstle or the missels; they are sometimes seen singly,
but in general form very numerous flocks, and fly in a body ; and
though they often spread themselves through the fields in search
of food, they seldom lose sight of each other, but, when alarmed,
fly off, and collect together upon the same tree.

The T/irusk or Throstle {Turdus Mucicus, Linn.).— This bird is
often, in country districts, an object of the sportsman's attention,
more especially 'if he be a young one. It is larger than the red-
wing, but less than the missel-thrush, to which, in other respects,
'it bears a great resemblance, both in form and colour. A spaall
notch is found at the bill of the throstle, which is characteristic of
all the thrush species. The throat is white, and the spots on the
breast are very regularly formed, and are of a conical shape. The
inside of the wings and the mouth are yellow, so likewise are the
legs. The claws are strong and black.

" The throstle is distinguished by its clear and harmonious notes,
and is one of the chief songsters of the groves, and takes the lead
among the feathered tribe : —

"The jay, the rook, -the daw,
And each harsh pipe (discordant heard alone),
Aid the fuU concert, while the stock-dove breathes
A melancholy murmur through the whole."

156 SHOOTING.

The throstle or thrush is not properly migratory in this country,
it is nevertheless more numerous in particular places at some part
of the year than at others ; and this circumstance has given rise to
the idea that they move, to a certain extent, from one place to
another. The female builds lier nest generally in hushes ; the
hazel, the thorn, and sometunes on the branches of trees. It is
composed pi dried grass, cenieuted together by clayey matter.
Buffon maintains that these birds are migratory in Erance, and ap-
pear in the soutli section of the kingdom about the end of Sep-
tember, and before either the redwing or fieldfare are seen. The
female bird has not such a brilliant plumage as the male ; the
colours and spots are more blended and faint in the former than in
the latter.

T/ie Missel Thrush [Tiirdus Viscivorus, Linn.). — This bird is about
eleven inches long. The bill is of a dusky liue, and the base of it
yellow. The eyes are hazel. The head, back, and lesser coverts
of the wings are of a deep olive colour', and the latter tipped with
white • though we have seen the white, in some instances, much
more brilliant than in others. The lower portion of the back or
rump is tinged with yellow ; and the cheeks are of a yellowish
wliite, spotted with brown; and_ so likewise are the belly and
breast. The quills are brown, fringed with pale edges, and the
tail^ feathers are the same, the tlnee outermost bemg tipped with
white. Thelegsare yellow, and the claws are black.

The female builds her nest in bushes or low trees, and lays four
or lU'C eggs, of a greenish colour, marked, sometimes irregularly,
with red spots. Its nest is made of moss, leaves, and small fibres
of twigs, and lined inside with dry grass. It commences early in
the year to sing, and this too when the weather is stormy and unge-
nial ;_ and this cncumstance has induced the country people, in many
districts in England, tp call it the storm cock. It feeds on various
kinds of berries, particularly those of the mistletoe, of which bird-
lime is made. Hence the notion which formerly prevailed that the
plant of this name was only propagated by the seed which passed
tlnrough the digestive organs of this bird, and the origin of the
phrase, Turdtis malum sihi cacat. It lLl<;ewise feeds on caterpillars
and various kinds of insects, on which it chiefly rears its young.
It is a natiye of almost every country in Europe, and in some sec-
tions of it is said to be migratory. It remains in England the en-
tire year, and has frequently two broods in the season.

The Lark (Alauda Arvensis, Linn.)- Tliis interesting bird
often falls a prey to the shooting tyro. We feel some degree of
pleasure at the thought of never having fired a shot at one.
"The daisied lea he loves, where turfs of grass
Luxuriant crowns the ridge; there, with his mate,
He founds his lowly house of withered herbs
And coarsest spear-grass; next, the inner work
With finer and still finer fibres lays,
Hounding it curious with his speckled breast."

SHOOTING OF SMALL BIRDS. 157

This bird is so ^yell laiown, that any description of it is superflu-
ous. It builds its nest upon the ground, where it is exposed to
the depredations of many of the smaller ammals of prey, as the
weasel and the stoat. Mr. Mudie says : " The lark selects her
ground with care, avoiding clayey places, unless she can find two
clods so placed as that no part of a nest between them would be
below the surface. In more friable soils she scrapes till she has not
only formed a little cavity, but loosened the bottom of it to some
depth. Over this the first layers are placed very loosely, so that if
any rain should get in at the top, it may sink to the bottom, and
there be absorbed by the soil. The edges of the nest are als9 raised
a little above the surface, have a slope outwards, and are, as it were,
thatched. The position in Avhich 1«.e bird sits is a fm-ther security,
and as the head is always turned to the weather, the feathers_ ot
the breast and throat completely prevent the ram from eiitermg
the nest at the side, while the \vings and tail act as pent-houses
in the other parts, and, if the weather be violent, and the ram
fall at a small angle with the horizon, the forepart of the bird, upon
which the plumage is thickest, receives the whole of it."

What is called the tioirling for larks, is a mode ot amusement
followed in France, and is thus described:—

These birds are draAvn to any given spot m considerable num-
bers, by a singular contrivance called a mirror. This is a small
machine, made of a piece of mahogany, shaped like a chapeau bras,
and higlily pohshed, or else it is made up of common wood, in-
laid with small bits of looking glass, so as to reflect the sun s
rays upwards. It is fixed on the top of a thm iron-rod, on an
upright spindle, dropped through an iron hoop or ring, attached
to a piece of wood to drive into the ground. By puUing a strm.g
fastened to the spindle, the mirror twirls round, and the reflected
light unaccountably attracts the larks, who hover over i1^ and be-
come a mark for the shooting sportsman. There is 9tten what
the French call capital sport in this way. Sometimes six dozen ot
these birds are shot before breakfast : sometimes the sportsman
sits on the ground, and pulls the twirler himself, and sometimes a
boy or servant is employed to do it. Ladies often partake ot the
amusement on a cold dry morning, not by shootmg, but bv watch-
ing the sport. Occasionally there are ten or a dozen parties out
together, firing at a distance of five or six hundred yards and by
this device the larks are kept constantly on the wmg I he most
favourable mornings are, when there is a gentle light frost Avit i
Httle or no wind, and the sky clear. Wlien cloudy the birds Avdl
not appear To a bystander it Avould almost suggest the tliouglit,
that the larks themselves enjoyed their own destruction for the
fascination of the twirler is so strong as to rob them of the usual
fruits of experience. After being fired at several times, they re-
turn to the twirler, and form again into groups above it ; some
of them even flying down, and sitting upon the ground, withm
a yard or two of the astonishing instrument, looking at it this

158 SKOOTIKG.

way and that way, and all ways together^ as if notMng had hap*
pened.

In some parts of Germany, larks are taken in great quantities.
Pr. Latham tells us that the duty paid at Leipsic for these birds
amounts to twelve thousand cro^vns per annum, at agrosch,or two-
pence-halfpemiy, for every sixty larks.

In this country, some lark shooters in winter, and when there is
a certain portion of snow on the ground with hard frost, sweep a
portion of the snow from the surface of the ground, and strew over
it a little chaff or grain. This area need not be more than twenty
yards square. The birds will greedily frequent it, and by means of
a natiu-al hedge, embankment, or an artificial screen, great slaughter
can be effected.

We would, however, advise young sportsmen to refi'ain from
any such practices. The bird gladdens the heart of man; as Pope
says :—

"Joy tunes his voice, joy elevates his wings !"

and we really do think that there ought not to be SiUy sporting mth
Ms safety.

CHAPTER XVI.

BABBIT SHOOTING.

*' More difficult than hares to hit,
They frequently appear to flit
Like shadows past one ;— good, indeed.
Is then the aim that bids them bleed.
If you would see them nicely stopped
In the thick wood, you must adopt
Snap shooting, for you'll seldom there
Have time to take them full and fair;
E'en lost to view, advance your gun
Quickly to where you think they run :
Hegard not grass, uor brush, nor briar.
Through each and all that instant fire.
Bang ! it's well—you saw him not
Aad yet you've killed him on the spot."— Watt.

Rabbit shooting is considered one of the minor legitimate sports
of the gunner, and has a considerable portion of pleasurable excite-
ment connected with it, chiefly from the uncertainty of success — •
though it may appear to a casual observer that it could never be a
difficult matter to kill a rabbit ; but actual experience tells another
tale. It is one of those shooting exploits that requires a combination
of qualifications, not always found in one and the same sportsman.
There are four kuids of these animals commonly knoAvn among
dealers and fanciers of them-, Bf^mely^ warre-mrs^ parkers, heciciehogs.^

HAEBIT SHOOTING. 159

and sweetliearts. The warreners are mdely distributed, and are to
be found in almost every section of the British coast, where there
are sand banks, or mounds of any kind. Though all of one species,
they vary considerably in size ; those in the Enghsh warrens being
greatly superior to those found in Scotland, both in size and in
flavour. The warren rabbits of the Lish coast are very much like
those found in Scotland, though on the whole, a shade larger in
bulk. The richest and finest warren rabbits are located in the
warrens along the eastern coast ; extendhig from Lmcolnshii-e to
Eerwick-UT)on-Tweed. It is a curious fact, but nevertheless a well
ascertained one, that all the rabbits on the warrens in the west
side of the island, are of a comparatively diminutive size, and in
many places have a strong fishy taste.

