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THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY OF
BRITISH COLUMBIA

Harry Hanthorn Foundation

for the

Inculcation & Propagation

of the Principles & Ethics

of Fly-Fishing

SHOOTING

AND

SALMON FISHING

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

University of British Columbia Library

http://www.archive.org/details/shootingsalmonfiOOgrim

SHOOTING

AND

SALMON FISHING

HINTS ANB RECOLLECTIONS

BY

A. GRIMBLE

ILLUSTRATED

LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, Ld.

HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN
1892

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARfNG CROSS.

LIST OF CONTENTS.

PREFACE.

PAGE

Chapter I. — General Remarks ... i

,, II. — Grousing .... 50

,, III. — Capercailzie. — Blackgame. —

Ptarmigan. — Roedeer . . 93

,, IV. — Snipe and Wildfowl . . 125

V. — Low Ground Shooting. —
Partridges. — Pheasants. —

Hares and Rabbits . . 141

VI.— Salmon Fishing . . • i/S

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

A Little too Keen . . . .

to face 1 8

Anxious Moments . . . .

20

Various ways of Gun-carrying .

.. 44

Ditto ditto

.. 46

Ditto ditto

M 48

Penny Dinners

66

A Death Trap

72

KiTEING .......

„ 86

Stook Shooting

M 90

Ptarmigan on Snow Slip

,, 1 10

Frozen Out ......

• .. 132

Muff's Work

„ 168

Putting a Strain on a "Sulky Brute'

196

The Spey-Cast, No. i . . .

,, 204

Ditto No. 2 . . .

,, 206

Ditto No. 3 . . .

208

Minnow Fisher

n 236

Making the best of it

,, 246

PREFACE.

Numerous subscribers to my Edition de hixe of
"Deerstalking" have been good enough to suggest
the pubhshing of a fellow volume on sport with rod
and gun, and encouragement is given me to make
the attempt by the remembrance of how often
good men and good dogs may be seen to fail to
hunt certain corners and patches of very well-stocked
beats and covers ; so pen is bent to paper in the
hope there may yet remain some bits of unworked
or not very closely hunted ground for me to range
over. Should it be my bad luck to appear to poach
on the preserves of others, apologies are freely
offered, coupled with earnest assurances that the
trespass has been committed in ignorance. Putting

PREFACE.

fonvard no claim to have been present at the making
of any extraordinary large bags, and leaving out
some twenty years of earlier sports, it has been my
good luck during the past ten years to see some
fifty thousand head of Scotch and English game
brought to bag; and a " prood mon " am I to say
that the whole of this sport has been enjoyed
entirely through ^the kindness of numerous good
friends. In addition to the game, some fifteen
hundred salmon must also be added, and as both
have been obtained in all parts of Great Britain-
from Cornwall to Caithness— opportunities have been
offered of seeing a great variety of shootings and
shooters, of fishings and fishermen. Twice in the
following pages a few lines have been introduced
almost word for word from " Deerstalking," and I
was emboldened to do so by the fact that the book
is now six years old, and during that time many
good sportsmen have expressed their entire con-
currence with the views therein put forward.

Where so many friends have been so kind it

PREFACE. xi

would be invidious to dedicate this book to any one
or two in particular. Even as these lines are penned
comes the sad news of the unexpected death of
one of the kindest and most valued — poor Henry
Spencer Lucy, of Charlecote Park. In addition to
being one of the very best of gentlemen, he was
absolutely, whether with rifle or gun, the most
experienced sportsman I have ever known ; and
many are the hints on stalking and shooting for
which I am indebted to him. These pages are
therefore dedicated to all the kind friends who have
ever given me a day with rod or gun, and my hope
is that each and all will take them as a very trifling
acknowledgment of kindness and hospitality that I
fear can never be adequately returned.

A. GRniBLE.

Union Club,

Brighton,

November, 1890.

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING,

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

CHAPTER I.

Commencing with the termination of that interregnum
which falls on the shooting world between the first of
February and the twelfth of August, we will suppose
it is the end of July ; and ever since the close of the
previous season all keen sportsmen will have had
periodical attacks of anxiety as to the prospects of
the one to come. In our variable climate the
weather of the past five months, coupled with the
reports received from foresters and keepers in man)-
a lonely glen, will have been the foundation of

B

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

numerous happy talks between brother sportsmen ;
but by this date, whether it relate to Highland or
Lowland game, each lover of the gun will be able
to form a fairly accurate idea of the sport awaiting
him ; and, moreover, those who are to be afoot on
"the twelfth" will already be smelling heather,
though there are perhaps but few who will join in
the fervent wish expressed by a City gentleman
who had just made a fortune and meant spending
it, and who exclaimed to his friends one sultry day
at the end of July : " Well, thank goodness, in less
than three weeks I shall be in Scotland on the
moors and amongst the lonetails ! "

As in a book of sport the word sportsman must
inevitably be frequently used, the author thinks it
as well to begin by stating what in his humble
opinion a " good man " should be.

Firstly, — In carrying and using a gun he should
be absolutely safe for every one with him in the
field, himself included.

Secondly, — He will never count the pleasure of

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

a day's sport by the number of head killed ; and
he should be able to derive keen enjoyment from
the mere fact of havingf a Qrun in his hands with
a chance of using it, if even only now and again ;
and it should ever be reckoned the greater the
difficulties to be overcome the greater is the pleasure
to be had from surmounting them.

Thirdly, — He should be able to sleep in a
shepherd's bothy and hob-nob with the fleas, and
to dine with their happy owner off porridge washed
down with cold spring water ; but likewise he should
be able to "go nap " through sixteen courses of the
best, and neither of the above-named events, or an\'
happy medium, should affect his walking or his
shooting the next day.

Fo7irihly, — He should be sound in wind and limb,
untirable, undefeatable, and quick to take advan-
tage of all chances presenting themselves ; and in
every shot there is ever the right and the wrong
moment in which to pull the trigger.

Fifthly,— H^ should not be a jealous shot; he

SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

should not fire, long shots ; and in cover he should
make it a hard and fast rule never to fire low shots.
What are long shots, each one must, to some extent,
setde for himself ; but using forty-three grains of
Schultz and a full ounce of number five shot, with
" Field " loading and a very slight choke, the author
tries to limit himself to shots that are not over fifty
yards, and up tj that distance he has satisfied himself
at the plate it is entirely his own fault if misses
be made.

In cover shooting or when driving it is easy to
judge the chosen distance, almost to a yard, by fixing
on some object on either side ; and should game pass
wide of these points, stedfastly resolve to let it go
by unmolested.

Sixthly, — He should be punctual to a moment, and
he should be quiet, and not raise his voice louder
than needful. He should walk the pace his host
sets, and pride himself on keeping exact line. The
host should regulate his pace to one which he sees
is pleasant to his friends, and if there be a very slow

HIXTS AXD RECOLLECTIONS.

man in a party walking in line, it can be arranged
not to tire him or make a funeral march for the
more active ones, by placing the slow walker in the
middle of the line, leaving the quicker goers to do
the wheeling. This plan can of course only succeed
in countries broken up by hedges, and would be
useless on moorland beats, which often go straight
ahead for a mile or more ; but as fast walking is
always against making a good bag, the slow man
unwittingly does everyone in the field a good turn,
and in all cases his company is greatly to be pre-
ferred to that of the fast and jealous walker, who
is for ever racing in advance of the whole of the
other guns.

SeventJily,—\i fault has to be found with either
guest or servant, the host should not furiously rage
before the whole field ; and a guest, except in cases
of reckless shooting or dangerous carrying of guns,
should never say anything unless directly appealed to.

Eighthly.— ^^ should never "forget" to take out
a shooting licence, or fail to "make friends" with

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

all keepers, gillies, beaters, ponies, and dogs. He
should take a good supply of cartridges wherever
he goes, and if it be exhausted, then let him be
punctilious to return what he borrows ; for there are
shooters who make it a practice not to take enough,
and supply the deficiency by borrowing from the
cartridge bags of their friends, and never offer to
replace them. Such soon get known and laughed
at for their petty meanness, and no one would wish
to be classed with them.

Ninthly, — He should be unselfish, and willing to
sacrifice his own sport, if thereby several others are
benefited, and the following story well illustrates
our meaning. Some seasons since, when on a visit
to ?Jr. Edward Lawson, at Hall Barn, in Bucks, it
happened Mr. Archie Steuart-Wortley was one of
a cheery party made up of six guns. In the course
of the day, we came to a beat near "the march"
(even when writing of English sport, we prefer the
use of the Scotch word), which held a great many
pheasants, numbers of which would at times fly back,

HINTS AXD RECOLLECTIONS.

and thus go right off the shooting. For this reason
it was always necessary to have a rehable gun with
the beaters. The post fell to Wortley that day, and
as the cover about to be beaten was one of low gorse,
bracken and broom, leading into Dipple Wood, the
guns standing in front could Avatch the beaters coming
from the very first start, and each saw their friend
could have killed some sixty birds whilst advancing
on them ; but not one single shot did he fire, for that
day a strong wind was behind the birds, and as each
one rose it flew forward, and like a good man Wortley
sacrificed the poor pleasure of killing a lot of easy
shots, and by allowing the birds to develop their
speed, by the time they reached the shooters posted
in front they had all become " tall " ones, and offered
difficult and exciting shooting. The guns out that
day, besides our host, were Sir George Prcscott, the
late General Goodlake. V.C., Sir John Edwards-
Moss and the author, and Wortley's sportsmanlike
forbearance was acknowledged by all as soon as the
beat was over.

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHTXG.

It is much to be regretted so many shooters never
take the trouble to master the etiquette of good form,
and often the most particular men in all other ways
are the greatest offenders against the sportsman's
code.

It is a mistake to assert, as one often hears, that
those takine to shootin^ late In life cannot learn to
be good men, s^ far as relates to their actions in the
field ; although it is quite correct that they seldom
blossom even into fairly good marksmen.

Anyone who is really anxious to learn may, in the
course of a few seasons, become well versed in all
the courtesies of the shooting field ; but unless broken
in from boyhood, it is rare to see any short service
gentlem.en actually excel.

What happy days hundreds of us have passed
with the friendly keeper, during our holidays, and
before we were allowed to join in the pursuit of
real game — days resulting in but a few young rabbits
to make a pie for the house, some wood-pigeons, a
jay, a hawk, and a stoat, but altogether making uj)

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

a bag regarded with rapture. Poor as such sport may
now seem, those however were the days that taught us
to be good and careful sportsmen. We have often
read that for the first few days the absolute novice
should begin to shoot with powder only in the gun,
but whatever the merits of the plan may be, we have
never yet met with the lad of the period who would
condescend to give this method a trial.

Perhaps the most common fault to be met with
now-a-days is the hopeless inability of so many to
distino-uish between meum and tuum. Numbers of
these delinquents do not sin from jealousy, but from
pure incapacity in the excitement of the moment to
see anything but the object to be shot at.

At some Scotch grouse drives, where the boxes have
not been more than fifty yards apart, we have had
neio-hbours who have fired at birds passing them on
the far side of our box. To mention this is often a
matter of giving offence ; but these sort of shooters
are the ones of all others to pepper one, and as it is
better to cry out before being hit than afterwards, it

c

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

becomes wiser to risk the offence, and if taken in bad
part, it can generally be put right over a glass of wine
at dinner.

The author remembers being present at a grouse
drive, where the conformation of the ground forced
the boxes to be barely fifty yards apart. As soon as
placed in position, on turning to the left, the welcome
sight of an old hand met his eyes ; on the right was
a lad who had just confided to us that this was his
very first grouse drive. However, he had been next us
in an earlier drive that day, and appeared to handle
his gun in good style, and to know where he was
shooting, so our mind was made up to trust him, and
as soon as the birds began to come we blazed away
free from anxiety, till suddenly bespattered with shot,
and turning quickly, it could be seen at a glance the
unwelcome visitors had come from the gun beyond the
youngster on the right. Wondering how the lad had
escaped being hit we did not hesitate to cry the sinner
by name.

At the end of the drive the culprit, whom

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. ii

we will call A., without even waiting to pick
up his birds, came striding towards us clearly
very angry, and the following conversation took
place : —

A. I say, G., dash it all ! What on earth do you
mean by yelling out like that ! I vow I never even
shot near you, and it's not fair to shout a fellow's
name all down the line, and it's precious rough on
me, as I'm nearly a stranger here!

G. Well, A., it's no good being in a rage. I'm
sure you did fire right into us — ask Donald (the
loader) : however, no harm is done, but for goodness
sake do be more careful in future."

A. Good gracious, G. ! you must have taken leave
of your senses, for no one can be more careful than
I am ; and besides, my shots could not have hit you
and missed C. (the lad), who was in a direct line
between us.

G. All right, A., you keep your opinion ; I shall
stick to mine. So we will let the matter drop and
say no more about it.

SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

A. (still very angry and turning to C, who was
placidly picking up his birds).— Hi! C, come here a
moment, will you ?

C. (coming up). Well, what is it ?

A. Why, G. says I shot into his box, and I could
not possibly do that without hitting you, so please just
say straight out if any shots did come your way.

C. Well, A.^since you put it like that, as a matter
of fact I have got five pellets in my back ! — only flesh
wounds though, and as they don't hurt it does not
matter ! !

A. collapsed and apologized like a man, and we all
had a good laugh at his expense. C.'s wounds gave
him no trouble, and he was richer by the five pellets
and a very handsome cigar case A. sent him to com-
memorate the event, and from that day forth A. could
always be passed as safe. Poor C. afterwards con-
fided to us when asked why he had said nothing, that
he was silent simply because he had always heard he
must expect to be hit when grouse driving !

This story well shows how an excitable man when

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 13

fixing his eye 011 the bird to be shot at, becomes
absolutely blind to every other object around him ;
and the author believes there are but few of us who
cannot recall to mind some risky shots fired in
youthful days.

Personally we are thankful to say that, with one
exception, we never put lead into anything not meant
to receive it ; but for all that, we are often haunted
by the recollection of firing a dangerous shot, when
quite a boy, which to all appearances ought to have
severely peppered a very kind uncle.

The only time we did hit that which was not
intended, was after an experience of twenty years,
and then we had the sad misfortune to wound a very
good setter of the late Mr. Spencer Lucy's at Corrour.
Poor Belle ! it was one of the few faults she ever
made, and nearly cost her dear. She crept on after
a covey of running grouse, and following them round
a hillock unsighted the shooter, and her head came
into the line of fire fully thirty yards from the spot
where she had last been seen, just as the trigger was

14 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

pulled : the bird fell dead, and she was badly hit, but
eventually recovered to set many more grouse ; but
though she did not turn in the least gun-shy, her nose
was never afterwards so good.

Recently we experienced another instance of far
more inexcusable rashness than could be imputed to
our grouse-driving friend. A gentleman invited us
to shoot, whom we had only met the day before,
whilst mutually visiting at a country house ; in all
other respects a most charming companion, he soon
showed himself to be something uniquely dangerous
in the field. No matter when or where anything rose,
shoot at it he must, and did.

In the first beat he placed the author about forty
yards away from him in a bare grass field, and outside
a small spinney ; a hen pheasant shortly rose from the
cover ditch, and flew towards us, too low to shoot at,
and barely even topping one's head. At that instant,
to our horror, mine host was seen making ready to
shoot, and discarding all ceremony we fell flat on the
grass, and both barrels were discharged harmlessly.

HLYTS AXD RECOLLECTIOXS. 15

Astonished and enraged at his proceedings, we never-
theless jumped up and killed the bird as it was going
away, and then, not being on sufficiently intimate term.s
to swear at him, a bolt was made over a style, and
meeting the next gun we told him what had happened.
He laughed, and only said, " Dear me, how wrong of
us all to forget there was a stranger out ; we ought
to have warned you. \\ ell ! ke always does it ! No
good saying anything ; but none of us who know him
ever go near him, and don't you ! "

This was not very pleasant hearing, the more so
as the host shortly joined us, saying he hoped he had
not fired a dangerous shot, but really he had not
seen me in the least ; and this was most courteously
put, although we had stood in a bare grass field
hardly forty yards apart !

He then invited us to follow him, saying there
would be a good few birds this time, and we could
acrain stand next to each other. Not knowing how
to escape, we obeyed orders, and soon came to the
fatal corner, and stood as before. It was as plain

i6 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

as possible that if we did not mean to be hit, the
only chance of safety was in never taking eyes off
this dangerous host.

The beat began, and again a pheasant rose in
front of us, but the first flutter of the wings was
a signal for us to take a seat on the fallow. Again
our friend wasted his cartridges, and once more we
were up in tinje to make a kill ; and at that corner, in
this style, some twenty birds were bagged. For the
whole of the rest of the day we had to stand next this
terrible man, and never once did he appear to see
us sit down or jump up, or in any way notice he
was regarded as an undesirable neio^hbour.

Although the first few of these reckless shots had
caused considerable anger, the excitement of having
to keep such a very sharp look out began to please
us, and eventually the ludicrous side of the matter so
grew on us, that before the end of the day we were
actually enjoying it. The other guests also drew
near and followed the example set, and anything
more laughable than to see the two friends on either

HIXTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 17

side of their host, tumbUng down when his gun
went up, and jumping up when his gun went down,
could hardly be seen out shooting. Once, however,
safely at home, "previous engagements " were always
to the fore when further invitations arrived from
that quarter.

The inevitable end came at last — it was wonderful
it had not come quicker — and our good friend has now
retired from the world of sport— not, however, with-
out at last having hit something, only it was a beater,
not a hare, and the little mistake (a trifle of some
seventy pellets in the poor man's thigh) having cost
him about two pounds per pellet, he gave up in
disgust at the stupidity of beaters in getting in the
way ; and the pheasants at any rate must be con-
doled with on the loss of a true friend. The moral
of all this is, if out with a dangerous man 7icver take
your eyes off him if he is within shot, and also, go
not forth with him twice, for such days ius described
are but poor fun, and unless short of shooting
invitations— the first should always be the last. We

1)

i8 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

cannot refrain from citing two more ludicrous in-
stances of the untrained and too enthusiastic shooter.
On the first occasion a keen but not young beginner
was driving with a friend in a brougham to a shooting
meet ; on nearing the cover many pheasants were to
be seen running off the roadside into the ditches,
and our novice slipped a cartridge into his gun and
took a shot o^^t of the window at a running cock !
The bird escaped, but not so the brougham, which
was speedily deposited in the ditch the pheasant had
made for ; no one was hurt, and as soon as the two
occupants of the vehicle were got out of it the only
result worth mentioning, in addition to a broken
pole, was a somewhat animated conversation between
the two friends.

We also once watched a sportsman who, thinking
himself unseen, potted some dozen birds just inside
the cover as they were running down to the corner,
and to give him his due, he rigorously followed
the advice offered by Mr. Punch's Frenchman, and
always "waited till they stopped!"

•

HINTS AXD RECOLLECTIONS. 19

As each murder was committed he ran to the
cover-side and picked up the victim, and returning
to his stand deposited it complacently at his feet.
Quite a nice little heap was accumulated in this
way, and when the beat was over and as the rest
of the guns came up, he proudly cried to the keeper,
" Just send a boy to take my birds, please," and
turning to us — " I've picked 'em all for myself, and
there was not a runner in the lot ! " This was true
enough, and we began to think whether such conduct
should not be reported to head-quarters ; however,
as our friend was in all other ways quite an extra
good fellow nothing was said ; but by sundry hints
and winks he was made to understand there had
been a witness of his atrocities, and we are glad to
say he is now a fair sportsman, and even a
moderate shot.

It is impossible to help marking the hap-hazard care-
lessness often witnessed at some large shooting parties :
one moment the barrels of Mr. A.'s full-cocked gun
stare you straight in the face, and quickly getting out

SHOOTJXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

of that dauger, all seems safe till it suddenly dawns
on you i\Ir. B.'s gun is covering your legs, and
having promptly avoided any chance of being lamed
for life, lo-and-behold Mr. C.'s gun is found pointing
steadily at your stomach, till at last, made half nervous
and wholly angry, shooting well becomes impossible.
The author has always noticed that those who have
ever used mujzle-loaders are safer companions than
those whose shooting career has dated from the day of
the breech-loader ; for every one who used a ramrod
had to face a certain amount of dangler, and though
an indefinite number of fingers, thumbs and hat-rims
were annually blown off, the care each shooter was
then taught to take of himself made him safer for
his friends, and we think there were fewer people
"pelleted" in the muzzle-loading days.

In our humble opinion there is far too much for-
bearance shown to dangerous men, and many an
accident would be averted if those not knowing how
to manage their weapons were politely but plainly
told of their misdeeds. It is fortunate that shots

U)

h
z

0

0
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HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

are not bullets, for if everyone was killed or maimed
who was hit each season, the fatalities would be
counted by hundreds. We do not shoot with more
careless shots than the average run of shooters, but
rarely does a season go by but what we see one or
two people wounded. That which takes place in one
man's experience will repeat itself with others, and it
only requires a multiplication sum to make up a long
list of "peppered" ones each season. It is a very
terrible matter to be shot at quite close quarters,
for it usually entails severe and lasting after-effects,
if not immediate loss of life, and it would be better
for anyone to be hit by a solid bullet than to receive
a charge of small shot at but a few yards from the
muzzle of the gun. Provided, however, the victim
is well away from the culprit, and that he escape
the exact centre of the charge, there is nothing
very painful or dangerous in being shot ; and if
only the eyes are undamaged the rest of the
body can take a "good few" pellets without being
much the worse. At thirty-five yards rise we

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

had thirteen pellets of No. 6 put into head, face,
neck, and throat — the sensation was that of a
heavy box on the ear (and for a perfect knowledge
of that feeling Ave are indebted to a brutal school-
master) ; but after stanching the bleeding and washing
in the nearest burn, we continued to shoot the day
out, and on the following one we went to the forest
and killed two stegs, so that clearly there was nothing
much to bother about. The whole "baker's dozen"
are still carried about with us, and no annoyance is
ever experienced from them, and whenever shots are
buried deep in the flesh, as long as no inconvenience
is caused, they should not be disturbed. A lump of
tobacco placed on a shot wound or some wool
plucked off a coat and poked into it will usually
stop any ordinary case of bleeding.

When walking in line and the beat has narrowed
so as to force the guns to be only about twenty
yards apart, one is often assailed, as a bird rises,
with a noisy "Why didn't you shoot ? I waited ever
so long for you ! ' the querist having just smothered

HIXTS AND RECOLLECTIOXS.

a partridge not fifteen yards right in front of you,
and which by all the laws of the field was strictly
your very own to have first fire at.

With a neighbour like this, it is best to put the
gun under one's arm and merely say, " It is of no use
our both shooting at the same bird." The kill, such
as it was, has pleased the duffer, and a good man
can afford to laus^h at beino- robbed of a few shots.

When, however, that sort of thing is likely to
continue all day, it is difficult to know what to
advise. If between two such guns, neither of them
knowing their own birds (or that it is the accepted
rule for the man nearest to whom the bird rises to
have first fire), it is best to try and get shifted from
your place in the line, and now and then this may
be accomplished by a mild ruse.

When the time comes to make a wheel, stop to
light a pipe or fasten a boot lace, and thus get left
in rear of the line, and in order to save time in
waiting for your position to be regained, the host
will often cry to you to fall in by a short cut, and

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

thus at one C07ip both the too attentive friends may
be got rid of.

Exasperated at this happy-go-lucky style of
shooting, Ave have at times seen good men knock
over ground game only a few yards in front of the
offender, and then staring hard while reloading, flash
forth looks that are tantamount to saying : " There !
take that, you puffer ! "

If one cannot secure a change In positions and
all hints are thrown aAvay, a luodns vhendi may be
arranged by agreeing to take it in turns to shoot ; this
sort of work cannot, however, be called a pleasant day's
sport, and of course in good company it could never
happen ; but two wrongs do not make a right, and we
are of opinion that when a well-trained sportsman
is placed between two duffers, he should not forget
his code of honour, however great the provocation.

We have assumed in the foregoing cases that the
offenders sin entirely from ignorance ; but at times
we have seen two good shots urged by a host to
punish a jealous man who has established for himself

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

a notorious reputation as a wilful offender and jealous
shot. The sinner is placed between his executioners at
a stand where there will be plenty of birds, and both
concentrating their skill entirely on all game coming
to the culprit, the double fire rarely fails to demoralize
him, and by the time the beat Is over he will have had
his lesson, and a second one on that particular shooting
will never be required. It Is a disagreeable per-
formance to have to incite friends to take part In, and
It may be thought It would be better not to Invite the
jealous man at all ; but occasionally it happens he Is a
neighbour with whom It is for many reasons desirable
to keep good friends, and who Is a real good fellow
in all other ways.

There are numbers of gentlemen who preserve
largely, and have numerous shooting parties, but who
do not really care for the sport, and know but little
about It. They are fond of a country life, and like to
see their friends about them and give them some
shooting ; but they do not know their own " marches,"
and could not direct the beating of their own covers,

E

26 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

or even place the guns, for they have no idea where
all the various rides in a wood begin, end, or lead to.
These are the gentlemen who are almost sure to
over-gun their covers, for the more friends they can
entertain the better these kindly-hearted ones are
pleased, and all details as to numbers are settled by
asking the head-keeper how many he will require for
such and such» a wood, and according to that estimate
invitations are sent out.

Now, the best of keepers is but mortal, and if
the shooting be on a large scale, each gun asked will
represent a gold coin of the realm for his pocket,
and hence a liberal view of the required number will
surely be taken, and on these shootings ten guns are
always asked to do the work of six or seven. As a
general rule, to ensure a pleasant days sport, the
guests should be from fifty to sixty yards apart ;
lor it but twenty to thirty yards divide them, it
becomes almost impossible for each to keep to his
own bird, and under such circumstances a hot corner
develops into an affair of indiscriminate banging,

HIXTS AXD RECOLLECTIOXS.

and first come first served and devil take the hind-
most, quickly becomes the order of the day.

On these occasions also the cry of " Let em rise !"
is often heard, should there be one or two of the party
who are known as "plasterers," and kill their birds
fluttering on the top of the underwood — a truly
horrible style, but one much practised by those who
keep a score of what they kill. We do not say there
are not exceptional circumstances where a score, if
a scorer be sent out, may not fairly be kept ; but as
a rule we are certain it is a bad plan ever to think
of such a thing. A score-keeping shooter is generally
a shot picker, and may repeatedly be seen to refuse
difficult chances for fear of spoiling his average, and
thus he will lose a great deal of fun to gratify his
vanity and enable him to say so many head were
bagged for so many cartridges. The gentlemen who
so liberally and kindly provide sport for their friends
although they themselves care but little about it, are
also frequently those who make the great mistake of
letting their keepers shoot when guests are present,

28 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and we have seen some very good keepers quite spoilt
in this way, for they will generally be better shots and
harder walkers than the ordinary run of visitors at
such places, and speedily becoming elated at their own
prowess they become " too big for their breeches,"
whilst should one of the gentlemen chance to be both
a better marksman and better walker, the keeper will
become wildly ^alous ; and we once, in Scotland, saw
a whole day's sport reduced to a match between the
two, which the amateur won very easily. Indeed,
as far as shooting goes, the gentlemen as a body are,
as they ought to be, a very long way in front of the
keepers. It is as well that a game-keeper should
be able to shoot more or less, but some of the best
are very moderate performers with the gun, and
rel}' chiefly on their traps for the destruction of all
vermin.

Except under exceptional circumstances, such as
a day's ferreting, and when we have known both
master and man for some time and are sure of the
latter's training and good manners, we usually plead

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

an excuse if asked to take the field with the keeper
who is to shoot.

As a rule, each man thinks he kills more than he
actually does, and if eight guns are called together
after a hot corner, and each be asked what he has
bagged and the total added up, it will generally be
nearly double the number of head gathered.

During the course of a moderate day's sport— four
of us tramping the fields in line — we once heard a
very bad shot asked what he had killed up to
luncheon-time, and, in perfect good faith, he claimed
the whole bao^ !

Never count or let the keeper count the cartridges
taken out ; make sure there will be plenty, and at
the end of the day do not look at the number
remaining, for your own judgment will tell whether
you have done well or the reverse ; and, if any one
should happen to be in very good form and make
a loner strinof of kills, let him not on any account
boast of it, or the first time he is a little "off" he
will receive a lot of chaff and, worse still, render

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

himself miserable by his own thoughts on his bad
shooting.

The author trusts his readers will not think he is
about to try and teach them how to shoot or to fish.
Hints only are offered, as he does not believe it
possible by pure and simple writing — no matter how
long or minute the instructions may be — to teach
any one to kill^a bird on the wing or to drop a fly
neatly on a salmon cast at the end of twenty-five
yards of line. The foundation of every good shot or
fisherman must always be }'Outh combined with an
ardent love of the sport, coupled with plenty of
opportunities for practice. Of course, some will by
nature be more gifted than others, and these are the
men who come to the front.

Let us recount our own experiences as a beginner
with the gun, and we do so solely in the hope they
may persuade others to persevere. At thirteen we
were entered at rabbits and an occasional pheasant
by our uncle, Mr. Rothwell Pounsett, who then rented
the shootings of Mountfield Park, near Battle, in

HINTS AXD RECOLLECTIOXS.

Sussex. As a beginner we did well, and friends and
keepers were kind enough to prophesy a future for
the school-boy.

Then, for several seasons the exigencies of education
and army cramming did away with all chance ot
handling a gun, till, at the age of seventeen, an old
school-fellow, Tom Powell, asked us to stay for a
month from the first of September, at his father's
place, Dorstone Rectory, in Herefordshire.

In those days Tom was a lively Oxford under-
graduate, some few years our senior, and an excellent
shot. That, alas! is thirty years ago, and Tom is
now the Reverend Thomas Powell, and lives at the
Rectory and follows in the footsteps of his good
father, who was then our host.

We arrived at the Rectory with plenty of powder,
shot, wad and caps, and a fourteen-bore double-
muzzle-loader by Forsyth : and in the smoking-room,
on the eve of St. Partridge's Day, we hinted some-
what plainly that birds would be scarce by the end
f the month I In this case pride did indeed have

o

32 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

a fall, for during the month, in which we two killed
two hundred brace of birds over dogs, incredible as
it may sound, our individual share of that bag was
hut/ive partridges ! Our friend gave us every chance,
and we had more shooting than he had. Gun,
powder, shot and charge were all changed in turn,
but to no good purpose, and at the end of the month,
depressed and down-hearted at our utter want of
success, we were glad when the visit terminated and
our adieus were made, while mentally vowing never
again to take a gun in hand. A feeling came over
us that it could only have been to a muff as great
as we were that the late " Ginger " Stubbs once
addressed his damning praise. Said he to poor
"Jones," who had been fishing for a compliment,
" Jones, my dear fellow, you charge your gun well,
you ram well, you cap well, you cock well and hold
well," and here Jones was smiling all over his face,
"but what the devil becomes of your shot is some-
thing no man can tell," Dearly as the sport was
prized, sadly and completely we were compelled to

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 33

own that as a shooter we were a most thorough aiul
dismal failure. A fortnight passed away, and during
that time our discomfiture had to some extent been
softened and forgotten, when an invitation came from
another good friend, the present Sir Charles Booth,
asking us to stay with him at Nctherfield, his place
in Hertfordshire, and though our misgivings were
great, we could not resist accepting. The first day
of going out — distrait, unnerved, and shy of letting
off the gun— we were content to watch our host
knocking his birds over, and killing cleanly at long
distances with great precision. It did look so easy!
Why, oh why, could we not learn it '^. and even
while bewailing our stupidity a covey rose, and to
our great joy the bird fired at fell dead. "Well
shot!" was called; but, better than that, it Hashed
across our brain we should yet learn to shoot.
Coached by Sir Charles, rapid strides were made
from that moment, and by the time the age of three-
and-twenty was reached we could well hold our
own at rising game.