Those who rent warrens for the sale of rabbits, seldom or ever
allow shootingupon them ; and chiefiy for this reason. If a rabbit
be wounded, it wiU run for some hole or burrow; and it is
knovm to regular shooters of them in such places, that so
strong and powerful is this desire to get back to their holes,
that animals, in the very struggles of death, succeed often in'
scrambling into a sand burrow. Now warreners teU us, and
we are convinced of the fact from repeated experience, that
if a wounded or dying rabbit get into a burrow, none of the
living ones will ever pass it : they will die in their holes first ; so
that a smgle wounded or dead animal wiU cause the death of
perhaps a score of their own kind in the same locality. This
Becomes a real loss to the proprietor of a warren. We have knov/n
a couple of guineas offered for two or three shots in a warren, and
refused, solely upon this ground. The obstinacy of the rabbit is
curious ; and it is equally, if not more singular in reference to the
ferret. This little animal is often used by shooters to make the
rabbits spring out of their holes ; they are also very extensively
used by warreners to make them spring, and fall into small poke-
nets^ as they are called, placed at the mouths of the holes. _ But we
have often seen when these ferrets have been long in making their
appearance, the warreners have dug for them, and found them
commonly lying, though muzzled, beside a dead rabbit, whose
very brains have been scratched out, or their back-bone laid bare,
rather than budge an inch for the ferret. This is a circumstance of
daily occurrence in aU the great rabbit warrens in the north of
England, that lie on the eastern side of the island. Nothmg injures
the productive remuneration of a regular warren so much as shoot-
ing over it, even though it be but a week or two in a season.

The parker and the hedgehog rabbit, are very much ahke. They
both frequent plantations, and high inland rocky ground. They
are uniformly much smaller than the warren rabbits that are bred
on the eastern coast of England ; but are nearly of the same
length and weight as the general run of Scotch and Irish rabbits.
Li many parts of England, and even in Scotland, it has of late years
been a custom among gentlemen of landed estates, who were mucli

160 SHOOTING.

attaclied to fox-hunting, to introduce these parker and hedgehog
rabbits into certain localities of then- grounds, with a view of sup-
porting the foxes. But we believe that it has, in numerous cases,
turned out that the rabbits bred in such prodigious numbers,
that they became a regular nuisance, and very difl&cult indeed to
root out again. This practice has given rise to many serious
disputes and bickerings among farmers and their landlords, about
the destruction of the crops of grain by the rabbits in such places.

With respect to the shooting of these animals in such locahties,
every degree of caution isrequisite. It is indispensable you should
avoid advancing in a straight line towards them, or even to give a
glance at them. They must be approached by stealth. If you have
a dog, keep him close to your heels. Stoop down, and prevent the
animal from seeing you, if you can. This, and such like stratagems,
are the only means to get a shot at these kind of rabbits.

We may incidentally allude to hare shooting, though the annual is
more an object of the chase, than of the gun. StiU, throughout the
shooting season, there are a vast number of hares shot. Few sports-
men allow her to make her escape, when a fair shot offers. Some
fowlers are remarkably clever at finding and shooting hares ;
and we have knowninore than one instance, where it became quite
a passion to the entire exclusion of any other kind of sporting. We
have often seen an individual in a stubble field in a fine evening,
crawling upon his knees, _ and sometimes on his side or his belly;
and, without any dog, gaining upon poor puss so sloAvly but surely,
that her death became certain. This shooter would never, however,
fire at a hare in her seat in a hedge or cover of any kind. This he
thought most unsportsmanlike, and cowardly.

Hares are not difficult to kill. Their mode of running is more
favourable to the sportsman than the bouncing and stotting move-
ments of the rabbit.

CHAPTER XVIIl.

DEER-STALKIKG.

This is comparatively a modern shooting amusement, confined
chiefly to the higher classes of Enghsh sportsmen. It is, however,
full of interest and excitement ; and we shall endeavour to impart
as general an idea of it as our Hmits will permit.

The deer, it is well known, has been an interesting object of the
chase from the earliest records of the human family. Stag hunting
is treated of by Xenophon, at considerable length, and minuteness
of detail. It forms a conspicuous item in Anglo-Saxon history ; and.

DEER-STALKING. ICl

all clovm tlie middle ages, we find many of tlie most important
events connected Vv-ith its prosecution in most of the countries of
Europe.

With tlie hunting of the deer by dogs, we do not profess to
meddle ; but confine our remarks and statements to the shooting of
them with the gun.

Deer-stalking is practised in those parts of the Highlands of
Scotland, and in other countries, which are mountainous and inac-
cessible to anything but the pedestrian, his gun, and his dogs. It
is a most laborious and excitable amusement ; keeping the powers
of both mind and body upon the full stretch. _ It takes the sports
man into the wildest and!^ most sublime districts, and opens out to
his contemplation some of the most magnificent landscapes that
can captivate the senses and excite and ravish the imagination.
The sport, considered merely hi relation to the outward adventures
and rambles necessarily connected with it, is one of the liighest
and most manly kind.

Deer-stalking was written about, two centuries and a half ago,
by Taylor, called the water poet He says, m liis Pennyless Fil-
ciriin (we give the modern speUing), " I thank my good Lord
Erskine ; he commanded that I shouid always be lodged in his
lodging, the kitchen being always on the side of a bank, many
kettles and pots boiling, and many spits turning and winding with
great variety of cheer, as pigeons, hens, capons, chickens, part-
ridge, moorcocks, heathcocks, capercalLies, and ptarmigans ; good
ale, sack, white and claret, and most potent aqua vitde. All these,
and more than these, we had continually in superfluous abundance,
caught by our falconers, fowlers, fishers, and l3rought_ by my Lord
Marr's tenants and purveyors to victual our camp, which consisted
of fourteen or fifteen hundred men and horses. The manner of
hunting is this : five or six hundred men do rise early m the
morning, and they do disperse themselves divers ways, and seven,
eight, or ten miles compass, they do bring or chase in the deer in
many herds (two, three, or four hundred in a herd), to such or
such a place, as the noblemen shall appoint them ; then when the
day is come, the lords and gentlemen of then- companies do_ ride
and go to the said places, sometimes wading up to the middle
through burns and rivers, and then they being come to the place,
do he down on the ground tiU their foresaid scouts, wliich are
caUed the tinckeU, do bring down the deer • but as the proverb
says of a bad cook, so these tinckell men do lick their own fingers,
for besides their bows and arrows, which they carry with them,
we can hear now and then an arquebuss or musket-shot go off,
which they do seldom discharge in vain ; then after we had stayed
three hours, or thereabouts, we mi«-ht perceive the deer appear
on the hills round about, which bemg followed close are chased
down into the valley where we lay; then all the valley on each
side being waylaid with a hundi-ed couple of strong Irish grey-
hounds, they are let loose as occasion serve mpon the herd of

M

162 RHOOTING.

deer, that with, dogs, gnus, arrows, darts, in the S]Dace of tw
houi's fourscore fat deer were slain."

We find, also, that at the great hnntitig displays given ia Scot
land by the chief nobility during the sixteenth and seventeentl ^
centuries, fire arms were occasionally used to kill the red deerj
Historians tell us that these hunting exploits were conducted
upon a most gigantic scale of magnificence, and were attended by
many thousands of the clansmen, who surrounded great tracts of
country, and drove the game to where their respective chiefs
were located. In an entertainment of this kind given by the
Earl of Athol to James V., the Queen, his mother, the Pope's
ambassador, and many hundreds of the most distinguished ladies
and gentlemen of the court, there was a kind of palace constructed,
made of green timber, interclosed with boughs, moated all round,
and provided with turrets, portcullis, and drawbridges. The hunt-
ing contmued three days ; and we are expressly told that many of
the animals were shot with the gun through the apertures of the
rough bmlding, and that even some of the ladies were bold enough
to fire off _ some of those field pieces, which were then of a rude
construction and considerable size.

The stag or hart, whose female is called the hind, and the young
a calf, differs in size and horns from a fallow deer. He is much
larger, and his horns round, whereas, in the fallow species, they
are" broad and palmated. By these the animal's age is ascertained.
During the first year the stag has no horns, but a horny_ excres-
cence, which is short and rough, and covered with a thin hairy
skin, the next year the horns are single and straight, in the third
they have two antlers, three the fourth, four the fifth, and five the
sixth year ; but this number is not always certain, for sometimes
they are more, and often less. After the sixth year the antlers do
not always increase, and although in number they may amount to
six or seven on each side, yet the animal's age is then estimated
rather from the size of the antlers and the thickness of the branch
which sustains them, than from their variety. These horns, large
as they seem, are, notwithstanding, shed every year, and new ones
assume then- place. The old horns are of a fii-m soHd texture,
and are extensively employed in making handles for knives and
other instruments ; but, wliile young, nothing can be more soft or
tender,_ and the animal, as if conscious of his own imbecility at
those times, instantly upon shedding his former horns, retii*es from
the rest of his species, and hides himself in sohtudes and thickets,
never venturing out to pasture except by night. Durmg this
time, which most usually happens in the spring, the new horns
are very tender, and have a quick sensibility of any external
impression. "When the old horn has fallen off, the new one does
not begin to appear immediately, but the bones of the skidl are
seen covered only with a transparent periosteum or skin, which
covers the bones of all animals. After a short time, however,
the skin begins to swell, and to form a sort of tumour, which

DEER-STAXKING. 163

contains a great deal of blood, and then it is covered with a downy
substance, that to the touch resembles velvet, and wliicli appears
of nearly the same colour with the rest of the aimnal's hair. This
tumour daily increases from the point, lilce the graft of a tree,
and, rising by degrees from the head, shoots out the antlers from
either side, so that in a short time, in proportion as the animal is
in condition, the entire horns are completed; but it should be ob-
served that the substance of which the horns are composed, begins
to_ harden at the bottom, while the ui^per part remams soft and
still continues growing, whence it appears that the horns of deer
grow differently from those of sheep or cows, which latter always
are seen to increase from the bottom. When, however, the horns
have completed their full growth, the extremities then acquire
solidity. The velvet-like covering, with its blood-vessels, dries up,
and the former then begins to fall, and this the animal hastens by
rubbmg its antlers against the trees of the forest. In this mamier
the whole external surface bemg stripped oifby degrees, the horns
acquire their complete hardness, expansion, and beauty. It is
also said that some hinds have horns.
It vt^ould be a vain task to inquire into the cause of the annual

E reduction of these horns • it is sufficient to observe, that if a stag
e emasculated when the horns are fallen off, they will never grow
again ; and, on the contrary, if the same operation is performed
when they are on, they will never fall off._ If only one side is
emasculated, he will want the horn on that side.

The old stags usually shed their horns first, which generally
happens towards the latter end of February or the beginning of
March.

Such as are between five and six years old shed their horns
about the middle or latter .end of March ; those stiU younger in
the month of April; and the youngest of all not till the middle
or latter end of May.

_ They generally sEed them in pools of water, whither they re-
tire from_ the heat, and tliis has given rise to the opinion of their
always hidmg their horns. These rides, though true in general,
are yet subject to many variations, and it is well known that a
severe winter retards the shedding of the horns. A short time
after they have gained their horns, they begin to feel the unpres-
sion of the rut.

The old ones are the most forward, and about the end of
August or beginning of September, they quit their thickets and
return to the mountain or plaui, in order to seek the hind, to
whom they call with a loud tremulous note. At this time their
neck is swollen — thej^ appear bold and ferocious — fly from country
to country— strike with their horns against the trees and other
obstacles — and continue restless and fierce until they have found
the female, who at fii-st flies from them, but is at last over-
taken.

When tvro stags contend for the same female, however timorous

184 SHOOTIXG,

they may appear at other times, they then seem agitated with an
uncommon degree of ardour ; they paAV up the earth, and menace
their opponent ^vith their horns, bellowing with all their force,
and striking in a desperate manner against each other, _ seeming
determined upon death or victory, /Ihis pombat continues till
one of _ them is defeated or flies, and it oft-times happens that the
victor is obliged to fight several of these battles before he becomes
the uiidistui'bed master of the field. The old ones are generally the
conquerors upon these occasions, as they have more strength and ■
greater courage, and they are preferred by the hind to the younger,
the latter being more feeble and less ardent.

The stag or red deer is common in Europe, Barbary, the north of
Asia, _ and North America ; it abounds_ in the southern parts of
Siberia, where it grows to an immense size, but is now extirpated
in Russia. _ It hves in herds, and there is generally one male which
is supreme in each herd.

The stag possesses a fine eye, an acute smell, and an excellent ear ;
like that of the cat and the owl, the eye of the stag contracts in the
light, and dilates in the dark, but with this difference, that the con-
traction and dilatation are horizontal, while in the first-mentioned
animals they are vertical.

When deer are thirsty, they plunge their noses, like some horses,
very deep under water while in the act of drinktag, and continue
them in that situation for a considerable time.

The number of teeth of the various species of deer and the ante-
lope tribe, is generally thirty-two, namelvj eight cuttmg teeth in
the lower jaw, six molar teeth on each sicle of these, and six molar
teeth on each side in the upper jaw j but there are frequent excep-
tions to tliis rule.

The cry of the hind or female is not so loud as that of the male,
and is never excited but by apprehension for herself or her young.
It need scarcely be mentioned that she has no horns, or that she
is more feeble or uufit for hunting than the male. When once she j
has conceived, she separates from the males, and then they both '
herd apart. The time of gestation contmues eight months and a j
few days, and they seldom produce more tlian one at a birth. Then* 1
usual season for bringing forth is about the month of May, or the
begianing of June. Tdey take the greatest care to secrete their
young in the most obscure thickets ; nor is the caution without
reason, as many creatures are their formidable enemies. The eagle,
the falcon, the ;^'olf, the dog, and all the rapacious family of the cat
kind, are contmually seeking to discover her retreat. But what
is more uimatural still, the stag himself is a professed enemy,
and she is obliged to use all her arts to conceal her young from him,
as from ilie most diuigerous of her pursuers. At this season, there-
fore, the courage of the male seems transferred to the female • she
defends her young agaiiist her less formidable opponents by force,
and, when i^ursued by the hmiter, she ofl'ers herself to mislead him
from the prmcipal object of his concern. She flies before the hounds

DEEE-STALKING. 165

for half the day, and then returns to her offspring, whose life she
has thus preserved at the hazard of her own. _

Those persons who are fond of the pastime of hunting-, have
their peculiar terms for the different objects of their pui'suit. Thus
the stag- is called, the first year, a calf or liind calf, the second a
hiohber, the third a brock, the fourth a staggard, the fifth a stag, the
sixth a hart. The female is called, the first year, a calf the second
a hearse, the third a hind.

The remarkable shyness or wariness of the deer, gives rise to
thousands of devices to over-reach them. Almost every sportsman
has some general method of his own to get fairly within reach of
them. The sportsman must always approach them up-wind, to pre-
vent the animals from scenting them, for they possess this faculty
in high perfection. Sometimes a circuit of several miles has to be
taken, before they can be so approached as to give a fair chance of
sport. Weather has likewise a great deal to do with the matter.
When this is of such a character as to oblige the deer to frequent
the well-heads or pools of waters, and more especially if these be
in a locality where there is any portion of brushwood or shelter for
the gunner, then his chances of success are considerably increased.

There is a full and excellent description of tlie x^fresent mode of
deer-stalking, given in Mr. Cooper's novel, "The Smugglers,"
It has for its truthfulness and vivacity been approved of, and
quoted by Mr. Scropc and others, weU known for their skill in this
amusement. The novelist says, " There is no describing the irre-
sistible fascination of this pursuit to the true-bred Highlander. Day
after day will he traverse the haunts of those noble animals, or sit
with inexpressible patience, wrapped in his plaid, behind a gray-
stone, upon some well-kno^vn commanding height, watching for a
sight of them ; or creep for miles together on his beUy, hke a
worm, to approach them undiscovered. The lapse of time and the
severity of the weather are alike unheeded- he only thinks of how
to circumvent his waiy prey. If successful, he is richly repaid ; if he
fails, it is but to renew the tedious and toilsome quest, until his
perseverance is at length rewarded. * * * * Cautiously creeping
up the little hillock, until theii- eyes could just peer above the top-
most heather, Glenvallich and the forester, throwing themselves
upon their faces, scrutinized with their glasses the brown expanse
before them ; nor was it until more than a quarter of an hour had
elapsed in the inquiry, that they arose from their recumbent posi-
tion. ' Nothing is stirring or in sight, as far as we can make out,*
said GlenvaUicli ; 'let us move forward. Eemember, Tresham,
we shoot at nothin.^ but stags. The hinds with calves at their
feet are not in condition ; and the yell hinds, as they are called —
those, that is, which have either had no_ calves, or have lost them — •
your eye is not practised enough to distinguish from the others.
You may see plenty of roe-deer too, here, for the_ wood is fuU of
them ; but don't shoot at them, for you might disturb and lose a
stag worth fifty roes, who might be lying within a few yards of

165 SHOOTING.

us/ Instead of abruptly ascending further, tliey now slanted
along the face of the hiU, till they reached the watercoui'se ; a deep
gash, worn by a rapid and perennial torrent quite through the soil
into the Kving rock of the mountain's side. The rugged banks
were covered with dense thickets of the trees common to such
situations, which overhung the stream., or interrupted its course
with their fallen and Avithered boughs; the torrent itself dark,
foamino-, and impetuous, leading from rock to rock, and ledge to
ledge, in many a petty fall, and sometimes in cascades of consider-
able height and grandeur. The pass led by a pool between two of
these falls ; a deep furrowed ledge of rock afforded stepi)ing stones,
when the stream was low, by which au active man might spring
across. Having overleaped this obstacle, ^they soon emerged from
the wood upon the more open hill, v^^here the heather, although still
long and thick, was less tangled than in the forest, and the more
solid and less broken ground afforded fh^mer footing. The change
was very comfortable to Tresham, who now soon recovered his
failing T^dnd, and felt his sinews recover a firmer tone — and they
cautiously approached the crest of the height, to which they had
won their way with so much toil.