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

Driving-, which was then a sealed book (1857) to
great numbers of sportsmen, also proved, when first
joined in, nearly as disheartening as the earlier ex-
perience at rising birds. These not very interesting
so2ivenij's are only recalled from the past to inspire
beginners with confidence, and to show that the
greatest muff need not despair, if young, fond of
the gun, and gothing is defective with his eyesight.
The first and absolutely the foremost matter in
shooting is to keep the eyes open. We think we
hear our readers laugh and say, " Just as if anyone
ever shot with his eyes shut ! " Nevertheless, there
are undoubtedly those who do attempt the feat.
How do we know ? Well, we will try to explain.
All of us are acquainted with the shooter who, times
without number and year by year, keeps on shooting
at birds that someone else has already killed, and
who does not let off his gun till the bird has actually
collapsed and has commenced to fall ; yet this style
of shooter will continue, season after season, to claim
such birds as falling to his own gun, and is quite

HIXTS AND RECOLLECTIONS.

happy in the firm beHef he has shot them, and
his claim is clearly put forward in absolute good
faith and unblushingly. Now, we happen to have
seen several gunners of this species, and as they were
Avell known to be clever, modest, and honourable
gentlemen, who would not dream of saying that
which they did not believe to be true, it puzzled us
greatly for some years how such men could possibly
become, to all appearance, so silly when they had
a gun in their hands. At last, one day during a
desperate effort to coach one of these shooters, we
left our own stand at the cover side and went to
load for him ; every pheasant was missed clean, and,
tired of seeing them go away, we turned close atten-
tion to the gunner, and at first we could hardly
credit our eyes, for at each shot, just as the trigger
was pulled, he tightly shut both eyes ! Here, then,
was an ample explanation of the habit of shooting
at birds which had been killed the second before
by someone else ; for, as our shooter's eyes closed,
the bird was killed, and as he opened them again

36 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

after firing and saw it falling, he naturally concluded
he had made the kill ; and if those who are notorious
in this line be closely watched, what we have
described will be seen to take place. It is a nervous
habit and by no means so uncommon as might be
supposed, and one of the hardest of all to cure.

The author is not an advocate of " takinof a orun "
on either moor^or lowland, and although he himself
has twice tried it with the happiest results, yet
so many friends have told him of their unlucky
experiences that it is clear great caution should be
used before embarking on such a venture with a
total stranger, and more often than not the money
paid for "the gun," if spent on some small shooting
entirely to oneself would give far more pleasure to
the disburser. There are, moreover, a few regular
shooting " coapers " who advertise almost weekly ;
they have taken several different shootings on
speculation, and needless to say these are the men
to whom a very wide berth should be given. On
one occasion two friends and the author each replied

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 37

to three advertisements relating to three distinct
shootings, and each received an answer from the
same individual ! Anyone taking a gun on a moor
for a month or so should make sure his future host
is a gentleman and a good sportsman, and stipulate
that the party be a bachelor one ; for the presence
of a solitary lady shut up in a shooting box with
four men is somehow or other depressing and un-
desirable. Moreover, if there are a plurality of guns
and each brinos his wife, and several ladies hitherto
strangers to each other get boxed up together on a
Scotch moor, ten miles from shops or neighbours,
there are almost certain to be " ructions ; " and small
wonder either, for a duller life for ladies can hardly
be imagined — botany, entomology, and mild trout-
fishino- are the only outdoor amusements open to
them. Under such circumstances, ladies will at times
take to the gun itself, and in the present day it is
a fashion on the increase. Few of them, however,
are "built that way," and the writer is convinced
those who do shoot rarely fmd any real pleasure in

SHOOTING AXD SALJ/ON FISHIXG.

the matter, and as soon as they have shown us poor
men they can do it if they choose, and wipe our
eyes as often as they please, most are content to
rest on their laurels ; and this view of the case is
strongly supported by the fact that never yet have
two ladies been known to rent a moor to themselves
and take the field day after day, and alone and
unaided by mal^ companions, endeavour to make a
bag exactly in the same way that any two men
friends would do. It must not be gathered from
these remarks that the author is averse to the
presence of ladies in shooting-boxes or in the field ;
on this head his sentiments, derived from very
pleasant experiences, are quite of the order of the
more the merrier, and the foregoing hints are only
intended for the benefit of those takino- " euns "
with total strangers, which is a very different matter
to beinq- invited on a visit to form one of a larofe
party of bright women and cheery men.

On the matter of guns and gunmakers the author
does not intend to say much, for volumes have

HIXTS AXD RECOLLECTIOXS.

39

already been written about them, and doubtlessly
there are still more to come ; and therefore on a
subject so open and so much disputed about, his
impressions are given with great diffidence. He goes
to Stephen Grant for his weapons, and did so after
visiting the shops of all the leading London gun-
makers ; and, in his humble opinion, at 67A, St. James*
Street the prince of gunmakers is to be found. Be
that as it may, we strongly advise everyone buying
a ofun noi to cut his coat accordinor to his cloth.
We are sure the so-called expensive guns are cheapest
and best in the end. Why should they not be? for
does not a high price in other articles ensure a
superior quality ? Is not a brougham by Peters
better than a country-made one, or a watch of Dent's
superior to a cheap Swiss or American one ? and in
the same way one may run through numerous other
articles in constant use, and as the high-priced
article is ever the best, why should guns be any
exception to the rule ?

Therefore, we advise purchasers to harden their

40 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

hearts and "blow the expense," and have one or a
pair from the maker they fancy. A gun by a good
maker will easily last fifteen years, and fetch a fair
price even then. The author is just discarding a
pair of Grant's he had ten years ago for one hundred
and ten pounds ; they have had hard work each
season, and have been used with heavy charges for
coast shooting as well as for pigeon shooting in the
spring and summer, and between them must have
disposed of fully sixty thousand cartridges ; but they
have never been ailing, and shoot as well, and seem
as sound, as the day they came out of the shop, and
to all appearances are good for another ten years,
and it may fairly be asked why they are parted with.
The fact is, that at the end of last season, happening
to stand next a friend (at a one-gun partridge drive)
who carried a hammerless ejector, the author soon saw
his neighbour could put in three shots for his two, and
liking to keep touch with improvements established
as such, he hardened his heart and ordered a pair
of twelve-bore hammerless ejectors. Whitworth steel

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. ^l

barrels ; weight, six and a quarter pounds ; price,
one hundred and thirty pounds.

For the old pair an allowance of fifty pounds was
made, and unless some further extraordinary improve-
ment takes place — and as long as the present explo-
sives are used such seems well-nigh impossible — these
new guns will " see him out." Let it be supposed they
last fifteen years, and then the gun expenditure for
twenty-five years can be added up, the total cost of
the two pair, less the fifty pounds allowed, comes to
a hundred and ninety pounds, or something under
eight pounds a year for the use of a pair of guns
for twenty-five years. Surely this is not a very great
extravagance for any one devoted to a pursuit in
which safety and success depends so much on the
weapon. This calculation, however, is considerably
over the mark, as nothing has been allowed for the
value of the guns at the end of the fifteen years.

Even should money be very tight, and with most
of us it usually is, surely the comfort of a safe and
reliable weapon is well worth an extra pound or two

G

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

a year ; and the difference in price between the dear
orun and the cheap one can often be saved by a httle
self-denial in such trifles as cigars, cabs. etc. Pairs of
guns should always be packed in one fiat-shaped case
— it is but little wider than the single case, and when
taken where it is certain but one gun will be wanted
in the field, there is always satisfaction in feeling
doubly guarded in the event of a breakdown. Such
a mishap has only happened to us once — not with
a Grant gun — and one frosty morning in Argyllshire
a hammer tiew in two, and having only the one gun,
and no gunsmith nearer than Glasgow, to the village
blacksmith it was taken, and between us we made a
new hammer which answered the purpose well enough,
although not quite with the London finish on it.

INIany shooters suffer from the bruising of the
middle fino^er of the trio^Q^er-hand, and in most cases
this is a matter of a badly-shaped trigger-guard, which
any good maker should easily rectify. The fault lies
either in the leno^th or the breadth of the euard, and
can usually be cured by sloping it, so that when the

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 43

recoil takes place, the finger slides forward instead of
being struck ; and yet with such simple remedies at
hand many are content to go year after year in pain
and discomfort, until at last a permanent enlargement
of the joint, or an open wound, forces them to go
to some gunsmith with a head on his shoulders, and
there is hardly a case of this sort that cannot be cured.
On the matter of explosives the author thinks it
also wiser to say but little. For the past twenty-five
years he has used sawdust and Schulz, and during
that time has not had a dozen cartridges "go puff"
and barely drive the shot from the barrel, as is often
to be heard of. This he attributes to taking care not
only that the cartridges have been properly loaded,
but have also been kept thoroughly dry ; and when
going on visits, if an inspection of a strange gun-
room has led to the conclusion it was a damp one, then
the ammunition has been removed to the butler's
pantry or some other dry place. Many first-class
shots, headed, we believe, by Lords De Grey and
Walsingham, still use the old-fashioned black powder,

4

44 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and if to this be added the fact that all eunmakers
test the shooting of their guns with that explosive,
it must be conceded " villainous saltpetre " is in front
of the nitro compound for giving absolutely more
certain and uniform results. Judging from a great
number of shots fired at the plate, I do not put the
difference greater than three per cent, in favour of
the black powder: i.e., in every hundred nitro
cartridges there will be found three which give
unaccountably small results on the plate, while the
whole hundred of black powder ones will be as nearly
alike as possible. Thus, supposing there were two
absolutely perfect shooters, then the nitro man would
be a hundred and fifty head of game behind the
" black " man by the time each had used five thousand
cartridges. In return for this difference, which would
be spread over many days of sport, the nitro man will
have enjoyed freedom from dirt, smoke, foul smell,
noise, recoil, and perhaps headache, and personally
we would prefer to accept the hundred and fifty
misses than face the ills we have enumerated. The

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

HLYTS AND RECOLLECTIOXS. 45

foregoing is, however, based entirely on practice at
the plate, but we think in the field matters would
be more than equalized by the absence of smoke and
the consequently greater number of good second
barrel chances offering themselves to the users of the
nitro compound.

So o-reat, indeed, can the smoke nuisance become
that we well remember, at a rabbit shoot in cover at
Ragley Hall, being placed between two "black" men
on a still, damp day, and, the bunnies coming fast, in
a few minutes all three of us were absolutely unable
to see, and had to cease fire.

We also think the nitros send the shot up to the
mark slightly quicker than black powder does, and
this fact enables many to make better shooting with
the former than the latter, as this almost infinitesimal
result often makes all the difference between shot
striking the head or the tail. Whichever powder be
used, stick to it, and do not try first a few cartridges of
one kind and then a few of another, for such chopping
and changing will surely spoil anyone's shooting. It

46 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

is also certain that for one marksman who remains
constant to his first love there are twenty who have
discarded the black beauty for the blonde ; and it
cannot be too strongly impressed on waverers who
wish to give the nitro compounds a fair trial, they
should make up their minds hard and fast to shoot
the whole season through with it, and never yet have
we met any shooter doing this who has reverted to
saltpetre.

When taking the field with a single companion,
or in line with several, or in cover with an army of
keepers, beaters and stops, there are very distinctly
right and wrong ways of carrying a gun, and an
endeavour has been made to illustrate all the usual
ways of so doing.

Nos. I and 2. — Neither of these positions is
fatiguing, and both of them are very prepared ways
of carrying ; but, unless out alone or on the extreme
left of the line, neither of them is safe for others.

No. 3. — Is safe and pleasant when walking in
line, or posted In cover, but not so in croino- from

No. 6

No. B

VTJ^^^'^'i''^^^^^^^

No. 7

No. 8

HINTS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 47

beat to beat in file or in groups ; the hammers should
then be reversed, and the trigger-guard turned to the
sky as in No. 4. Unless this is done, the muzzle of a
gun carried as in No. 3 will point full into the faces
of those coming in the rear, and, wherever there are
several people together. No. 4 is absolutely the safest
way of carrying.

No. 5. — Is safe and pleasant if walking in line or
leading a file ; but, needless to say, highly dangerous
if thus held in a crowd, and the author knows of a
case where a party passing along a narrow ride
in a wood, and one of the rear guns carrying his
weapon as in No. 5, the hammers were caught by a
bough, and the gun was exploded, with the result of
1 amine for life the unfortunate shooter in front.

No. 6. — Is an example of how not to do it, for
should the foot slip, the shooter will have no power
to keep the gun in its place on the shoulder, and a
lurch to one side will send it flying, and bury the
muzzles in the earth ; and we have been witness of two
cases of bulged barrels from explosions so caused.

48 SHOOTIXG AXD SAL,}/ON FISHTXG.

Nos. 7 and 8. — Both excellent positions and the
two best to take when advancing on game in line, and
expecting at every moment to shoot.

Xos. 9, 10, II and 12. — These are what may be
called fancy ways of carrying, and all are to be con-
demned. Xos. 9 and 10 are in our opinion most
awkward ways of carrying, and if those who adopt
this style will only allow their fingers to play about
nervously over the triggers, they will have solved
the problem of how to be specially trying to the
nerves of their friends. Of Nos. 11 and 12 ladies
have been heard to say, " Oh ! doesn't Mr. Heart-
breaker look picturesque with his gun like that ? "
But neither of these ways is safe or handy — two
considerations which should outweiQ;h all thouo-hts of
the picturesque.

The drawing of cartridges at the end of every
beat, or when having to surmount the smallest
obstacle, is not advised. Many shooters, however,
do this, and it is impossible to find fault with an
excess of caution ; but, unless a very bad place has

:^A V

No. 9

No. lO

\^\

\*

f

n J

I ^4

-J

^/>^

No. 11

No. 12

HTXTS AXD RECOLLECTIOXS. 49

to be negotiated, it appears a somewhat unnecessary
performance, and as if the sportsman were not quite
sure of his ability to handle his weapon with safety.
Whenever the cartridges are removed, they should
either be kept in the hand or the breech left open,

so that it may not be forgotten to reload, as ma)'
often be seen.

In the act of shooting, the weight of the body
should always be throw^n on the left leg, for it is
impossible to shoot well with the right foot in front ;
and when game rises whilst walking, and the right
foot is the forward one, let it not halt there while
attempting to shoot, but allow the left foot to follow
on, and as it comes to the front, throw the body
slightly forward and bring the gun to the shoulder
in one motion.

H

50 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

CHAPTER II.

GROUSING.

There are five different ways of shooting grouse :
finding them by dogs, walking in line, driving,
kiteing, and stook-shooting, so let us suppose August
has come.

Those having moors of their own will do well, if
they can spare the time, to take up their abode in the
North some time during the first week of the month,
for thus they will avoid the crowded and late trains of
the few days prior to the twelfth, and also get the
chance of some good walks to condition them for the
opening day. Long strolls over the heather with the
keeper and the dogs, or a trip to a hill loch for a
dish of trout and a flapper or two, all help to make
the first dash at the grouse ten times more enjoyable
than if quite out of condition.

CROC'S /XG. 51

Should the shooter iiicHne to be actually " tubby,"
then a short course of Banting will do him good, and
for ten days let him be a stranger to milk, sugar,
potatoes, bread, butter, and beer, and if taking strong
exercise, he will lose about a pound a day ; but as
soon as ten or a dozen pounds have vanished, he
should relax his abstinence, and as long as he is in
hard work he will not get fat again.