" Glenvallich, now stealing forvvards, began A^dth cuiious and
jealous eye to soan through his glass the broad hollow, which rose
gradually above them. After continuing tliis survey for some
minutes in silence, he beckoned Tresham to his side, — ' Antlers, by
Jove!' said he, in a half whisper; ' I have them, and in no bad
place neither ; this will be our game, 6v I am mistaken. See — take
the glass, look tothe left of that v^^hite stump below the rock there,
close to a small single white stone ; there he lies, I can see him
with the naked eye.' — 'And I can't catch hhn even with the glass,*
repHed Tresham, after peermg through the telescope ; ' I see
nothing, Charles.' — ' "^'^^lat, don't you see that broym spot ? you
can't have found the place. By Heavens ! there's more of them ;
give me the glass — yes, faith, there are one, two, thi-ee hinds feed-
ing ; and their calves too — see, look again.' But it was in vain that
Tresham's unpractised eye wandered over the brown v/aste, until,
as by chance, the field of the telescope traversed the place, a slight
movement in what he had taken for a withered iDranch of some
decayed tree caught his eye. ' All ! I have him now, by Jove ! God
bless me } what a noble fellow ! how beautiful he looks ! and he's
Ijdng too — and there are the liinds — I see them also ; but how shall
we get at him ?' — ' Why, he'll cost us a scramble and a good blow,
no doubt. Perhaps we may have to climb the shoidder of Scoore-
vialach, and round by his top, that high peak yonder.' — ' The devil !
that will be a job — but never mind ; anything for a shot at that
noble fellow.' — ' Well, he and his ladies are quiet where they are
for the day, and the men must by this time have got to their posts ;
let us go and attend the passes. You sec that black stump on the
brow belowus; take your station there, it commands llie whole face
below, withm rifle shot. I will go nearer the burn. If you see any.

DEEU-STALKING. 167

thing pass, that makes rather for me than for you, put your cap on
the muzzle of your rifle thus ; I will do the same. Good luck to
you, and hold straight/

" The loss of half an hour, and some trial of patience, was the
sole result of this arrangement. One or two roes passed the sports-
men, and several blackcock, the sight of which tempted Tresham
sorely to exercise his skill at a flying shot ; but if there were any
deer in the wood, they took other passes than those watched by the
two gentlemen. The forester now came up, and Glenvallich in-
formed him of the stag and hinds he had seen. The methods of
best approaching them unobserved were eagerly discussed; and
having decided that it was at all events advisable to reconnoitre
them from a shoulder of the hill above them, the party set their
faces boldly to the brae, and began to breast it straight up. _ And
now once more was Tresham made sensible of liis own deficiency,
and of the superior vigour of his companions ; pride and ' pluck,'
however, bore on him, though his knees bent under him, and liis
head swam, with the sustained exertion. _ The signal to halt and
reconnoitre was at the moment as gratifying an intimation as he
could have received. Eive hinds with their calves, and two stags,
were now distinctly visil^le, full eidit hundred feet beneath them,
as they stood, or rather lay, perched upon the brink of a giddy pre-
cipice wliich rose above the hollow. _' Well, Maccombich, what's
next to be done ? must we climb the hill and go round the scour?'
— ' Ay, 'deed, that ye most,' responded the forester. * See,' con-
tinued he, throwing some Hght particles of grass into the air, ' the
wun's a' up the hill, and there's no a burn or corry that '11 liide us.
It's doon yon burn, below Craigcaillichdhu, we must go, and tak'
the hollow a' the way to thon bit hiUock, and then we'll at them
easy : they wiima stir the day, any how — we're sure o' that,' As
Duncan made these observations, he was cautiously retreating from
the brink of the rock, from whence he had been observing the deer,
when aU. at once his person became fixed in an attitude of eager
attention, which might have supplied the sculptor with an admi-
rable study ; and straining his eyes towards the upper extent of the
corry, he exclaimed, in an earnest whisper, ' 0 GlenvaUich ! we're
in luck the day ! there he is ! there's the very staig your honour was
ifter the last time he cam' up ; him that ye touched on the side, an'
we could na get sight o' agam. I've seen him twice since yon, and
a grand one he is. O Trochconuilorst ! but we'U have you the day,
or the mischief's in't ; we must go clean_ round the scour noo, any
how, for we'll hae to come down the Glaig-na-ga^vr on him.' This
information set the party into instant motion. Off they started in
high spirits, leaving Kenneth to watch the deer below them, lest
any accident shoulcl startle them, or lest they should feed away
from the spot.

- " The ascent proved most arduous, for they had to pass round
the peak of one of the loftiest mountains in Scotland, at a height
scarcely two hundi'cd feet below the summit. Tresham was once

168 snooTiNG.

more forced to abandon liis rifle to his gillie, and still he found him-
self lagging behind ; for Maccombich, stimulated by a sight of the
animals he loved, forgot the inability of others, and glided up the
hill with the swiftness and surefoote'dness of the goat. Even Glen-
vaUich at length found it expedient to call upon him to slacken liis
speed ; and Tresham, breathless and reding, was absolutely forced
to make frequent halts. Youth and spirits, and good English bot-
tom themselves, failed at length, and the young man came to a
standstill. ' You were right/ said he, ' about this cursed jacket ;
it is too heavy for such work — by the Lord, man ! a fellow to climb
this mountain should go in a cuerpo : the kilt's your only—to the
devil with the velveteen !' and he threw it from liim, remaining in
his shirt sleeves and waistcoat. — 'Stay, stay, Harry! those white
arms will never do ; they would give alarm at two miles' distance ;
here, here's the jacket you despised in the morning.' — ' Thank you
— this is a rehef ; and now have at it once more.' The liighest
point was reached at length, and a descent, little better than a pre
cipice, lay before them. But though Tresham, in cooler moments,
might have shuddered at the danger he ran, his mind was at this
time too highly excited to scruple at following his dariiig com-
panions, who bounded onwards at a rate which soon carried them
to the bottom. ' Now for it, Harry ; now for it in earnest,' said
Glenvallich, after a moment's halt to recover breath. ' Double
quick, while we may — we shall soon have to go slow enough ; ' and
entering the body of a shallow watercoui-se, they descended its
rough bed at a rapid pace. The waft of a hand from Duncan who
led, stopped the party; and crouching low, they changed their
quick step for a stealthy pace, with which they rounded a height,
and under its shelter remained, until their exact jposition, with
regard to the object of their quest, should be ascertained. ' Look
here,' whispered Glenvallich, taking Tresham by the arm, after
having made a sliort examination himseK ; ' what tliink you of Dun-
can for a pilot ? ' Kaising his eyes to a level with the heather top,
Tresham could see, at the distance of not more than three hundred
yards, the horns of a noble stag just arising between two hags. No
other part of the animal was visible ; but the moving of the antlers,
which slowly turned from side to side, proved sufficiently that he
niaintained a vigilant look-out after his own safety. ' We'll match
hirn yet, I think,' said Glenvallich. Ketreating a few yards, to get
further under cover of the rising ground, Maccombich, followed
by the rest of the party, crept on all-fours from the watercourse,
across thirty or forty yards of long heath-covered muir, until they
reached a maze of peat-bog cracks of little depth, but sufficient to
cover a man creeping flat upon his belly. That, although the moss
was moist and muddy, they were forced to submit to, as the only
way of crossmg unseen by their int ended victim, and in this manner
they gained about a hundred and fifty yards more upon the deer's
position.

"The forester alone was now sent on to ascertain the means of

DEER-STALKING. 1G9

further progress ; and after an absence of more than ten minutes,
which to the sportsmenseemed a full hour, he returned creeping
like a worm, and beckoning the party to follow in the same manner.
This they did ; and at length, keeping along the peat cracks, got a
chasm deep enough to afford sufficient cover for the whole body.
' He's no a hiuider' yards from you this moment, Glenvallich,*
wliispered the forester, in scarcely audible accents, ' and the wind
is strong from him. Ye most climb this knoll; if yon can get him
within eighty yards, dinna seek to get nearer, for he's in a wide

freen bench, and he's very jealons. I dimia think ye'll mak' muckle
etter o' it, but achone ! sir, tak' time and be canny — I wudua for
ten pounds he got awa ! ' — ' Never fear me, man ; but here's Mr.
Tresham must take the first chance — I'll fire only if he misses.
Come along, Harry.' The forester cast a look of mingled dis-
appointment and remonstrance at his master, but it was disregarded.
Tresham, also, who still shook from head to foot with recent exer-
tion and present excitement, _ would have excused himself from
interfering with the anterior riglits of his friend in this particular
animal ; but Glenyillach w^ould not listen to him. ' Have done with
this debating;,' said he, ' we shall lose the deer — follow me, Tres-
ham,' Cautiously,_ like a cat on its prey, foot by foot and mch by
inch, did Glenvallich, grovelling in the heather, advance towards
the crest of the knoll in front of him; when the deer's antlers
moved he was still — when they took their natural position he
moved forwards. Tresham followed in his track, stopping or
advancing as he did, _ until they had reached some twenty paces
onwards from the ravine. Glenvallich then signed to him to raise
his head with caution. He did so, and saw, with a sensation of
ea^^-er delight which increased his agitation to a painful pitch, the
noble stag lying among some rushy grass, apparently in the
most unsuspicious tranquillity, occasionally scratching a, part of Ms
hide with a fork of his antlers, and driving away the insects which
appeared grievously to torment him, ' Take him as he lies, Harry ;
aim low, at the shoulder,' whispered Glenvallich. The heart oi
Tresham beat more audibly than ever it had done on going into
action, as he carefully extended and levelled his rifle. Whether it
was the slight click of cocking, or some movement made_ in the
heather as he stretched out the piece to take aim, is uncertain ; but
the stag started, and made a movement as if about to rise, just at the
moment when Tresham was pressing tlie trigger. The circumstance
probably unsettled his aim, for the rifle exploded, but the ball flew
over its intended object. But not thus was the unfortunate animal to
escape ; for scarce had the report of Tresham's shot made him start
from his lair, when the rifle of Glenvallich gave forth its fatal con-
tents, and the stag, making one high bound from the earth, tmn-
bled headlong forwards, and lay struggling in the agonies of death.
He had anticipated the possibility of his friend's failure, and pre-
pared to remedy it— Avhich he did effectually, for the ball had
struck the animal just behind the shoulder, and went clean thi'ough

170 SHOOTING.

its heart. 'Hurrali! capital! grand! by Jove, lie lias got it!*
sliouted Tresham, starting up ; but the arm of GlenvallicK pniled
him down agaim. ' Hush ! be quiet! ' whispered he ; / never do so
— there may be twenty more deer near to us of which we know
nothing — such a halloo would send them off. Load your piece — ^load
quickly.'

" While they were performing this necessary operation, Mac-
combich, who had joined them, and was keeping watch around
them, touched his arm, and pointing_ vaih. one, showed him tlu-ee
fine stags moving off to the further hUl, alanned no donbt by the
reports of the rifles, and probably by the exclamation of Treshara.
*God bless me ! ' said the mortified young man, 'this is a lesson
I shall not forget ; but who could have imagined it ? ' A httle
further scrutiny by the practised eye of Maccombich, was sufiicient
to convince the party that there was no more game in view ; so the
hunters advanced to break the deer, as it is called, by cutting the
throat and disembovfelling it ; and wliile Maccombich was per-
forming this sportsman-like duty, it was amusing to ^ watch the
rapture to which, when unrestrained by habitual caution, he.now
gave full way on the glad occasion of a successful shot. Apostro-
phising it in GaeHc, he addressed to it every reproachful epithet he
could think of, as a villain which had so often baffled their murder-
ous efforts ; it was a scoundrel, and a rascal, and a devil, to whom
he wished a bad end, and whose soul, heart, and Hver, he gave to the
devil • then changing his tone, he lavished upon itevery expression
of endearment in w^hich his language is so fruitful • but wliich,
when translated, often sounds strangely enough to Enghsh ears.
It was his dear, his darling, his bonny beast, his cattle, his love.
He seemed to abandon hunself to the very intoxication of dehght ;
and it was singular to see a man, habitually^ grave and resented,
acting as if for the tune he had actually been deprived of reason."

As we have already noticed, it requires the utmost caution to
get within range of the deer in these Highland gi'ounds. Every
movement should be studiously guarded, and the silence of death
should reign among the party. To gain the wind of the deer is a
great pomt ; and it sometimes happens that a herd of the annuals
seem to be affected with a strange emotion of surprise, for they will
stand and gaze, even within range of the gun, until several of them
are killed. This is so strikingly the case in some instances, that
one cannot help conceiving that it is the pui'e result of something
lilce infatuation, and is certainly completely at variance with their
habitual timidity and shjniess.

The marksmen always, if possible, take thek aim behind the
shoulder of the animal; 'if effective in this direction, death follows
instantly. When, however, the deer is only wounded, it is then
left to itself by the herd, and the deer dogs are set to work to follow
and capture it. These animals display singular sagacity and earnest-
ness in huntmg the fallen captive ; they will confine their hunting
solely to tli3 wounded deer, and when they have overtaken him.

DEEB-STAXKTNG. 171

they either seize, or hold him at bay, till the sportsmen arrive,
when another shot in some vital quarter puts an end to the scene.
The dogs are rewarded by the drinking of his blood.

The shootmg of the roebuck in the Highlands pf Scotland is
considered a most animating sport. This anilmal is considerably
smaller than the red deer. Dogs are used of the harrier breed, and
these chase the roebuck to certain favourable localities, where the
rifle ^un does great execution. The shooting_ of it, and all the
sporting incidents and circumstances attending it, a're mut3h of the
same complexion as these already mentioned in reference to the
red dear.

APPENDIX.

There are several matters of some degree of interest and impoi'tance
to the shooting sportsman, which we have here placed under the
head of an appenaix,_ chiefly on acconnt of not having- snitable posi-
tions to insert them in the body of the work. We shall enumerate
them under distinct heads.

PHRASEOLOGY.

There is a pecnliar kind of language used by sportsmen confined
to the shooting of birds, which only fowlers are supposed to be
accjuainted with. The following are the chief phrases : — K sege of
herons and bitterns ; an herd of swans, of cranes, and of curlews;
a deppmg of sheldrakes ; a sprhuj of teals ; a covert of coots ; a
gaggle of geese : a hadelynge of ducks ; a sord, or side, of mallards;
a muster pi peacocks ; a nye of pheasants ; a levy of quails ; a covey
of partridges ; a congregation of plovers ; a icalk of snipes ; a foM
of woodcocks; o. brood of hens; a building of rooks; a mimmira-
tim of starlings ; an exaltation of laiks ; d. flight of swaUovrs ; a host
of sparrows ; a watch of nightingales ; and a charm of goklllnches.

GAME LxiWS.

Hares maybe killed at any time of the year. Pheasants from
the 1st of October to the 1st of Eebruary. Partridges from the
1st of September to the 1st of Eebruary ; penalty for Idlling them at
other tunes, 5/. — Grouse from the 12th of August to the 10th of
December. Black game (in Devonshire, Somersetshire, and the
New Eorest) from the 1st of September to the 10th of December.
Black game (everywhere else) from the 20th of August to the lOtli
of December. Bustards from the 1st of September to the 1st of
March ; penalty for killing at other times, 20/., or not less than 10/.

APPENDIX. 173

or tlie first offence, and for every subsequent offence 30^., or not
less than 20/. ^ ^ ^^ . ^

Any person taking or killing game on Sundays or Ulu-istmas-days
to forfeit, for tlie first offence, not more than 20/., nor less than
10/. ; for the second offence from 30/. to 20/. ; and for the third
and every subsequent offence, 50/.

All unqualified person killing can only be convicted of one penalty
in a day. That is, an unqualified person, or even a poacher, would
have no more to pay for killing filty head of game in the same day
than he would for killing one. Though the poacher, or unqualified
person, would be liable to the other penalties— viz., 5/. each for
every head of game which he sold, offered for sale, or which had
even been found in his possession ; and if a dog or gun, or any
other engine, was used in the destruction of game, he would also
be liable to 20/. penalty, provided he had not taken out a sporting
certificate.