Durine the first fortnicrht of the season the weather
is often very hot and close, and there will be plenty
of shooters quite out of condition. Judges, solicitors,
bankers, brewers, merchants, and Stock Exchange
men are almost sure to be so if in a large way of
business, and of a certain age ; and from these luck)-
ones come numbers of moor-renters and first-class
sportsmen, and although someone sings "a merry
heart goes all the day," the duration of the merriment
must ever depend on the absence of fatigue; and
whoever the shooter may be, let it be impressed on
him not to overdo it at starting if he is not quite fit :
best for him to begin late, or stop early, or rest for

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

three hours in the middle of the day — and short rests
are of but httle use to the really tired man — than to
come home beaten to a standstill, for likely enough
that will unfit him for enjoyment for some days to
come. No one can show his best form with the Qfun
when really tired, for hand and eye cease to work as
one, and plenty of birds, and easy chances too, will
escape from an A i shot when he is leg-weary and
exhausted.

For the first few weeks of the season take the moor
in light marching order, A suit of thin tweeds, a
flannel shirt with nothino^ under it, liorht shoes with
plenty of nails and thin spats over them, is the most
comfortable attire, and the old-fashioned knickers are
far preferable to the smarter-looking knicker-breeches,
which must always tighten on the knee or the back of
the calf in going up a steep hill-side. Blisters may be
set at defiance by scraping some soap off a tablet and
plastering it on the stocking over the spot where
tenderness is dreaded ; if, however, a raw be once
established, and is not covered by the sole of the

GROUSING.

53

shoe, take a sharp knife and cut a good big hole out
of the leather that covers the sore place, and with
the pressure removed it will quickly heal, even while
the wearer is out daily. In very cold or snowy
weather some sportsmen smear the feet over with
vaseline, and vow that the application keeps them
warm all day ; but those who are gouty or suffer
from eczema should not try this, as it has a tendency
to produce a rash. Personally we have never found
any advantage in it, and the "coldest-toed'* day we
ever passed was when trying the experiment under
wading trousers one February. Since it has become
the fashion even in shooting-shoes to wear pointed

toes, soft corns between the joints have become very
common, and they may be cured, or, at any rate,
kept in order, by placing a little absorbent cotton-
wool between the toes every morning before the
season begins ; but it is no use doing this if the
feet are likely to get wet. Do not be tempted to
dress up in a kilt, as it is a difficult garment for a
Sassenach to manage with propriety, and on still

54 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

days the attentions of those Httle pests the midges,
will soon make the unaccustomed wearer wish himself
better covered. The bulk of the Scotch gentlemen,
excepting for evening dress, have discarded it in
favour of the less picturesque but more serviceable
knickerbocker. A London chieftain or a Manchester
highlander when in company with other Saxons not
attired in the garb of old Gaul quickly becomes an
irresistible object for jokes, and we often laugh at
the remembrance of going to a ptarmigan beat
one day at the end of October with a gentleman
clad in tartan. He was a great friend and favourite
with us all ; but, in spite of that, a lot of fresh-fallen
snow having covered the hill-top, the same idea
seemed to suggest itself simultaneously to the whole
party, and the moment a fair chance offered, not one
of us was able to resist the temptation of chucking
a snowball up his petticoats ; and in toiling up to
the steep haunt of the ptarmigan plenty of chances
were offered.

In most parts of Scotland — always provided it be

GROUSIXG. 55

dry and sunny — grouse are very easy to shoot during
the first ten days of the season, and if no shooters
ever grew tired the bags would be even much heavier
than they are. On a really wet day it is wiser to
stay at home, even if it be the twelfth, for wild birds
and wild weather ever go together ; also all game
killed in a downpour is more or less spoilt for the
table, while for sending away by train it is absolutely
worthless. A grouse beat properly worked should
be shot all day with the view of sending every covey
flushed towards the ground on which a finish is to
be made in the afternoon ; and if that be thoroughly
done, then the two hours before dusk will give the
best sport of the whole day, for the birds will be
feeding and no longer in coveys but in twos and
threes, and young ones will lie close even while their
more canny parents are put into the bag as they
rise alongside of them. A beat should never end
close to the march, but always finish as much as
possible in the centre of the moor, for grouse driven
over the march late in the day will stay to sup and

56 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHIXG.

sleep and breakfast, and thus any neighbours who may
hunt that way on the following- day will bag many
birds that do not rightly belong to their ground.

Unless with the special purpose of making a big
bag, very early starts are not advisable, and if a
record performance is to be attempted it should only
be undertaken by those certain of being able to last
out the day, as it is clearly useless to start two men
off at five o'clock on the morning of the twelfth if
they are likely to be dead beat at mid-day.

When writing of record bags, those made in 1843
and 1846 by the late Colonel Campbell of Monzie
still remain the largest scores ever put together over
dogs ; and in these days of record breaking, hio-h
preserving, and big rents, it is remarkable no one
has been found to surpass them. This we attribute
somewhat to the rage for driving grouse, for there
are certainly a good few shootings on which the
attempt could be made with every chance of success.
Mrs. Campbell of Monzie has kindly sent me copies
of the Colonel's letters, which he wrote in reply to

GROUSIXG. 57

several enquiries about his large bags. Here they
are, and may they inspire some of our crack walkers
and shooters to try and beat them : —

" MoxziE Castle,

'' 2\st August, 1843.
" My actual bag, carried off the moor by the ponies
and creels on the evening of the 12th, was 184^
brace of grouse, 6 hares, and 5 snipes, all to my own
gun. I walked all day to my points, and only once,
and that was an accident, killed two birds with one
shot."

" MoxziE Castle,

"4/// September, 1846.
"On the 2 1 St August over seven dogs I bagged
191 brace of grouse, 24 hares, i blackcock, i snipe,
I duck, and i rabbit — in all 205 brace of game. The
birds were very wild and strong, and I consider this
bag was fully equal to 300 brace on the 12th August."

I

58 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHING.

There is also to be found a statement in print by
" Harkaway," that one year Monzie shot 222^ brace
of grouse in a clay, the writer stating : —

" He was told by Col. Campbell's keeper, who
handed him his muzzle-loaders, that all these birds
were killed to points in the true old sporting way."

Taking, however, Monzie's best day of 205 brace
(jf game, as vouched for in his own hand, and esti-
mating that he was twelve hours at work, exclusive
of rests, this would be at the rate of seventeen brace
an hour all through the day— a really wonderful
performance ; and, after all, it is perhaps not so very
extraordinary it has never been beaten.

Eat and drink sparingly at lunch time, and re-
member that salt edibles, though very appetising,
cause great thirst. If the weather be hot and the
shooter not fit, the temptation to take a cup of water
at every crystal spring will be very great, but if
resolutely resisted the thirst will go away by degrees.
If very hot and tired, then kneel at a spring, and,

GROUSIXG.

59

holding the head well down, let the keeper take the
cup of his flask — it will usually be the biggest out —
and pour cold water on the nape of the tired one's
neck ; and to those who have not tried this, it can be
strongly recommended as a wonderful refresher and
eye-clearer.

When grouse are shot over dogs, the sport is
usually shared by two guns only, and if they per-
fectly understand each other, it will make a great
difference to the total of the ba^ at the end of each dav.
Two thoroughly trained men shooting side by side, will
never both shoot at the same bird ; should a single
one rise, it is instantaneously recognised whose bird
it is ; if two get up, then usually each takes one ; and
if several, then those on the left belong to the left-
hand man, while those on the right remain for the
other o-un. Now, all this reads very simple and easy
to carry out, but so rapidly do birds move, and when
in coveys so quickly do they shift the order of their
o-oing, that it takes long practice and much smartness,
both of eye and brain, for each shooter to stick to his

6o SHOOT I XG AXD SALMON FISHING.

own birds. In this style of shooting two good men —
except when coveys rise — will never both be unloaded
at the same moment, and thus no lazy birds escape,
and each covey will generally yield three if not four
birds to the rise. Shooters who do not know or
observe these rules, may often be seen both to fire
at the same bird in a covey, and then can be heard
a conversation somewhat as follows : —

A. I got a brace! What did you do?

D. Oh ! I got a brace too.

A. That's good — let's pick 'em up and get on.

B. (to A., who has picked up a brace.) Thanks ;
those are my two you've just picked up.

A. Oh, no ! these are mine — yours must be further
out.

B. Not at all ; I'm certain I killed that brace, and
I haven't taken my eyes off the place ! Sandy, where
did Mr. A.'s birds fall ?

Sandy. Weel, sirs, I noticed but just the twa,
and I'm thinking baith o' ye shot at the verra same
each time !

GROCSIXG. 6i

The result is, ten minutes is wasted, and the chance
of getting two brace instead of one is entirely thrown
away. It is clear if this happens repeatedly during
the day, two trained men will bring home nearly
double the bag that will be made by two who are
merely shooters and not well-broken sportsmen.

Notice also the great number of double shots a
finished gunner will kill, for he will always try for the
bird rising farther away from him with his first barrel,
and thus he secures an easy chance with the second,
at the one that has risen nearer him. The dufter,
however, will kill the nearer and easier bird first,
and so allow the wild rising one to become a long and
difficult shot, and usually it flies off unhurt. The
author has always looked back with pleasure to a
score made in 1881, whilst on a visit to his old friend
the late Mr. Henry Spencer Lucy, at Corrour ;
shooting side by side and over dogs, "in twenty-three
days, eight of them very wet and only half days," so
says the game-book, we bagged 902 brace of grouse,
26 brace of ptarmigan, and 117 various, or 1,973 head,

62 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

and during that time neither of us shot simultaneously
at the same bird. When dogs are pointing, do not
o-o up to them faster than your companion ; many
shooters will do this, and then stop and wait. If birds
are sitting well, this proceeding will have no other
effect than to make your friend come up panting,
and thus, when the birds rise, he will not be able
to shoot his best. If, however, the birds are wild,
they will be off at once to the single gun, and so
the companion will get no shot at all, and in each
case the bag suffers. We have often heard this
racing up to a point apologised for by the excuse
of "Young dogs, you see, and they are not quite
steady ; " but if you are out to shoot grouse and make
a bag, dogs ought to be steady, and continually
racing up and shouting to them will hardly make
them more so. Of course, if one goes out with the
avowed purpose of schooling young dogs, that is
quite another matter, for then you are dog-breaking
and not seriously shooting grouse, and the circum-
stances are entirely altered. Try and mark the

GROUSING. 63

birds that fall, reload directly, and pick up quickly
with as little noise as possible, and get to work
again at once. On large moors capable of taking
three parties each day for the first three weeks of
the season, there will often be twenty or more couples
of dogs in the kennels, and in establishments like
this it would be really impossible to do away with
that true friend to the grouse — the keeper's whistle.
On small moors, however, where two or three couples
of dogs and one keeper will do all the work, it is
an easy matter to abolish it, if insisted on, though
but few keepers will at first like being deprived of
their favourite instrument. For three seasons we
had the small shootings of Ardconnell at Oban, and
broke and worked our own dogs. One brace of
setters was the whole strength of the kennel, and
therefore they had an amount of time and attention
bestowed on them which it would not have been
possible to give to some fifty or sixty dogs. The
whistle was never used, and rarely even had the
voice to be raised, as these two dogs were broken

64 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

to work entirely to hand ; and thus even when grouse
and blackgame became very wild, in November and
December, a certain number could yet be killed over
them. It is well known dogs are so clever that
as soon as they know their master they understand
his very look, and Ave know some "doggy" men
who can actually flog their dogs with their voices.

Speaking of small moors recalls to mind an
experiment tried at Ardconnell, apparently with con-
siderable effect. For a small shootine there was a
good head of game; it was only 2,300 acres, and Sir
Charles Booth and the author had it in the years
1868-69-70. The second season it yielded a hundred
brace of grouse, a hundred and twenty-five brace of
blackgame, and a hundred and seventeen brace of
partridges, with a considerable head of various ; but
it is only on the three first-mentioned varieties of
game that the experiment had any bearing. Hap-
pening to be at Oban in the middle of January,
1870, there was a very heavy fall of snow following
on a hard frost, and thus it laid lonorer than usual

GROUSING. 65

on the West Coast. During this period it was
impossible not to notice how pressed for food were
grouse, blackgame, and partridges, and thinking if
the severe weather continued the birds would become
very poor and weak for the approaching breeding
season, an inspiration came to try and feed them ;
so, purchasing some unthrashed oat stocks from a
farmer, the author and his keeper chose a place on
the moor they knew to be a favourite haunt of game
and railed off a small square with rails high enough
and strong enough to hinder cattle or sheep from
reaching over or pushing them down, and then
driving a stout stake in the middle of the little
enclosure a whole stook was impaled on it, ears
downward, and bound tightly round with cord to
hinder the wind from scattering it. It was wonderful
how quickly both from far and near the birds dis-
covered the initiation of these "penny dinners," and
when they had been going but three days we stalked
the place one evening and found it crowded with game
of all sorts. Seeing the appreciation was so great, and

K

66 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

the stocks being exhausted, some maize was brought
and strewn round the old stook daily, and the birds
soon learnt to know the food-bearer and did not fly
more than a hundred yards away, and perching on
a hillock w^ould watch their meal put down and begin
to return even as the keeper departed.

Donald Macdonald, who was then our keeper, always
stoutly maintained this food supply, which was kept up
till the middle of March, made the birds healthy and
strong for breeding, and in consequence of it our birds
were a little earlier in nesting that season than those
on adjoining moors, and also that we had more nests
and each nest had more eggs. The result was, we
killed one hundred and fifty more grouse, seventy-two
more blackgame, and eighty-five more partridges,
or a total of three hundred and seven head in
excess of the previous season. Ardconnell was sold
in 1 871 to Mr. Houldsworth, so that we had no
further opportunity of continuing the experiments ;
but, though it is possible the increased bag, was due
to a very good breeding season, we did not think

GROUSING. 67

SO at the time, as none of our neighbours did extra
well, and certain it is that no one can do any harm
by giving this a trial.

Most of the good moors are let on leases, and as
soon as one becomes vacant it is at once snapped up,
and thus any one renting a place that is yearly in the
market can hardly expect to find a large head of game
on it. Yet there are numbers of such places let each
season, and the continuous change of occupants totally
fails to make fresh comers shy. The demand is in
fact so great that the renters of this description of
moor are almost forced into shutting their eyes and
hoping for the best ; and numerous and almost pathetic
are the stories that are told of bitter disappointment.
There are quantities of very moderate shootings in
Scotland not really worth two-thirds of the money paid
for them, and these are the places the shooting agents
do well on ; for with the advent of each season comes
the renewal of the letting commission. Not that we
wish to write hostilely of the shooting agents, for
havino- had dealings with two of them— Paton and

68 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

Stephen Grant to wit — it can be testified they are
honourable and businessHke people to deal with.
There are, however, agents who, to put it mildly, lay
the paint with no niggard hand on all places put on
their books to be let ; and only recently, from one
of this sort, we had details sent us for a friend of a
very moderate deer forest, and were boldly informed
seventeen stags^were got in the past season, nine of
which were splendid Royals !

Any one taking a moor that has been yearly in the
market, and liking it well enough to secure a lease,
should at once commence to wage war against winged
and ground vermin ; both dwell in plenty, and too
often in safety, in the North. Until winter comes the
latter make but little show, and having passed the
first two months of the shooting season on his moor,

the lessee will often depart in the belief that for
him ground vermin hardly exist. Let him, however,
return when the snow is on the ground, and he will
be grievously surprised at the numerous fox, stoat, and
weazel tracks all over his shooting. To ensure a

GROUSING. 69

successful attack on vermin, it is a good plan to give
a small sum per head to those concerned in trapping,
and this will often make a great difference in the
number destroyed. We refuse to believe that English
or Scotch keepers exist who would play their employers
the dirty trick — thank goodness we have only heard
of it— of asking others to send them vermin killed
elsewhere to enable a claim to be made for the head
price, and show it as if killed on their own ground by
their own skill. It may be urged that trapping is as
much a part of a keeper's business as any of his other
duties, and therefore, as a matter of principle, it is
wrong to pay him extra for merely doing his work.
This aspect of the case we will not discuss, but any
one who finds the so much per head system ensures
a o-reater destruction of the marauders should stick to
it, and not bother his head about the right or the
wroncr of offering this small bribe. To trap well is a
matter of great skill, and no one can be very successful
who has not an intimate knowledge of the senses,
habits, and weaknesses of the animal to be circum-

^o SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

vented. One man will spot a stoat and in twenty-
four hours it will be nailed up, while another will take
as many days to accomplish the same end.