If a person go in pursuit of game with a dog and gun, lie can
only be charged with one offence, and convicted in one penalty for
both. (7 Term Reports, 152.)

Kdhng from seven o'clock at night to six in the mornmg,
between the 12th of October and 12th of February, and from nine
at night to four in the morning, from the 12th of February to the
12th of October (besides the other penalties before named), first
offence, not more than 20/., nor less than 10/.; second offence, from
30/. to 20/. ; third and subsequent, 50/.

Servant of a lord of a manor may kOl, and yet the lord of the
manor may not, unless he is qualified.

Informations for penalties relative to the game laws, should be
brought so far as the conviction to take place mthin three months.
A penalty may be either recovered by information before a justice
of peace, or sued for in any of the courts of record at Westminster.
In the latter case, the action must be brought within six months
after the offence committed. ^ -, .. ■,

Eabbits, woodcock, snipes, quails, and landrails, are made game
only so far as relates to shooting them, for which, therefore, a
certificate is required; but one_ without a certificate may catch,
sell, or have them in his possession.

Wild fowl any one may shoot from the coast, from a pubuc

path, &c., &c. ,.„ . ■,. T . IX

A person with neither quahfication nor hcense has a right
to carry a gun, provided he does not use it for the destruction of
""ame.

^ Gamekeepers are subject to the fidl penalties of imqualified and
unlicensed persons, as well as to actions of trespass, if they outstep
the bounds of the manor for which they are appomted.
Only one can be appointed to each manor.

Deputation of a Gamekeejjer.—The deputation granted to a game-
keeper must be 'registered with the p^erk of the peace within
twenty days after it was granted, and h'kQv'M^d.tQ taken of the same.

174 APPENDIX.

under penalty of 20/. The deputation for one gamekeeper hole
good till another is appointed. If a new gamekeeper is appointed
within the year, the game certificate of the former keeper may be
transferred to In'm for the remainder of the year, and this must be
done free of all expense, by the clerk to the commissioners of the
district.

Form of a Deputation.— i^o be written on a \l. 15*. stamp).

Know all men, by these presents, that I _ of

in the county of , Esquire, lord of the

manor of ^ , in the same county, have nominated, de-

puted, and appointed, and by these presents do nomiaate, depute,
and appoint of , yeoman, to be gamekeeper

of ana within my said manor of , with full power,

license, and authority, to pursue, take, and kill any hare, pheasant,
partridge, or other game whatsoever, in and upon my said manor
of , for my sole and immediate use and benefit, and

also to take and seize all such guns, bows, greyhounds, setting-
dogs, _ lurchers, ferrets, trammels, lowbells, trays, or_ other nets,
harepipes, snares, or other engiaes, for the pursuing, taking,
or killing of hares, rabbits, pheasants, partridges, or other game, as
shall be used witMn the precincts of my said manor, by any person
or persons, who by law are prohibited to keep or use the same. In
witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this
day of _ , 18 . (Signature and seal.) Sealed and de-

livered in the presence of

(The signature of one witness, specifying his place of abode, is
sufficient.)

ON THE PEESERYING OE BIRDS EOE STUEEING.

Many sportsmen make apoiiit of preserving rare species of game
with a view of making collections, of greater or less magnitude,
both for private amusement, as well as to throw H§ht upon the
natural history of the feathered creation. The following are some
remarks and recipes on the subject, worthy of attention : —

Various methods have been attempted for preserving birds from
putrefaction, so as to retain their natural form and position, as well
as the beauty of their colours and plmnage. A good antiseptic for
animal substances has been much mquii-ed after, as, foawant of it,
many cuiious animals, and birds particularly, from foreign parts,
entirely miscarry, and others of the finest plumage are devoured by
insects. The following improved method by Dr. Lettsom, seems to
be the least troublesome, and the most complete. After opening
the bird by a longitudinal incision from the breast to the vent, dis-
sectiag the fleshy part from the bones, and removing the entraUs,
eyes, tongue, and braios (wliich in large bii'ds may be extracted

APPENDIX. 175

through the eye-hoies with a surgeon's director), the cavities and
inside of the skin are to be sprinkled with the powders mentioned
belov/. Glass eyes, which are preferable to wax, are then to I e
inserted, and the head stuffed with cotton or tow, and a \yire is to
be passed do^vn the throat through one of the nostrils, and fixed on
the breast bone. Wires also to be introduced through the feet, up
theiegs and thighs, and inserted into the same bone; next fill the
JDody with cotton, to its natural size, and sew the skin over it : the
attitude is lastly to be attended to, and whatever position the sub-
ject is placed in to dry, it will be retained afterwards. The dyehig
compound is as follows :

Corrosive Subhmate . . •_ . . i lb.

Saltpetre, prepared or bui-nt
Alum, burnt .
Elowers of Sulphur ,
Camphor .
Black Pepper .
Tobacco, ground coarse

h lb.
ilb.
Ub.
ilb.
lib.
lib.

Mis the whole, and keep it hi a glass vessel, stopped close. Small
bhds may be preserved in brandy, rum, arrack, or first runnings ;
though the colour of the plumage is liable to be extracted by the
spirit. Large sea-fowl have thick strong skins, and such may be
skmned; the tail, claws, head, and feet are carefully to be pre-
served, and the plumage stained as little as possible with blood.
The inside of the skin may be stuffed as above. Kuckahu observes
(in the Phil. Trans., vol. ix. p. 319), that " Baking is not only useful
in the fresh preservations, but will also be of verjr great service
to old ones, destroymg the eggs of insects ; and it should be a
constant practice, once in two or three years, to bake them over
agam, and to have the cases fresh washed with camphorated spkit,
or the sublimate solution, wliich would not only preserve col-
lections from decay much longer, but also keep them sweet."
But Dr. Lettsom remarked that, "Baking is apt to crimp and injure
the plumage, unless great care be used, and, therefore, the proper
degree of heat should be ascertauied by means of a feather, before
such subjects are baked." And he prescribes as the best preserva-
tive, boxes well glazed : and he adds, "When the subject is to be
kcDt for some time in a hot climate, it should be secured in a box
filled with tow, oakum, or tobacco, well sprinkled with the sub-
limate solution. In Guiana, the number and variety of beautiful
birds is so great, that several persons in the colony advantageously
employ themselves, with their slaves and attendants, in killing and
preserving these animals for the cabinets of naturahsts in different
parts of Europe. The method of doing this, as related by Mr. Ban-
croft (in his Nat. Hist, of Guiana), is, to put the bird which is to
be preserved in a proper vessel, and cover him with high wines, or
the first running of the distillation of rum. In this sphit he is
suffered to remaui for twenty -four or forty-eight hours, or longer,
till it has penetrated through every part of his body. When this

176 APPENDIX.

is done, lie is taken out, and his feathers, which arc no ways changed
by this immersion, are pLaced smooth and regnh^r. It is then put
into a machine, made for the purpose, among a number of others,
and its head, feet,_ wings, tail, &c., are placed exactly agreeable to
life. In this position they are placed in an oven, very moderately
heated, where they are slowly dried, and will ever after retain
their natural position without danger of putrefaction.

THE GVN.

As the gun is a very important instrument to the sportsman, and
as there are so many different theories and rules respecting its
natm-e, functions, and management, we have thrown together a
few remarks from various sources, in addition to what is stated in
the body of the Avork, with a view of affording the reader the most
extended knowledge on the subject, which our limits will permit.

" Agilis. You seem very decided as to your opinion of the
relative value between London-made guns, and those at a much
less price manufactured in the country. In what qualities do you
suppose the advantages to consist, and how do you prove these
qualities may not exist as well in a country as a London made gun !
Pray state your opmion at length. I have never heard the matter
fully discussed, though I have certainly seen much confidence
shown by the advocates of each.

" Fentiis. The value is derived from four causes : goodness of
raw material, temper, close fitting:, and adaption of the several
parts to each other, in shape, position, and substance, as fittest to
fulfil the duties for whicli they are separately and collectively
intended, in the ]Droduction of convenience, permanence, and effect.
_ " Let us consider this in the same light in which we should
view any other branch of merchandise ; first it must be conceded,
that wherever the best maker may be, there the highest quality of
produce will be found; it is likely, therefore, that the material
offered to the London maker Avill be superior to that brought f9r
sale to the comparatively small consumer (in price if not in
quantity) in the country; the well-known competition existing
between all London makers, renders it probable that he will use
his utmost exertions to secure this advantage in the highest degree.
Secondly : with regard to temper, there are two things to be con-
sidered, namely, the degree of hardness requked to prevent a move-
ment from wearing itself away ; and next with reference to its
action upon other parts in contact with it, as in some macliines we
have wheels bushed with brass to dhninish friction. Great tact is
requisite in this matter; first to know the tem]3er requii'ed;
secondly, to give it. The workman who can effect this, is valuable

APPENDIX. 177'

in proponion to Ids knowledge; is lie likely to remain in tlie
country at low wages, or to become the servant of the highest
bidder? Close-fitting: an accurate eye and practised hand are
:ibsoldtely necessary to effect this, which is a main cause of perma-
nence in a gun-lock, as thereby all parts bear their even proportions
of stress, and (the temper and position of all parts being correct)
an even wear is the resalt. But the most practised workman
requires an extension of time, in some degree proportionate to the
goodness of his work, comparing it with that of others less skilful,
and this he adds to the price; the London maker can best afford to
pay that price. i . , i

" Lastly, the fitness of the parts for the duties they have to
fulfil. It may be said here, that the greater the quantity of
material manufactui-ed, the greater degree of knowledge must be
attained by the manufacturer. Assuming then that the superiority
of material is shown, we have to prove that the cheap manufac-
turer either cannot, by quantity, obtain such a knowledge of tlie
requisite shape of the parts of a gun, as, when put together,_ shall
make it equal to that of a London maker ; or, if in possession ot
that knowledge, cannot, in the same degree, avail Imnself of it.
Sapposuig, then, that he does take the pattern of the most approved
shape for his guide (a circmnstance we find not to be commonly the
case), or even in the absence of equal opportunities of comparison,
that great spur to improvement, can invent a better_ shape than
others, tliis can only refer to the handlmg of the gun; its working,
putting together, that it possesses the form of goodness only, without
as before shown, dependuig so much upon material, temper, and
the reality ; and as well might you expect to procure an article of
dress equally convenient, lasting, and fitting, of a country tailor,
as that which may be had of a first-rate workman m London, as
procure an article of the natiu^e of a gmi of the same degree of
excellence in the country as in town.

" Agilis. Have you not omitted the consideration, that all work-
men can work cheaper in the country, from the dhnmished price of
food and house-rent, than in larger towns ; as also the enormous
profits made by London gun-makers ?

"Ferities. The advantage you here mention, does not come into
play— it is a matter of consideration for the workman alone. I
would admit it, did I consider that the workman himself was ill-
paid, but the contrarv is the fact. It has already been conceded,
that, although a gun progresses in value as it progresses m price,
yet not in an equal ratio, and part of the difference consists in the
greater (I might most say undue) pay, in proportion to his labour,
which a first-rate workman can procure; and secondly, m the
great credit which any one maker may obtain over others from the
known excellence of his w^ork : these latter are two little monopo-
lies, and must Ije paid for while they exist ; but it is your Ijusmess
to fix a limit upon this by selecting from the best makers, and pro-
curing the most for yom- money ; and you may be certain, that

178 APPENDIX.

altliougii large manufactories can bs carried on with greater advan-
tage in the coimtry, in cii'cnmstances where moderate abihtv is
requii-ed, and many hands used, and machinery can also be called
into play upon the same terms, yet superior manual dexterity will
always overcome the difference of dearness of hving and present
itself where there is and ever must be the greatest^ mart, and most •
continued as well as highest bidders for it ; to wit, in that place :
where the manufactm-e to be produced is in the highest credit and
perfection. And as these two will, therefore, contmue to operate
upon each other, the demand for guns, and the perfection of their
manufacture, will draw the best workmen, and they will agaia pro-
duce the most perfect gims : and London will thus continue the
best mart for the buyer as well as the seller, until some other city
spring up, where the purchasers of the article become more
numerous, and the talents of the workmen more appreciated."

THE RIELE.

The following statements are interesting to sportsmen at the
present moment : —

I have made many experiments, and thought a good deal, by way
of ascertainuig the best calibre for answering the particular or
gejieral purposes to which the rifle may be apphed. We all know
that the resistance of the air is the chief obstacle which projected
bodies have to encounter. It is so very great, that the range of
projected spheres is more regulated by the degree of this resistance
than by the velocity they receive from the powder, — the iacreased
velocity of the ball being met by a geometrically increased ratio of
atmospheric resistance. The larger bullets, therefore, having less
surface in proportion to their mass, are, proportionately, much less
resisted ; so that the flights of the larger exceed those of the lesser,
in more than the proportion of their respective diameters. Eor in-
tance,_a thirty-two pound shot, whose diameter is about sis inches^

ill, with even a less proportionate charge of powder, and at an
equal elevation, range half as far again as a nine pound, whose dia-
meter is four inches. The proportion which the surface of a sphere
bears to its mass, increasing in a geometrical ratio to the decrease
of its diameter — ^the smaller the sphere, the greater is the propor-
tionate resistance it meets with in its flight. At length, we find
that small particles of the heaviest metals, becoming, as it were,
nearly all surface, ^vill actually float in the atmosphere, or remain
suspended for a considerable time in the hghtest fluids. Hence it
is, tliat from the same piece, and with a similar charge of powder,
wc shah find that the range of an ounce of bird-shot will regularly
extend with the increased size of the shot employed, until, in pro-

APPENDIX, 179

gressiou, we get to the ounce bullet itself, which fits the piece : and
which, by the by, at an elevation, would not be impelled further if
projected from a twenty-four pound cannon.

The theory of the air's regular resistance to the onward progress
of the bullet, must also be applied to the irregular action of the
wind across the line of its flight ; which action also increases in the
ratio of the decrease of the weight of the bullet. At the_ distance
of 315 yards I have found a strong cross wind to cause a rifle bullet
of nineteen to the r>ound to diverge from three to four feet. On
the other hand, I have used a rifle carrying a bullet of ten_ to the
pound, which, mth the same wind, did not, at the same distance,
diverge more than about one foot. In constructing a butt for rifle
practice, regard should, therefore, be had to the more usual direc-
tion of the vraid ; and, as far as the locality will allow, the butt
should be placed so as to have the wind more frequently m the Ime
of the range, either way, than across it.

'For general, and especially for mihtary purposes, such large nties
as the last mentioned would, coupled with the ammumtion, be
found too heavy. The rifles commonly used m the United States
carry, I am tol^ a bullet of thii-ty-two to the pound. The adoption
of so small a calibre, I take to have been occasioned by the use of
the rifle being, in that country, origmally and generally conimed to
the interior of thick forests, wherein it seldom happens that an ob-
ject is to be fired at beyond the distance of one hundred yards ;
and where, moreover, the wind is much less felt than in an open

Under the above circumstances, the half-ounce rifles are adequate
to their purnose; but in a more open, and especially m a moun-
tainous country, the calibre of rifles should be considerably larger.
In a hilly country, you are often in the actual presence ot the
enemy, and capable of greatly annojdng him, at distances at which,
on a plain, the view is iminterrupted and confined by the least con-
siderable of surrounding objects. In a hilly country, occasions are
perpetually offering, wherein long rifle ranges would cause consider-
able mischief to your opponents. Such long ranges can never be
obtained, nor depended on, with the half-ounce rifles ot the Ameri-
cans and Tyrolese. „ _ , p , .. • j.

If the foregoing observations are founded on tact, it is easy to
decide what sort of rifle should be applied to a particular purpose.
With respect to general purposes, I am mchned to fix on the
calibre of one ounce, or sixteen bullets to the pound. Ihe J^.n|-
lish Government rifles are of nineteen or twenty to the pound;
to which caUbre there is little objection, especially as it is thf same
as that of the cavaky carbines and pistols. However, i could ad-
vance several reasons— I do not call them very important ones—
for preferring the Erench regulation ; according to which all the
fire-arms of all the different coiTps, both of cavaby and infantry, are
of one and the same cahbre, of sixteen bullets to the pound.

With respect to the rifle, at least, I would most strenuously

180 APPENDIX.

recommend the substitution of percussion for flint locks ; over
which the advantages of the former are as great as the latter are
superior to the huge wheel and pyrites locks of two centuries
ago. In comparison to the percussion gun, the very best flint one
absolutely hangs fire, and one out of twenty is_ absolutely a miss-
fire. A cap is put on much quicker than a flint lock is primed ;
there is no time lost in changing flints ; and if Mr. _ Joyce's per-
cussion powder be used, there is no foulness or corrosion whatever;
lastly, the rifles at present in use might be converted into copper
caps at a trifling expense, and new copper cap locks wOl cost less
than flint ones. The onl}^ objection to the chang-e (and I own it is
a very great one indeed), is the bhnd prejudice of custom.

To render the use of the copper cap piece still more eligible,
especially for military i^urposes, there should be no lateral vent-
hole in the breech, but in lieu of it, a broad convex-headed screw;
which, upon being withdra\vn, opens a passage into the chamber
under the nipple, of an eiglith of an inch in diameter.