As showing what may be done under the most
favourable circumstances, we will relate the experiences
of two of our friends on the same ground. Each had
the shootings of the Island of Raasay ; one, some
twenty-five yea|^ past, found that if two guns on any
August day killed twenty brace between them it was
regarded by the natives as a remarkably good bag, and
the score did not average anything like that — from ten
to twelve brace being much nearer the mark. Some
years afterwards — we think in 1876 — Raasay was
purchased by our old friend the late Mr. Herbert
Wood. He well understood game preserving, and at
once commenced a crusade against all vermin, and so
thoroughly was this prosecuted that two years after-
wards he killed on the two opening days of the season
over a hundred brace to his own gun each day, and
two friends staying with him also killed large bags
during the same time. The total for the season was

GROUSIXG. 71

twelve hundred brace killed off ground which till then
had never been known to yield more than three
hundred brace ; and there can be no doubt that this
splendid result was due to hard trapping, and not to
any succession of extra good breeding seasons.

Any one who is anxious in August to see what
vermin there are on a moor can arrive at some sort of
an idea by risking the loss of a little game, and if a
dead grouse be dropped every few hundred yards when
shooting by the side of any long stone dyke, and a
return can be made some hours later and the birds
picked up untouched, he is to be congratulated.

The best way to get up a head of grouse on a newly
leased moor, is to forget the first year's rent, and a
good deal of the sport ; and during the first season
adhere strictly to shooting no bird that does not crow ;
• and then, as soon as this policy is rewarded by a fair
head of game, let driving be commenced — no matter
if the keeper dislikes it, or the ground seems to forbid
it, some birds will certainly be bagged each day.
Experience will show how to get more, and those

72 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

that are killed will be principally old cocks, and then
the season following more birds will be found than
ever were there before driving was introduced. There
are still large tracts of West Coast shooting to be
leased for something about four hundred a year, and
we know of more than one, which, we believe, could
be made to yield fully a thousand brace in lieu of
the traditional two hundred and fifty.

Wire-fencing is a most certain and deadly grouse
destroyer, and w^hen following the valley of two long
slopes, and the fence does not come into the sky line,
a great number of birds will annually dash themselves
to pieces against it.

Telegraph wires, carried across a moor, are also
very destructive. In the case of the sheep fence, it
should be bushed with bunches of heather tied to the
top wire ; or, better still, between each post should be
hung a board about eighteen inches long by six wide,
and though more troublesome and expensive to put
up than the heather bunches, they last longer, and
are not blown away by a gale The whole length of

GROUSIXG. 73

every wire fence does not require doing in this way,
as it is only in certain positions that it plays great
havoc, and perhaps in several miles of fencing it will
only be just here and there that the skeletons show
where the fatal places are.

As illustrating how destructive a wire fence may be
in certain positions, the author remembers walking by
the side of one in Dumfriesshire, and in a quarter of
a mile he counted more than fifty grouse skeletons ;
and though this fence was fully a mile and a half in
length it was only in one part that all the destruction
took place.

In the matter of telegraph wires the Post Office
will, if requested, hang boards on them at their own
expense, and we believe their liability to do so was
established in a court of law at Edinburgh, and
that the late Sir Donald Campbell of Dunstaffnage
brought, fought, and won an action against the Post
Office on this very matter.

Grouse driving, originating in and at one time
confined to Yorkshire and a few other English

74 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

counties, has of late years become almost universal
in Scotland, and hardly a moor is to be found where
it is not practised more or less successfully.

Although not agreeing with an enthusiastic York-
shire friend, who \'ows there are more orouse in that

county than in the whole of Scotland put together (and
it is a fact that, on one small Yorkshire moor, not a
thousand acres in extent, six oruns in two consecutive
days' driving killed 600 brace), it must be admitted
the Scotch bao-s do not come near the EnMish ones
in their totals. But for all that, there are often very
nice scores made in the Highlands, and on several
occasions we have seen over a hundred brace a day
scored to six or seven guns, as witness Glentromie
by Kingussie ; Invermark by Brechin, and Huntly
Lodge, Aboyne ; and that which has been lacking
in quantity has ever been made up for in quality
by the more difficult shots offered ; for it is an un-
disputed fact that driven grouse are harder to kill in
the Highlands than in the Lowlands ; they fly faster,
and offer a greater variety of shots, and thus put

GROUSING. 75

the shooter to a more severe test of skill, and that
fact alone is hailed with pleasure by every good
man. This arises from two causes, high winds and
the broken and hilly nature of the ground driven,
which frequently forces the buts to be so placed as
to render continuously accurate marksmanship very
difficult ; and though there are boxes in the North
from which a good shot will kill a large percentage
of grouse sent to him, there are likewise many more
from which on a windy day he will not account for
one in three, and often not even that. On the
occasion of a grouse drive one September at Inver-
mark, where, as soon as breakfast was over, we
always drew lots for our boxes, the author drew an
unlucky number, and the wind being very high, the
birds came at a great pace, and flew in any direction
they pleased, and but very few in proportion to
what were seen came to the guns, so to pass the
time we counted the shots, and it took i86 cart-
ridges to put 60 birds into the bag. Since then
the number of shots fired at other Hifyhland drives

76 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

has repeatedly been counted, and in windy weather
it has always cost 30 cartridges to put 10 grouse
in the bag. Driving is rarely commenced in Scot-
land so long as the birds will He to dogs, which will
usually be till the end of August. At that period
of the year, although it may appear quite calm at the
shooting lodge in the valley, by the time the Jiills are
reached a stroiig breeze will be found blowing over
them, and assisted by it the grouse fly down it at a
great speed and dash past the boxes at double the
pace they attain on flats and lowland moors. In
England also, the shooters can usually see the grouse
coming for some distance, and they come pretty much
in the same style of flight ; but on the Scotch moors
the range of vision is usually limited, and often so
much so that the shooter does not sight the game
till within shot, and at times he will be so placed
that low-flying birds will actually not be visible till
but a few yards in front of him ; or again, he may
find himself posted at the foot of a steep knoll, over
which the birds suddenly come without the least

GROUSING. 77

warning. All these drawbacks, however, combine to
make the shootinor of driven orroiise in the Highlands
difficult and exciting work.

When the ground is very hilly, many packs and
coveys turn out of the beat ; for when flushed in such
ground and yet a long way off the boxes, they quickly
vanish out of sight of the beaters, and as they cease
to feel their pressure, turn to either side just as they
list, and in spite of a w^ell advanced and extended
flanking line.

As soon as placed in his box a shooter should
take the beariuQ^s of those standiuQ; to rio-ht and
left of him — generally there will be some stone
showing above the heather, a burnt patch, a "spot
of watter," or a bunch of rushes — and fixing on some
such mark on either side that is clear of the
adjacent buts, he should resolve on no account to
shoot inside the imaginary line thus formed. Having
done this, he can measure what he judges to be
fifty yards on all sides of him, and this, duly impressed
on his mind, will prevent him taking absurdly long

78 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHLXG.

shots. In firing, he should be particular either to
raise the muzzles of his gun to the sky or lower
them to the heather, should he wish to cross the
line of either of the guns next him. For his part,
the author prefers to lower the gun, as when again
putting it to the shoulder from the depressed position
everyone is more likely to hold well over the mark
than if the gun, having been raised, has to be dropped
on to the object, such movement naturally tending
to make the shooter aim low. Having already ex-
pressed an opinion on the hopelessness of trying to
teach shooting by writing, it only remains to advise
the novice at a grouse drive never to hesitate. When
the birds are yet between sixty and seventy yards
away, let him single out one, and at once bring the
gun to his shoulder and fire. As quickly as possible
let the other barrel follow, if even at a bird only a few
yards in front ; for as long as it is not sideways or
has not passed him, it will not be "blown" by being
killed at such close quarters. Anyone shooting in this
style will have time to get his second gun and repeat

GROUSING. 79

the performance behind hun, and even if he misses
with all four barrels, he will have shown better style
and deserve more credit than the man who, putting
his gun to his shoulder, keeps shifting his aim from
bird to bird till they are on him before he has made
up his mind at which to fire, and who has eventually
to turn round and shoot behind him. At times the
high winds play havoc with the top peats of the but,
and if it be necessary to build it up a little taller,
then be careful to go to windward before commencing
work, or the eyes will be filled with peat dust, which
will effectually prevent shooting if the birds begin
to come before they are rid of the visitation.

Most Scotch keepers have still a good deal to learn
in the art of making comfortable boxes, for they are
usually neither sufficiently wide nor high, and there
is no doubt the circular box is the best of all, as it
hides the occupant from all birds coming sideways.
The author remembers being out with a very fine shot
who stood six feet five and was broad in proportion,
and the small boxes, or rather little walls of peat.

8o SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

completely put him off his shooting, both from their
being too small to conceal him and from the cramped
attitude they kept him in. At last he complained of
this to the keeper, whose master happened to be of
slight build and medium height, and therefore fairly
well suited to the small buts. At first the keeper
listened in silence to the big man's complaints, in the
meanwhile closely eying his tormentor. Other drives
took place, and still the grumbling continued, till at
last the tortured one said, very humbly and without
a trace of rudeness, "Well, sir, in these parts we
just make the boxes for gentlemen and not for
giants ;" and for a long time he could not be made
to understand what had been said to make the big
o^entleman lauah so much.

Should a good few cartridges be used in any one
drive, and result in but little to pick up, do not
stamp them into the peat and try to hide them, for
quick Scotch eyes are sure to detect this, which will
only cause more annoyance. Count and mark each
bird dropped, and take care none shot in front of

GROUSTNG.

the but strike you in falling, as the blow is severe ;
if watched, they are, however, very easy to dodge.
On no account leave the but when once the drive
has begun, and as soon as it is over, try and gather
runners before looking for those that are certainly
dead ; also see that all picked up are handed over to
someone who will add them to the bag, for we have
seen gentlemen helping to pick up who, having
collected several brace, have thrown them down in
the but, and there they have been left.

It is of little use trying to drive grouse up a strong
wind, and, in arranging a drive overnight it is as
well, and makes all the difference to the result, if it
be understood between master and man that the beat
selected is to be driven according to the direction of
the wind on the following morning ; it may cost the
driving party a longer walk to get to their places,
and perhaps make them an hour later in commencino-
to shoot, but it will be trouble well taken. In some
places it is the custom the day following a grouse
drive to send keepers and dogs to range the ground

M

82 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

driven the day before to pick up wounded birds, but
as far as our experience goes, and we have many times
been one of a party on this mission, the result has
never repaid the trouble. Of course, this would be
different if the total on the previous day had been
many hundred brace.

There can be no doubt that driving in the Highlands
has had a similar effect as in Yorkshire, viz., it has
done the birds good, and caused them to increase and
multiply, as witness especially the Glentromie shootings,
where, before this was practised, the total bag of all
sorts used to be considered good if it reached fifteen
hundred head, whereas the same ground now yields.
of grouse alone, close on six thousand head. As soon
as driving is resorted to. numbers of old cocks fall to
the gun which could not be taken off the moor in any
other way ; and also packs and coveys, which would
otherwise never be introduced to each other, are
brought together from long distances and thoroughly
mixed up, and so an entire change of blood is assured
to the whole moor. The very best of shots have at

GROUSIXG. 83

times their bad days at driven grouse, and excuses for
poor form are ever ready and numerous ; and as a
guide to any novice needing such, the following forty
are given, all of which have been heard to be pleaded
in mitigation of bad workmanship : —

1. Dust in my eyes.

2. Sun in my eyes.

3. Wind in my face.

4. They swerved as I pulled.

5. Could not see them till they were on me.

6. Never saw them till they were past me.

7. The light is so horridly bright.

8. Such a beastly dull light.

9. The box w^as too high.

10. The boxes are not half high enough.

1 1 . A new gun.

12. Cartridges damp.

13. Had a letter from my wife this morning.

14. Cartridges too heavily loaded.

15. So cold I could not swing to them.

16. Never can shoot well if forced to sit in the box.

84 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

1 7. Caught a chill yesterday.

18. Bilious this morningf.

19. Took two pills last night.

20. All the fault of that glass of port after
champagne.

21. It's drinking that silly lemon squash.

22. Fingers so cold could not feel the triggers.

23. Rheumatics^ in my elbow.

24. A lady in the but.

25. The loader got in the way.

26. Birds out of shot.

27. Pipe on the wrong side of my mouth.

28. 'Bacca smoke in my eyes.

29. The driving seat broke.

30. Too many cigars last night.

31. That whiskey of old Smith's is not good.

32. The cook gave notice this morning.
2^'}^. Flo refused me yesterday.

34. Boots too tight.

35. Coat cuts my arms.

36. Never can shoot when Smith is next me.

GROUSING. 85

2iJ. Got a dunning letter this morning.

38. Been threatened with an action for breach of
promise.

39. The eggs were hard boiled at breakfast.

40. Lost every rubber last night.

Where from a scarcity of neighbours or drivers, it
is difficult to muster enough guns or beaters for
driving, and the birds have become so wild as to be
unapproachable with dogs or by walking in line,
then the kite may be resorted to with considerable
effect by one or two friends.

Some there are who despise this method of making
a bag, maintaining it is unsportsmanlike and does
harm to the moor by driving the birds off it. The
first point is one that must ever remain a matter
of opinion, but suffice it to say there are plenty of
good men by whom a few days under the kite is
most thoroughly enjoyed. As to the question of harm
to the moor, it may be taken for granted there is
nothing in the plea, provided the kite be moderately
used, and not more than a few times on each beat,

86 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

with an interval of fully ten days between the
occasions. How often has everyone who has been
much in the Highlands seen an eagle sail across a
grouse beat, and scatter packs and coveys in all
directions in mortal terror. But nevertheless, that
beat, though cleared of birds for the day, will be
found stocked again on the morrow. Why, then,
should an artificial bird — not so large as the dreaded
eagle — have the effect of driving birds entirely off
a moor if shown to them but two and three times
in a season ?

Absolute silence is the first essential for successful
shooting under a kite, for grouse are not so stupid
as to fail to comprehend that men and hawks do not
agree, and should they see the kite and the shooting
party at the same time, they will not be long in
putting two and two together, and off they will go.
Indeed, so great is the intelligence of the grouse
that we think if a kite were worked daily in one
place for but ten days at a stretch, the birds would
soon learn the difference between the sham and the

GROUSIXG. $7

real foe, and in a short time would pay no more
attention to the spurious one than rooks do to a
scarecrow. The smaller the party engaged in this
sport the better, and if two guns are out they should
not walk wide apart, and the man who is carrying
the game should keep well behind ; with more than
two guns the sport is generally unsatisfactory.

The most favourable plan of working the kite is
on a hill-side across which the wind is blowing at
right angles — supposing it be coming from right to
left ; then when near the top of the right side of the
hill, send up the kite and let out line enough to allow
it to be carried over the top of the ridge and show
on the left side, the whole party meanwhile keeping
out of sight and silent. The kite-flyer should then
advance slowly till he is some three hundred yards in
front of the shooters, and then come to a halt and
leave the kite to swing as the wind takes it. If this
has all been well done, then the birds on the left
side of the hill will not have seen or heard anything
to make them put their heads up till they suddenly

SHOOTI.XG AND SALMON FISHIXG.

catch sight of the mock foe, when all single birds
and coveys will steal quickly into cover and crouch.
This we have often actually witnessed by crawling
to the top of the hill and passing the spy-glass over
patches of short or burnt heather. The guns can
now silently cross the sky-line, and with one slow
and steady old dog the whole party can advance.
Suddenly a brace of birds rise at the very toes of
one of the shooters, and if this is his first experience
under a kite likely enough he will miss them both,
for they will dash off, rising and falling, twisting and
turning in terror, and not till they have flown some
yards do they resume their natural flight ; and thus,
to make a good score, it is best to treat them like
snipe and let them get well out before firing. Large
packs never sit to the kite, but rise some way ofi",
and if the man with it is well in front of the Qfuns,
and working quite out of sight, often in their anxiety
to escape the hawk the whole of the lot will fly back
directly over the guns and offer splendid rocketing
shots.

GROUSING. 89

No matter which way the wind blows, such a ridge
as we have described can be found every day on all
large moors having a square formation ; but, whatever
the nature of the ground, the great art of working
a kite is to allow the birds to have a good view of it
some time before any chance is given them of seeing
or hearing the shooting party. That being done, then
from twenty to fifty brace a day may be taken off
ground which would not give five brace if walked in
line or shot to dogs.

Stook shooting is the poorest form of killing grouse.
It is a method rarely resorted to continuously, and,
more often than not, it is the result of a double desire
to kill time on a wet day (the best for the purpose)
and to please the farmer whose stooks are suffering.
A high-lying cornfield on the edge of the moor must
be the scene of operations, and it is quite good time
to arrive there by one o'clock in the afternoon. Seats
are made behind the stone wall of the field, and placed
so that their occupants cannot shoot into each other.
A stone or two is pulled from the top of the dyke,

N

90 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

some bracken or a sheaf of corn on the top of these,
and a game-bag over all, makes a dry and easy seat
to shoot from, and it must be built of such a height
as not to show the shooter's cap above the wall.
Places being arranged, each gun takes a seat, one
keeper makes a detour and retires to the moor to one
side of, and a long way behind, the cornfield, and if
there is a second man out, he oroes forward to some
hiding-place in front of the stubble. Should birds
settle near either of them, then by showing themselves
they can try to put them back to the guns under the
dyke, who should keep ever ready for chances. For
the first half-hour the gun will probably lie across the
knees while a pipe is smoked, and of course at the
first moment attention is relaxed, a covey comes over
the wall and passes by unshot at. Annoyed at losing
the chance, the culprit now sits at the ready, and
suddenly a gentle rushing sound is heard, and in a
moment he finds himself literally smothered in grouse
llying barely a foot over his head. It is easy enough
to take a brace out of this lot, for they are slowing

dt-'

«^i

GROUSIXG. 91

in their flight, preparatory to settUng on the stubble ;
and often after two barrels have been fired, a pack
will yet alight, and then fluttering up on to the stocks
one by one, will commence to feed. As this takes
place the keeper on that side will quit his hiding-
place and move gently towards them, and as they
take flight they will usually return to the moor b>-
the way they came. This time, however, there will
be more satisfaction in taking a brace, for they are
now driven birds and coming best pace, and often
rise very high.

Thus for two or three hours they will come to
the corn in twos and threes, and coveys and packs,
till at last the shooting scares them, and instead of
comino- with confidence they will stop short on the
heather. Then it is indeed a pretty sight to peep
throucrh the chinks in the wall and watch the move-
ments of a big pack at quite close quarters. Clearly
they are holding a consultation as to the wisdom of
again seeking the tempting food ; and if absolute
stillness be maintained, the corn will usually win the

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

day, for presently the old cocks begin to strut and
erect their scarlet combs, jerking their heads up and
down and giving a low sort of chuckle the mean-
while, till one by one the birds are all standing at
attention with their heads up, and then with one
accord they suddenly rise and once more cross the
fatal wall.

When once seated, no one should on any pretext
quit his place or stand upright ; and winged birds
should prompdy be stopped by another shot. Mark
where each one falls, and look them over now and
then, for one that is only winged \\\\\ drop and lie
for a considerable time to all appearance dead before
making a bolt to hide under the nearest stook ; and
even though it has been seen to do this, one stook
is so much like another, that it will be difficult to
remember the right one after the lapse of an hour.

( 93 )

CHAPTER III.

CAPERCAILZIE. BLACKGAME. rTARMIGAN.

ROEDEER.

Of capercailzie shooting the author has had hardly
any experience, and the little he has seen was during
a visit to the late Mr. Herbert Wood, at the time
he rented Meggernie Castle "by" Aberfeldy ; the
said "by" meaning twenty-two miles from the railway
station. In two seasons we had but four days' sport
at this game and but three shots, to one of which
fell a fine cock of nine pounds weight. The manner
of our sport was as follows : at the back of the castle
was a steep and densely-wooded hill which walled
in the " policies," as the Scotch call a stretch of park-
like grass ; this wood was some two miles in length
by one in width, and there were neither paths nor
rides in it. The bottom was one mass of big boulders

94

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

hidden by bracken higher than one's head, so that
the o-oino- was about as bad as could be ; and on a
warm day, oh ! how stifling it was, and how the flies
did worry and bite! In this thick cover, in a seldom-
disturbed seclusion, the capercailzie dwelt, in company
with a few blackgame and some deer of all sorts.

When it was beaten, a certain number of guns
were told off to co^ie through with the beaters ; others
kept forward at the foot of the hill, and two armed
with rifles went to the extreme end and top, on the
chance of deer breaking out. The capercailzie were
usually found sitting in trees near the summit, and
when disturbed would throw themselves off their
perches with a great stir, and instead of flying forward
would launch themselves down the hillside and pass
over the heads of the guns at a pace astonishing for
so large a bird, and thus offering but snap shots ;
and, helped by the thick foliage and bad footing,
everything was in their favour. In this way we saw
an old cock draw the double fire of four good men and
yet pass on untouched. Having gained an impetus

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 95

and secured the full use of their whites as the low
side of the wood was neared, they would provokingly
begin to circle upwards, and swinging back behind
the beaters, would again mount to the heights they
had been disturbed from. Those who have never tried
it may think the missing of so large a bird must be
very bad shooting, but when flying as described they
will often beat the gun ; and let no one engaging
in the sport for the first time start out with the
idea that this bird is a very easy victim ; likewise,
let him be very careful not to cover himself with
disgrace by killing a hen instead of a cock, for it is
a far more serious offence than when an "accident"
happens to a hen pheasant or a grey hen.

Let us pass on to a more plentiful description of
game, viz., the black grouse, as it is described in books,
although across the Border it is ever called black-
game. A tender, weakly bird when a poult, it easily
succumbs to bad weather at that stage of its existence ;
and even when the twentieth of August arrives, they
are still but poor fools and fluttcrers, and so they

96 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

remain till the corn is cut. For about the first three
weeks from the twentieth, depending on the harvest,
they afford but the poorest sport, often having to be
almost trodden on before they fly, and no skill is
required to kill them. It is undoubtedly the case
that in many places these fine birds are getting
scarcer each year, and this may arise from their
great stupidity and the killing of them in the month
of August. At that time, and before they have
grown their tails, even the old cocks are nearly as
silly -and sit almost as close as the young broods,
and it would be a good thing if their day of doom
were put back till the first of September.

As the corn ripens every brood flocks to it, and
on the generous diet they quickly fill out and attain
maturity, and the young cocks turn nearly as black
as the old ones. In the early part of the season
they are to be found in cover composed of bog-myrtle,
cranberries, bell-heather, juniper, bracken, rushes,
long grass, and birch-trees ; but as harvest approaches
they seek the turnip-fields near the edges of the

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 97

Standing corn, and a very easy prey they then are.
A change, however, quickly comes, and as soon as the
crops are cut, lo and behold ! these birds are changed
from very stupid ones into the most wide-awake of
all game ; and now, without great care and trouble,
it is no longer possible to get within range of the
cocks. The hens always remain more or less con-
fiding, and when the stock is poor they are always
spared. Where it is very good, then a certain number
of old hens ought to be killed, and the best way of
doing this is to shoot them early in the season, when
flushed with their broods ; for at that time no one
experienced in the matter can make any mistake
between a young hen and an old one.

Blackcock stalking with either gun or pea-rifle is
a very poor amusement ; but the author thinks when
driven they offer the very finest of sport. For many
seasons we had the ojijportunity of seeing a large head
of blackcock annually put into the bag on the Loch
Nell and Kilmaronaig shootings near Oban, and then
rented by our good friend Mr. James S. Virtue.

o

98 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

Situated between the Bridge-of-Awe, and Connal Ferry,
they extended over fifty thousand acres, of which
some twelve thousand was wood ; and as in those
days there was no railway through the property, the
whole shooting yielded some of the best all-round
sport in Scotland. With the exception of red-deer
and ptarmigan, every other species of game was in
plenty, and flapper and snipe-shooting could be com-
menced on the first of August, and sport carried
on every day till the first of February. The black-
game were then a noted feature on this estate ; but
as we are writing of the seven years from 1870 to
1877, w^e cannot say how matters now stand in this
respect; for, at the expiration of J\Ir. Virtue's lease,
this shooting w^as split up into four or five smaller
ones, and the increase in the number of tenants may
not have tended to keep up the same fine stock of
game. During Mr. Virtue's reign no blackcocks
were killed till the woodcocks made their appearance
in the covers, sometime early in November, and then
day by day a fresh cover was beaten, and, oh ! the

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 99

fun of finding oneself right in the path of a big pack
of blackcocks about to break cover ! From tree-top
to tree-top they come fluttering along till, at about
a hundred yards from the end of the cover, all perch
and sit listening to the cries of the beaters. Shortly,
three or four old cocks, the acknowledo^ed leaders
of the party, take wing and come dashing forwards ;
but now is not the time to -open fire if a score is to
be made — for, if that be done, the rest of the pack
will assuredly turn back ; so let the shooter keep
concealed and allow the first few cocks to pass by
unmolested, and as soon as the main bulk of the
birds have had a lead given them by these few old
stagers, they will all follow in small lots ; and then,
no matter how hot the fire may be, nothing will
deter them from following each other. Now is the
time to keep cool and make each barrel tell, for
the chance that is passing so rapidly away may not
again present itself for many a day to come. These
packs were often very large, and all over this shooting
there were plenty numbering from fifty to over a

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

hundred in each. At one stand we once had the
luck to secure twenty-two old cocks out of a pack
coming as described, and on another occasion nineteen ;
but these were the only two chances of that sort in
seven years, or in some two hundred days of sport.
If the covers were wet — and as we are writing of
Argyllshire, it is needless to say such was often the
case — then the blackcocks would be found sitting out
on the heather to escape from the dripping of the
trees. In this case the beaters were sent round to
drive in a large tract of moor and stubble, and the
birds were thus forced back to the woods, when the
usual sport began, resulting in a mixture of nine or
ten sorts of game each day. Driven blackcock make
very deceiving shooting for those who are unused to
it. Flying silently and weighing between three and
tour pounds they convey no impression of their speed,
and it looks impossible to miss the great black lump
coming apparendy steadily overhead ; and so most of
the uninitiated are tempted to shoot too much at
them, and two gentlemen, both holding good names

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. loi

at partridge drives in Norfolk, both came honie the
first day they joined in the sport vowing the black-
cocks bore charmed lives and were armour-plated.

For this shooting we prefer No. 4 shot, but No. 5
in the first barrel and No. 4 in the other is also very
good. On any shooting offering chances at many
sorts of game, a cartridge-belt is most useful ; those
with metal clips are the best. The buckle will divide
the "fours" from the "fives," and a pocket can hold
some " sevens ;" and thus prepared, cartridges can
easily be kept unmixed and quickly changed as often
as wished. Also, in a wet country, the belt worn
under the coat and vest certainly keeps ammunition
drier than any other way of carrying it ready for
use. When first visiting Kilmaronaig in 1867, there
were large flocks of blackgame close to the lodge,
and it was within half a mile of it that the score
of twenty-two was made.

Pheasants were, however, introduced into what we
called the home covers, with the result that the long-
tailed cocks drove those with the curly ones right off

I02 SHOOT I XG AXD SALMON FISHING.

that beat, and two years after the pheasants appeared
it was rare to see a blackcock on it. It was on
this beat the author once saw a cock-pheasant in
rising break its neck against the bough of an oak ;
and some few minutes later from the same wood flew
a covey of bewildered partridges, and coming at him
so low that he dared not shoot, he jumped up and
caught and held one of the covey with a high left-
handed catch, and "Well fielded!" was cried from all
the guns. Whilst on the subject of curious shots,
we will also tell of two others — and in thirty years
these four are the only out-of-the-way shooting events
happening to us. When out one autumn day on the
'Ardconnell shootings at Oban, we spied with a field
glass a pack of some hundred blackcocks sittino- in a
turnip-field, and sending off the keeper to go round
and try and put them over us, we crept into position.
The pack came well, and picking out the two leaders,
we killed and gathered them, and walked slowly on to
allow Donald to come up. A cry from him called a
halt, and, on coming within hail, to our great surprise,

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 103

we heard there were a "lot more down." A dog was
loosed, and eventually seven others were garnered ;
but, even then, Donald maintained there were still
some left. With the exception of the first two, we
had seen no others drop, and to this day it puzzles us
to know how that could have happened. However,
there were the nine old cocks to the two barrels, and
although the result of an accident, we accepted the
matter without any great grief. The last of the
oddities that happened took place in recent years,
whilst shooting with the late Mr, Benjamin Way at
Denham Place, Uxbridge. We were posted by the
side of an osier bed bordered by a trout stream,
across which the pheasants were coming, and the first
shots we fired resulted in an odd right and left — a
cock to the first barrel and a pike to the second.

Since those happy Kilmaronaig days, although
plenty of blackgame have been killed in other
counties, never again have we seen such a fine show
of these splendid birds, and such successful driving,
so continuously carried on.

I04 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

For beauty of scenery and variety of sport, there
is no part of the bonnie North better able to hold
its own than the country l}ing between Oban,
Ardrishaig and Dalmally. W^ere it not for the
weather, it would be perfection ; but, if once it begins
to rain, there is no telling how long it may last.
Once we saw it fine every day for a whole month ;
but, during a ten years' experience, it has several
times rained every da)- for four or five weeks in
succession ; and, to make this the more provoking
during these moist periods, the nights have been
splendidly starlight and bright, and so regularly so,
that speculation was rife as to whether this would
be accounted for scientifically. Rain is fatal to all
sport — blackgame and woodcock desert the covers ;
partridges remain crouched close together in shelter,
which they only quit for the shorn stubbles as food is
required ; grouse sit on bare and burnt ground, and
are totally unapproachable ; the accumulating waters
flood the marshes, and cause the wild fowl to swim
so high in their haunts that the advancing eunner is

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 105

detected from afar; and even the rivers become so
flooded as to be unfishable— and, in long mackintosh,
the mournful sportsman is driven to the boat on the
loch, only, even there, to find the trout rising in
a washed-out fashion, and nothing can be more
depressing than a month of this sort of weather.
The shooter sadly makes a choice between a wetting
without a mackintosh or a stewing in one. Probably
he tries both plans, and even then cannot make up his
mind which of the two processes is the less hateful.
For his part, the author prefers a short, thin, roomy
mackintosh, which will keep out rain from neck to
hips ; for any amount of wetting below these joints
is quite immaterial when taking exercise, but chest,
shoulders, and back should be kept dry.