By this simple contrivance, — which I have apphed to all my
own guns, rifles, and pistols, — should any obstruction occur, either
from wet or dii't, winch cannot be removed by merely probing the
siipple, it will infallibly be cleared out by removing_ the screw,
scooping out the passage into the chambei- putting a little powder
therem, and firing it ofl', after liaving probed the nipple, and replaced
the screw. The aperture formed, by the removal of the screw,
greatly adds to the facility of washing the barrel.

Instead of the brush and brass wire pricker, required for the
-present fidnt-lock service, the use of percussion pieces would make
it necessary to substitute a little instrument of steel, resembling
the letter T, one half of the horizontal part bemg a four, or what
is perhaps better, a three-sided pricker or probe, of about one-
twentieth of an inch diameter. The other half of the horizontal
piece forms a kind of Httle scoop, corresponding to the dianieter of
the lateral screw above mentioned, upon the removal of which it is
to be employed. The centre piece, or foot of the T, is a turnscrew,,
sminounted by a little ring to attach it to the jacket. As, however,
the instrument v/ill not be often wanted, perhaps it had better be
kept in the trap of the rifle stock, in the inside of wliich I attach
it, by a thong, to a little screw staple.

Some persons recommend that, instead of the lateral screw
above described, the nipple itself should be taken out, incase of
obstruction, or for the purpose of washing the barrel. This is not
only ineffective, but higiily improper, as it requires the use of a
particular shaped key or pincer to screw the nipple ; whereas such
tilings as will turn a screw, or serve the purpose of a pricker, are
to be found everywhere.

The percussion powder for the caps should by all means be com-
posed of the nitrate of mercury, first brought into use by Mr. F.
Joyce, of Old Compton Street. This, instead of havhig the sHghtest
tendency to corrode the piece, would rather appear to possess an

APPENDIX. 181

anti-oxidating property, for I have repeatedly fomid that having
fired upwards of twenty rounds with this percussion powder, and
laid the piece by for a month without the least cleansing, it has been,
at the expiration of that time, as perfectly free from the least speck
of rust as the day it came new from the maker's shop. This would
certainly not be the case even mth a common flint lock ; but as
for the common percussion powder, composed of superoxygenated
muriate of potash, it actually corrodes the parts of a gun as much
as a drop of nitric acid itself; in fact, upon combustion, it evolves
and leaves a residuum of that active fluid upon the iron The con-
sequent rapid destruction of the parts is such as would, especially
in military service, occasion great inconvenience.

I have often compared notes, and reflected upon the respective
advantages belongmg to the magazme or copper cap locks either
for military or sportmg purposes. Of magazme locks hitherto
invented, the best and simplest is that by Eorsyth, with the maga-
zine sliding upon a plane, in which is the touch-hole, bemg connected
with the cock by a bridle, which causes it to follow or precede its
motions. Eor military use, this lock has the advantage over the
conper cap, inasmuch as it saves the time and attention required
for primino-— nothing else being reqmred than to cock and pull the
trigger In rifle practice, the use of this lock will more than
retrieve the small additional portion of time which it requires to
push down even my rifle cartridge, above what it takes to drop a
cartridge into a common musket, vnth all its windage. On horse-
back, the advantages of such magazine locks are still more evident
and important, as every one knows what an awkward loss ot time
and powder the operation of priming a flint lock occasions to a horse-
man in motion: whereas, with the magazme, contaimng thirty or
forty primings, and a swivel ramrod, a carbine or pistol may be loaded
with the some speed or precision on horseback, at a trot or a gallop,
as when sitting m a chair. It is certamly easier to put on a copper
cap than to prime a flint lock, but. \vith the magazine, there is no
priming operation at all. With the common corrosive percussion
powder above spoken of, the magazine lock certainly becomes very
unfit for military purposes ; for after having fired a shot or two
without subsequent cleaning, the lock will be nearly immovable
the day after. However, in the late Spanish campaign ot iS2d, i
had several magazine rifles and pistols, and no other than the cor-
rosive percussion powder, but the officers and men to whom i
entrusted them were so proud and so careful of them, as to keep
them always in the most perfect order. Anyhow, it is evident
that, for cavalry officers at least, the percussion magazine locks are
undoubtedly to be preferred ; and, for both officers and men, i will
observe, en passant, that it is far better to have one double pistol
than two or half-a dozen suigle ones ; and that whether one or two
pistols be used, they should, upon going into action, be secm-ed by
a thong to the sword-belt, so as, in case of need, to be mstanoly dis-
posed of by being dropped over the left shoulder. By havmg only

182 APPEKDIX.

one pistol, one liolster may be converted into a convenient poucli.
It is essential that, in double pistols, carbines, or rifles, the axes of
the barrels should be perfectly parallel^ from breech to muzzle. If
this be strictly attended to, it is not oi much consequence whether
they be disposed of as in a fowling-piece, or, as it is called, " under
and over." One " under and over " pistol, eight inch barrels (the
upper one rifled), nineteen bore, swivel ramrod, with a moveable
spring butt, to be kept in the other holster vv'^hen not in use, is an
excellent weapon for an oflicer. The moveable butt must also
serve the purpose of a m.allet in loading the rifled barrel. Three
or four slight taps will send the ball home, for, particularly on
horseback, a rifle-barrelled pistol cannot well be loaded by pushing
with so small a ramrod. With the smooth barrel, the party may
fire away, either with ball or buck-shot cartridges, as fast as he
pleases.

_ The copper cap offers the advantage of somewhat greater simpli-
citj, and consequently less liability to derangement ; and above all,
it is, with the application of wax as hereafter described, perfectly
water-proof. Por the rifle service, therefore, it might, perhaps, hi
one ponit of view, be preferable to the magazme ; and certainly it
is so hi every respect for fowling-pieces ; in the use of which, pro-
tection from the rain is of much more importance than the gaia of a
few seconds in loading, and where none of the inconveniences of
priming on horseback are experienced. ^ Duelling pistols should de-
cidedly be copper caps. With such pistols there is no occasion
whatever for a magazme ; and I have found that a dehcate trigger
cannot be subjected to the slio-htest casual pull or strahiof thelma-
gazine sth-rup, without great liability to accident.

A remarkable defect in all the rifle-shooting that I have ever seen,
is the improper construction of the ramrod, which is much too light. '
Erom this it results, that either the bullet is inserted with too little
constriction to ensure its revolving on its axis to the end of an ex-
tensive flight ; or, upon a tighter fit being attempted, much time
and awkward exertion are expended in driving it properly_ "home."

The friction to be overcome in forcing a bullet into a rifle is, in
some respects, analogous to that of a wedge or nail in entering a
piece of wood. Nobody would think of diiving a nail or a wedge
by mere pressure or pushing, which would not effect the object
with a thousand times the force that would suffice in the shape of
percussion or impuigement. To load a rifle with a mallet is out of
the question, especially for military purposes ; but I find that the
very best effect is produced by haAong the ramrod of solid brass,
considerably heavier than the iron ones of the Government rifles. I
have also a bit of hard- wood, turned into the shape of a pestle,
acutelj^ convex at the thick end ; and to qualify it for hasty use, I
fasten it by a string to the button of my jacket. With this I give
the ball a smart tap, wliich drives it below the centre of its cu'cum-
ference into the grooves of the barrel. If the latter be perfectly
clean, the bullet ^viU go down all the way by mere pushing ; but

APPENDIX. 183

this "will not be tlie case after a few shots have been fired, unless
the bullet be smaller than it should be. Any how the ramrod ought
alwaysto be flung do^vn once or twice, in conclusion— as the parti-
cular ring or jar, so produced, furnishes the only true criterion of
the bullet being really " home."

The ramrod being of the proper weight, and the end applied to
the bullet being nearly equal to its calibre, and well countersunlv,
the bullet will he moved by it with a few easy percussions ; and
should the barrel be ever so foul towards the breech, one or two
flings with such a ramrod, will send the bullet "home" 'with the
assured ring. Neither a wooden nor a light metal ramrod will pro-
duce this effect after a few shots.

The ramrods I have had constructed for my ovm use are of solid
brass, of about half an mch diameter, except the end appUed to the
bullet, which, for a couple of inches, is so large as just to fit easily
into the barrel. This large end is bored conically out, so as to con-
tain between two and three drachms of powder, which, in leisure
shooting, serves to introduce the charge with the rifle reversed.
The ball-drawer, when required, screws into the other end of the
rod.

The Government rifle ramrods might, for economy's sake, be
made of iron; but they should be much heavier than they are. It
is absolutely necessary to good and quick rifle-shooting, that the
bullet should be driven into the mouth of the piece by a stroke of
some sort or other, previously to the use of the ramrod. Should
the httle wooden pestle mentioned above be deemed inconvenient
in military practice— which I opine it is not— a similar effect might
be produced by a tap mth the round button-like end of the present
rifle ramrods • though, for the sake of the barrel, I would recom-
mend that this button should be of soft copper. Were it made
more convex it would drive the bullet further in.

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