It is often stated that those taking exercise in
mackintosh coats will soon become rheumatic ; that,
however, is not our experience, for during the past
thirty years we have always shot in one on wet days,
and up to the present we are absolute strangers to
that painful malady. If only heavy showers are

io6 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

passing, the coat when not worn is best carried across
a thin leather strap passed over the shoulder, and
unless eoinof throuo^h thick cover, this is better and
quicker for pulling off and on than the rolling up
plan, and if the strap be put in one of the pockets
of the mackintosh as soon as it is done with for the
day, it will always be ready and never get mislaid.
As to articles that cannot be found when wanted,
we would advise those who do not indulsfe in the
questionable luxury of a valet, to have all such
things as boot-trees, spats, cartridge-bags, gun-
covers, etc., plainly marked with their initials.

The worry of a struggle with a sticking cartridge
may usually be avoided if the chambers of the gun
are well oiled at starting, and the dose repeated once
or twice during the wet day, and for this purpose the
keeper should always carry a small bottle of oil ; but
if none is in the field, fat or butter will do nearly
as well. A really pulpy, frayed, and swollen
cartridge is a melancholy object to look at and
handle, and when once reduced to such a state is

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 107

best thrown away, as no efforts to dry it can restore
it to its pristine smoothness.

To many sportsmen, the author amongst the number,
the pursuit of the ptarmigan is of all others the most
fascinating; it is the deer-stalking of the shot-gun.
for it takes the shooter to the same rough heights and
the same wild scenery the stalker delights in. and
anyone who can walk a ptarmigan hill never need
fear for his powers if offered a day with the deer.
These hardy birds are seldom found in any quantity
below an altitude of 2000 feet, and where the heather
•and the grouse cease to exist, there they thrive.
Ptarmigan ! As the word is penned, what pleasant
memories are recalled of stony hills in Sutherland,
Inverness, Ross, Perth, and Argyll— visions of rocky
peaks, of dull grey stones patched with black and
yellow crottle— some flat, and standing out at right
angles to the hillside, look like the giant slates of giant
school-boys ; others, nearly round, seem barely able to
keep their places, and appear as if a push would send
them crashing to the valley ; rocks of every shape and

io8 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

size, Stones by the myriad, from the tiny ones that run
away in thousands from the tread, to the great lumps
as big as small cottages, round which a careful way
has to be picked. Rocks and stones on every side,
some shining and sparkling in the sun, others looking
black in shadow, and yet prevailing over all is a
cold, dull, melancholy tint of grey. Deep below lies
the sombre valley of dark heather, flecked with white
streaks of running burns, and dotted here and there
with lochs that look like little ponds. No visible
sign of life, and apparently nothing growing that
could support it ; and yet, on these sterile altitudes
ptarmigan exist and thrive and hatch their young.
If the day be still and warm, and birds plentiful,
it will not be long ere a sharp harsh " cr-r-aik "
is heard, and again and yet again it sounds ; but,
if the shooter be a novice, look as hard as he
may, nothing living will his eyes detect, and he
will turn and ask Donald what is makine that
queer noise, and get for answer : "It's just
ptarmigan, sir! I've been minding them some time.

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAX, ETC. 109

Do ye no see them sitting right in front ? " Then
suddenly a stone appears to be aUve, and lo ! a
ptarmigan is sitting not forty yards away ; and then
another and another gradually dawn on the uneducated
eye, for as yet they have not changed their mottled
and stone-coloured plumage for the whiter one which
Nature provides for them to match the winter snow ;
but even in the depth of the Scotch winter the hen
usually retains more of the grey plumage than the
cock. The uninitiated may think it must be very
tame sport to get within visible range of birds sitting
on the ground, and that therefore they must be very
easy to kill ; but, close as they occasionally sit, and
prepared as the shooter is, he will yet have to shoot
well to get a brace, for of all game-birds ptarmigan
are the quickest off their feet, for their bodies are
light, their wings are long, and, accustomed to fly
against the mountain gales, their flight is extremely
fast. As the shooter arrives at the heights where
the grouse end and the ptarmigan begin, both birds
may at times be flushed together, and, though the

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

former is the heavier bird, it can then be seen the
wings of both are as nearly as possible of the same
length, which will average about twenty-five inches.
At various times the author has cut open the crops
of ptarmigan, and has always found the contents to
consist of the small oblong evergreen leaves of the
crowberry, mixed with a few whole leaves of the
blaberry. Those killed early in the day have had their
crops only partially filled, while those shot in the after-
noon have been brimful, and this even when deep snow
is on the hills ; for on steep faces there are always snow-
slips— miniature avalanches, in fact— which leave their
food exposed, and in such spots on well-stocked grounds
it is not unusual to see fifty or sixty of these wild and
beautiful birds all feeding together. It is of little or
no use going after them on stormy days. The wind is
the great enemy to success, and if high and cold, the
birds will be unapproachable, and, rising out of shot,
will take long flights often right across the valley, and
so in a few minutes they will safely alight in some
sheltered spot, to reach which would take the pursuer

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. in

fully two hours' hard walking. If these birds can be
seen to settle, it should be borne in mind they always
run forward some distance on aliCThtino-. On manv of
the high hills of the North they are not plentiful, and
even if a large stock be left, they never increase in a
proportionate degree, and the best bag we have helped
to fill was made at Corrour on a bright, hot, still
day on the 2nd of September, 1881, when the late
Mr. Henry Spencer Lucy, his cousin, Mr. Charles
Williams, and the author killed twenty-two brace and
forty-six white hares. But far larger scores than this
have been recorded, though we believe that forty-eight
brace is the highest. It is needless to say they will
mostly be found on the sheltered side of the hill, but
their haunts are often so steep and stony that it is not
safe to walk with the gun at full cock. In places of
this sort and with a good stock of birds, it is almost
wiser, if out with but one keeper, not to fire at those
launching themselves into space, and where it is
evident a kill must drop the bird several hundred
feet ere it strike the ground. When gathered it will

112 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

generally be smashed and not worth taking- home ;
and with only one keeper out, a little restraint of this
sort will save the loss of much time in waiting for him
while he clambers down and toils up again. Should,
however, the attacking party be in force, then there is

always some one told off— usually a ponyman to

keep round the base of the hill being beaten, on
purpose to gather birds thus falling.

Ptarmigan driving we have never seen tried but
once, and that was on ?^Ial Huich, at Glentromie,
with the result of sixteen brace ; but what we then
saw leads us to think that there is nothing to hinder
successful ptarmigan driving, providing their flights
are carefully studied by the keepers.

Roedeer are common throughout Scotland wherever
there are woods to shelter them, but as soon as the
novelty of the first few shots has worn off, their
pursuit, if driven to the guns in cover, soon ceases
to be a sport in which much excitement is to be
found, as they are very easily despatched, and little
pleasure can be found in shooting animals so beautiful.

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGA3IE, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 113

In August and September they are so poor as to
be almost unfit for the table — their coats are yet thin
and red ; and it is not till November and the two
following months that the livery of condition is
donned, as shown by the blue-brown colour of the
hide and the thick mat of hair coverins: it. Even
when at their best, if the assistance of a good cook
is lacking, they are most moderate eating ; but an
artiste being forthcoming, then a Jilet of roe piqiid
and marhid is by no means a dish to despise.
They are easy victims to a charge of No. 4 shot
placed behind the shoulder, and the best buck
we ever secured fell to a few pellets of No. 6.
It is a cruel thing to fire at these handsome little
fellows if they are over thirty-five yards off, and this
even though they be broadside on ; but, sad to sa)-,
this is a matter often disregarded. In the opinion
of the author the best form of sport to be had with
roebuck is to be got by going out alone, and armed
with a '360 rifle ; and then, by sneaking about in the
woods, a shot can often be had, and as they are very

Q

"4 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

quick ac hearing, seeing, and winding danger, anyone
getting a k-. in this way may be fairly proud of
success. If the cover where they are sought for be
one having open spaces of bracken and heather in it,
then an ascent to any higher ground should be made'
and by the aid of the tell-tale spy-g,ass the pretty
l.ttle quarry can often be found and become the
object of a genuine stalk, which usually ends in the
defeat of the Stalker. In August and September
roe will leave the covers and live out on the moor,

and twice when staikino- deer af r„

i^nio aeer at Corrour the author

has spied them fullv three m,-l„. c

uii) tnree miles from any wood, but

on each occasion our polite attentions were fairly
bafiaed by their superior sharpness. In Gaick Forest
we have also often seen the same thing, only with the
difference of making an abominable miss at a nice
'■■«le buck. In places where they are not shot they
become very tame, and when fishing last spring with
Mr. Charies Chetwode Baily on the \\-ester Elchies
water of the Spey, they could daily be seen by the
river-side, and allowed us to pass and even to stop

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 115

to look at them when standing within shot. If caught
when young they are easily tamed and turned into
pets ; but the bucks, with their sharp Httle horns,
are dangerous ones, as they are hable to be suddenly
treacherous, and a stab is a serious matter. Writing
of pet bucks recalls to mind the experience of a friend,
who, happening to read an advertisement of some
small South African deer — two does and a buck —
for sale at Liverpool, purchased them to turn out in
his park. He himself was away the December day of
their arrival, but the head keeper let them loose, and
hearing of the event, the lady of the house and her
daughter started off to inspect the new comers. They
were soon found, and having eaten bread thrown to
them and behaved in quite a friendly way the ladies
turned to leave, when the buck instantly charged, first
one and then the other, and rolled them both over
on the grass, grievously scaring them, though luckily,
owing to the then fashionable dress-improver, this
cowardly attack from behind was rendered harmless,
and scrambling to their feet they fled to the house.

ii6 SHOOT I XG AND SALMON FISHING.

The next morning further news came that an old
woman crossing the park had met with Hke treatment ;
so out salhed their purchaser and would-be acclima-
tizer to see what it all meant. Nothing took place ;
the buck came to him to be patted, and acted like a
perfect gentleman, so for the moment it was supposed
the ladies had contrived to irritate him. The next
day a labourer's wife was knocked over and two
other women threatened, and it became apparent
this depraved little wretch held the sight of petti-
coats in abhorrence, and always "went" for their
wearers.

Determined to try and effect a cure, our friend
donned some borrowed garments, and dressed as a
woman ; and, armed with a stout stick, he walked up
to the buck and was at once charged. The attack
was met right stoudy, and after two rounds victory
rested with the flounces. It was hoped this would
work a cure, but it only resulted in the monster
quickly learning to distinguish a dressed-up man from
the real article, and as the case seemed incurable.

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 117

the LI\'erpool dealer was persuaded to take them
back, though not exactly at the price paid.

The followinor remarkable extract from the Times
of 29th May, 1 89 1, will show how highly the Germans
prize roebuck shooting : —

" From our own Correspoxdext.

" Berlin, May 2W1.
"The Emperor returned to Berlin this evening.
His Majesty has had very good sport in East Prussia,
having brought down a score of roebucks. But then,
deer-stalking is a very different thing in Germany to
what it is in Scotland."

The last remark is clearly penned by a cobbler
who has not stuck to his last, for evidently red deer
and roedeer are thought to be one and the same
animal, and we cannot help thinking the writer had
seen neither sport in either country. But be that
as it may, the inhabitants of the Fatherland ha\e a
not very commendable way of shooting them in the
rutting season by imitating the call of the doe. When

iiS SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

residing as a youngster at a private tutor's at Runkel
on the Lahn, in Nassau, many a one the author has
thus "potted." The Germans call it "Die blat zeit,"
or the bleating time. The chief difficulty to the
beginner is the bleating, and though there are now
wooden calls made which anyone can bring into
play by merely blowing through them, in the days that
we write of the only known way was to produce the
bleat by means of a birch leaf, and to do this pro-
perly required long practice and plenty of it. Our old
Jager Wilhelm carried a pair of scissors to cut off the
rough edges of the leaf, and then doubling a small
piece of it over the tips of the two first fingers, he would
apply it to his lips and produce the bleat steadily.

Many a day did we tramp to the forest in July
and August, and some place having been silently

found where a buck had recently been, as evidenced
by the torn-up moss and barked stems of the under-
growth, the performance would begin. Selecting a
spot near this, and as open as might be in front, but
yet offering good concealment, and having the g-un

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 119

at the ready and at full cock, the bleat would sound
through the silence of the wood. Oftener than not
nothing came. At times, however, a stick would be
heard to crack, followed by a " bump, bump, bump,"
and the buck would come bounding and capering
and showing himself off with the most fantastic
springs, and then stop suddenly short to look for
the charmer. That was the fatal moment for him,
and a steady hand and a charge of No. 3 shot in
an Ely wire cartridge could hardly fail to lay him low.
Poor sport indeed, and an ignoble way of circumvent-
ing the quarry. Yet, withal, it had its charms —
the novelty, the absolutely motionless attitude the
shooter was kept in, the study of the wind before
taking up position for the bleat — which, when com-
menced, had to be continued in one uniform tone ;
not a falsetto note to begin with and a diapason the
next — all combined to make excitement. The shooter
was almost bound to avail himself of the first standstill
the buck made, for if he could not see the doe he
would often frisk off end on. Also the bites of laro-e,

I20 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

voracious and innumerable gnats had to be endured
stoically, as the smallest mo\-ement made to dislodo-e
them from face or hands meant certain detection.

The forests of Germany are most beautiful in the
summer months. Lilies of the valley grow wild in
profusion, and the air is rich with their perfume ;
wild strawberries are in plenty; the golden oriole
is a common bird, and the timber is superb. Old
Wilhelm was ftie reputed best bleater of the district,
and certain it was he called up a greater number
of bucks than any of the other keepers ; but as
during the whole of our stay in Nassau we never
once heard a doe bleat, we are unable to say how
closely he imitated Nature. We have never heard
of this plan of shooting roebuck being tried in
Scodand, but can see no reason why it should not
be carried on with success by those going up to
their shooting quarters early in the season. The
novelty would make the first experiments exciting,
and if pursued alone and the victim, if there was
one, had to be carried home on the shoulders of his

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 121

destroyer, It would at any rate ensure a real good
conditioning for "grouse day." A good buck will
scale from fifty to sixty pounds as he falls, and we
remember once staggering some eight miles with one
of about this weight, and arriving home well beaten
at the old Castle of Runkel on the Lahn. What
with falling in love with a very charming fraulein,
keeping a pack of dachs hounds for badger-hunting,
and getting a shot at something almost every day In
the season, it Is to be feared the tutoring part of the
business was somewhat neglected. It was on the
River Lahn we first saw and shot a sea-pie or oyster-
catcher. Not knowing In the least what the 7^ai'a avis
was, and no native having previously seen a similar
one, it was sent off to the nearest bird-stuffer In the
neighbouring town of Dietz ; and proud were all
when It was returned with a long German name, and
a statement that it was a ve7y rare bird only at
times met with — nol on the coasts of Scotland, but
on the West Coast of Africa ; and until a return to
England was made, followed by a visit to the Clyde,

SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

we were in happy ignorance that our prized bird
was almost as common as a seagull.

It was also at Runkel that the author was fined
for taking a hawk's nest ! One spring day we had
inadvertently strayed over the march of the large
shooting we had permission to range over, and had
climbed up a tree for a hawk's nest ; on descending
we found our only and much-valued gun in the
hands of an old man, who, after roughly explaining
he was the keeper of the shooting on to which we
had strayed, peremptorily called on us to follow him.

Finding explanations of no avail, and as he com-
menced to move off with the precious weapon, we
had no option but to follow, and while so doing,
learnt that the town of Limburor and a magistrate —
both quite seven miles distant — was the point the old
jager was making for. He had the gun and a stout
stick as well, so there was no help for it, and we
trudged after him in a rage. The forest path was
narrow, and the old man of the woods went first
with our gun over his shoulder, and we soon noticed

CAPERCAILZIE, BLACKGAME, PTARMIGAN, ETC. 123

it was safely at half-cock, and that he had no
firm grip on the butt, so with one dashing spring
forward the barrels were seized, and possession of
our treasure was regained, almost ere the would-be
captor understood what had happened, and a hasty
bolt at once disposed of any chance he had of
recovering it. Convinced by a few futile efforts that
it was hopeless to try and catch us, he turned and
went his way with many strange oaths, but pursued
by some pressing invitations in our very best German
to follow us to Runkel. Three weeks went by and
the matter was forgotten, when a smart gendarme
appeared one fine morning, and handed in an invitation
to come before the magistrate of Limbure to answer
a charge of assault and poaching ! Accompanied by
our tutor, an appearance was duly made on the day
fixed, and a fine of two hundred gulden — or twenty
pounds — was the unsatisfactory result of a brief
interview with the local beak. Fifty gulden were for
the poaching and the rest for the assault ; and then,
worst of all, we were made to understand the half

124 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

of each fine would go to the cunning old prosecutor.
Ha\-ing given notice of appeal, we returned home
somewhat crestfallen, and at the end of another month
the same well-turned-out soldier again presented us
with a polite missive requesting payment of the little
account. He was handsomely treated in the matter
of schnaps, and was the bearer on our behalf of an
equally polite letter saying remittances had not arrived
from England ; but as we had not ventured to make
the matter known to our home office, this was not
to be wondered at. To our young and unfledged
ideas a fine of twenty pounds for taking a hawk's
nest was a cruel and tyrannical wrong, and our
great object was to gain time, for well we knew our
stay at Runkel would be over in another ten days ;
and before further applications were received, pe7'fide
Albion had once more welcomed us to her shores,
and to this day, rightly or wrongly, it rejoices
our heart that the Limburg magistrate and that
rascally old jager have never received any of that
monstrously unfair penalty.

( 125 )

CHAPTER IV.

SNIPE AND WILDFOWL.

Most sportsmen, if offered the choice between an
opportunity of killing a hundred pheasants in a day or
twenty couple of snipe, would unhesitatingly declare
for the time on the marsh ; and many maintain there
is a charm in the pursuit of this twisting, fast-flying
little bird that places it in front of every other sport
to be had with game rising to the gun. In the opinion
of the author, it does not make much difference
whether snipe be approached up or down wind ; the
latter is the orthodox method, as they hang in the
wind for a second before making off, and so offer
easier shots. Yet if there be much water about or
thin ice, the breeze will carry the noise of splashing
and cracklinsf feet a lonor distance, and thus cause

126 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

them to rise wild, and often quite out of range.
Should it be raining or snowing or blowing very hard,
then the down-wind plan is certainly the better,
as it keeps the eyes clear from all drifting particles.
Snipe should be killed with No. 7 or No. 8 shot
— the latter for choice ; and to a good marksman
at other game, an easy road to success is to wait
if they rise near, and to almost " snap " if they do
this far out.

Should a bird that has risen singly fall to the first
barrel, then before reloading it is best to remain for a
few seconds ready to use the other one ; for often the
rise of the " singleton " is but the signal for a com-
panion to do likewise, and if reloading be commenced
immediately after emptying one barrel, more often
than not this rise will take place before the fresh
cartridge is in position, and the bird will get off scot
free. We have seen drawings both of snipe and
woodcock in which they are depicted as flying with
the bill held straight out in front of the eyes ; and
even Ansdell himself, in his picture of "Cocker and

SNIPE AND WILDFOWL. 127

Woodcock," falls into this very error. Both these
birds, however, invariably fly with their bills pointed
to the earth, at about an angle of forty-five degrees.
The author has also read, in a newspaper devoted
entirely to sport, some hints on how " to seek the
sile7it snipe ;" but, so far as his experience goes, not
one in ten flies ofl" without uttering its wild, sharp
cry of " scape, scape."

In working very soft and boggy places, slow walkino-
should be the order of the day, for it is impossible
to shoot well if the feet be not firmly set ; and,
should it be doubtful if the ground will carry the
shooter, then the dogs should be sent to hunt
and splash about in places deemed treacherous.
As a rule, a quaking bog is safe walking ; and also,
wherever the common orreen rush orfows the eoine
may be trusted.

The best days for snipe shooting are often those
offering but little inducement to leave the library or
the billiard-room. Raw east-wind days, with soft
snow or drizzle falling, are usually extra good ones.

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and especially if they come just before a hard frost,
or follow a rapid thaw.

Old fishing stockings, not quite waterproof enough
for the river, will yet make good wear for marsh work,
provided there be neither brambles nor furze-bushes
to encounter, and these two prickly shrubs are often
enough in plenty on marsh land where it is inter-
spersed \vith hillocks. The leaky old stockings will
still keep one fairly dry and warm, and they are
not so heavy as long boots, are more quickly dried,
and take less space in a portmanteau.

Snipe may be encouraged to come to certain
marshes, and even induced to remain there longer than
usual by placing heaps of manure in puddles and wet
places, so that all round the edges of the heap there
is wet, soft ground for "billing." This is not an entire
waste of manure if it be done on marshes erazed in
summer; and we once saw quite a snipe preserve
formed in this way, and for several weeks each heap
held snipe round the edges of it, doubtlessly tempted
to remain there by the good feeding ; for it is believed

SN/Fi: AND IVILDFOIVL. 129

the animalculse they subsist on are bred in the
manure and pass by filtration to the wet ground
surroundinof.

When seeking for snipe in long straight ditches, it is
best to walk somewhat in the shape of the letter S.
and only to approach the actual side of the ditch every
fifty yards or thereabouts ; for if the shooter walks
along the whole length of the ditch he can clearly be
seen approaching from a long distance, and thus all
wide-awake birds will rise out of shot. In a few
places snipe are driven to the guns, and then, although
they do not fly as fast or as "twiddling" as when
first flushed, they offer very pretty high shots, and
any one who has been grouse driving will probably
have recollections of a few shots of this sort.

Under the wing of every snipe will be found several
long feathers with black and white bars, which are
useful for the wings of salmon flies. They can be
used as they are or dyed, and make a nice addition
to the long mixed wing tied on the large hooks
so much used on many spring rivers.

s

I30 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

The best snipe bags we have seen have been made
on the shootings of Kihnaronaig by Oban ; the
Laggans by Campbelton (a hundred and fifty couple
to one gun by the tenth of December), Carim by
Blackford, Raehills by Moffat, Glentromie by Kin-
gussie, Carnanton in Cornwall, Langley Park near
Norwich, and Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire, and
on this last-named estate, though not twenty miles
from London, we once killed twenty-three snipe for
twenty-seven cartridges. On all these places there
are at certain times great quantities to be met with,
but they are ever birds of passage, passing to and
fro with the changes of the weather, and in accord-
ance with the migration from north to south, or vice
versa. Thus, when found in quantities they should
be gone at with a will, and it is of little use invitino-
a friend to come and help " next week," for the
chances are the bulk of the flight will by then have
passed on.

The same ground that holds snipe will usually be
visited by ducks of all kinds, and these should

SNIPE AXD JVILDFOIVL.

invariably be looked for up-wind, as their sense of
smell is very keen. When ducks of any sort are
flushed, it is often difficult to remember to hold the
gun well over them, for at first they rise nearly
straight up in order to gain an altitude for their flight
to another and quieter spot. Duck and v/idgeon
rarely return and settle near the spot where they have
been disturbed, but teal seldom make long flights, and
will generally alight in the marsh they have been
moved from ; and, if the shooter keep still and
hidden, they will even at times return and pitch in
the very place they started from, and plenty of shots
should be got before they are driven quite away.

The marsh attached to Mr. E. Brydges Willyams'
shootings of Carnanton is as fine a piece of wildfowl
ground as could be desired, and anyone having the
good luck to get a day on it will be nearly sure to
use the best part of a hundred cartridges ; and the
last winter time the author tramped it, and it was a
very bad day for snipe owing to quantities of "cat
ice " and the clatter it made in breaking, his bag was,

132 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

five wild ducks, twenty-four teal, and sixteen snipe ;
and had these latter not been made so wild by the
noise of the breaking ice, the number could easily
have been trebled.

This marsh has quite an historical interest, and
during the last two thousand years almost every foot
of the large acreage has been dug up for " tin
streaming " purposes. The Phoenicians, the ancient
Britons, and the Romans worked on it, and to this
day the industry is still carried on, and the incessant
digging has rendered some parts treacherous walking,
and the most practised bogtrotter could hardl}^ walk
it for the first few times without a guide. Every
danoferous hole in it is, however, well known to the
two keepers, and when placing himself in the hands
of old Tullum or his son, the visitor can "go forth"
fearlessly. The former is a man of extraordinary
broad build and of herculean strength, and in his
younger days was a most redoubtable wrestler.

Our home bags of snipe are, however, quite put
into the shade by some of the foreign ones ; and in

SNIPE AND WILDFOWL.

the early parts of this year, 1891, my friend, Mr.
Frank Lawson wrote me from Cairo, as follows : —

"We (Captain Stewart, Gordon Highlanders, and
myself) killed and picked up 1,170 snipe in twelve
days' shooting. We had one extraordinary good day
of 217 birds, of which I personally accounted for
134. The next best days were two of 114, and in
the three best consecutive days we got 431 snipe."

Permission was once given us to shoot wildfowl
on the water — it could almost be called lake —
separating the Island of Easdale from the mainland,
and lying some ten miles below Oban. The north
end of the island is so close to the Argyleshire shore
that they are not thirty yards apart, and are brought
into communication by a single span bridge. Below
this the two shores, each receding from the other,
formed a splendid bay, the edges of which on the
Easdale side were fringed with reeds, and a favourite
haunt of widgeon when the autumn migration began.
Just across the bridge was a small inn, but the one
room it possessed was so stuffy, and the little bunk

134 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

let into the wall was so short, so hard, and so full
of visitors ; the sheets were so damp, and when
thrown overboard the blankets were so scratchy ;
the chops were so tough, and the ham and eggs so
dirty, that it was voted preferable to make early
starts from Oban and drive there and back.

On the present occasion, one day in the last week
of November, fully twenty years ago, having heard a
great flight of widgeon had come in, I had driven
down accompanied only by a boatman. We were
early afloat and spent the day in beating up and
down the reedy shores, and then, having thoroughly
disturbed the birds and secured a few, the boat was
forced into a bed of the tallest reeds, and keeping
concealed some more were bagged as they returned
to their favourite haunts. Thus we remained till it
was no longer possible to see, so poling our way
out of the mud, we began to row back to the inn.
Having done about half the journey, a breeze sprang
up, and the parting clouds disclosed a nearly full
moon coming over the tops of the Ardmaddy hills,

SiXIPE AND WILDFOWL.

and offering a fine chance of a little flight-shooting.
Now, it had been noticed during the day that almost
all the widgeon disturbed from the reeds had passed
close to a rock about a quarter of a mile from the
Easdale shore, and for this the boat was headed,
and jumping on to it, I found it smooth and flat,
w^ell above hi^h water mark, and about as large as
a dining-table for eight ; so the boat was sent off to
return to the reeds and keep the birds moving, but
before parting, it was settled I was to be called for
at the sound of my whistle. A brilliant moon soon
shone out, and the birds came just as anticipated,
and there was plenty of shooting. My retriever
having lamed himself badly a few days previously,
I was unable to gather the birds as they fell, and
trusted to pick up some with the boat and secure
others by sending out a man at daylight. It was
freezing very hard, and no great regret was felt when,
after the lapse of some three hours, fresh clouds came
up and put an end to the sport ; the whistle sounded
shrilly across the waters, and shortly could be heard

136 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

our trusty man working the oars towards the rock.
The boat was painted grey, and when about a hun-
dred yards off she could just be discerned, but thouo-h
the oars were working with heavy thuds against the
rowlocks, she did not seem to come any nearer ;
then there was a good deal of splashing, and John
could be heard muttering, and suddenly his voice rano-
out, "I'm fast aground, sir!" " Shove off, then, and
try from the other side," was the reply. This was
done with the like result. Numerous attempts to reach
the rock were tried from other directions, but all were
equally failures, and it began to dawn on me the tide
had gone down and till it rose again I was a prisoner !
This was soon ascertained to be the fact, the light
of sundry matches showing the water had fallen
considerably since the landing was made. A pretty
state of affairs this, and rather than wait in the frost
till the tide rose again, I determined to leave gun and
cartridges on the rock and wade or swim to the boat,
but no sooner was the intention cried to John than it
had to be abandoned, for he shouted back, " For crood-

SNIPE AND WILDFOWL. 137

ness sake, stay where you are, sir ; the bottom is just
nothing but mud, and the oar sinks in up to the top ! "

Therefore, there was clearly nothing for it but to
grin and endure ; flask and pipe were with me, and
John stood by with the boat, and we conversed now
and then. The frost grew keener and the night darker,
till at last the boat was invisible, and it was no longer
possible to distinguish the edge of the black little rock
from the surrounding water ; it became unsafe to stamp
up and down, and the wretched prisoner was reduced
to squatting and keeping himself warm as best he
could ; and not till two o'clock in the morning, and
after an imprisonment of some eight hours, was the
boat able to get near enough to take me off that
odious rock, and never again am I likely to be so
trapped.

The driver of " the machine" and the people at the
inn were greatly alarmed at our absence, but had kept
up a good peat fire, and some poached eggs — dirt and
all — with hot toddy, soon produced a thaw ; and then
driving home, we were none the worse the next day

T

138 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

for the dark and cold experience, the recollection of
which was somewhat softened by the boatman at the
inn sending up seventeen widgeon which he had picked
up dead the next morning. The moral of this little
adventure is to warn others who may go in search of
wild fowl not to land on rocks in tidal waters, unless
certain of being able to get off again at their own
sweet will.

In wildfowl shooting we have experimented with
guns of various calibres, from a single-barrel four-bore
down to the ordinary twelve. The above-mentioned
single gun weighed fourteen pounds, and the labour of
carrying it was so great that, except for boat work, it
was quickly discarded for a double-eight ; this weapon
just turned the scale at twelve pounds, and had all the
disadvantages of the single-barreled four-bore, so again
descending in the scale, we come to a double-ten ; but
between this and the full choke double-twelve we
found so Htde difference, that eventually we have
remained content to use one of these, with four drams
of black powder or fifty-four grains of Schultz and one

SNIPE AND WILDFOWL. 139

and a quarter ounce of A. A. A. shot ; of these there
are thirty-two to the ounce, which gives forty pellets to
the charge ; and with full-choke barrels this, we think,
is the best sort of shot to use at any fowl larger than
duck, and they are effective up to seventy yards and
even further, but beyond the first-named distance
they begin to fall very much. We have tried various
devices for keeping a charge of large shot together up
to lono- rang^es when fired from a twelve-bore eun,
and we are quite sure, if it be a cylinder, that
nothing can beat an Ely wire cartridge. If, however,
it be a full choke weapon, then w^e have found a
cone of the thinnest tissue paper help to the same
end. Make it nearly the size of the shell, gum up
the end, drop the shot in, invert the cartridge case
and push the filled cone gently home, so that the
fastened-up end is outwards ; put on the usual shot
wad and turn down, not too tightly. This plan,
however, gives very uncertain results, and we beg
to propound a problem for the gunmakers to solve,
and that is, how to make a twelve-bore shoot

Uo SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

A. A. A. shot so that they do not spread excessively
at eighty yards. In some marshes we have often
got a few snipe, and then had to try for wild geese,
and we should indeed like to have a twelve-bore to
do justice to both. S.S.G., of which sixteen go to
the ounce, and the two sizes of shot above that, the
largest onl)- going five to the ounce, will of course kill
at longer ranges, and the last-mentioned w^ould do so
at fully two hundred yards, but unless firing into the
midst of a very large flock of birds, the chances are
infinitesimal that any of these little bullets will ever
reach its billet.

( Ui )

CHAPTER V.

LOW GROUND SHOOTING. PARTRIDGES. PHEASANTS. —

HARES, ETC.

The sport to be had with these descriptions of game
has already been so well and so voluminously written
about, and the habits, rearing, and preserving of part-
ridges and pheasants have been so closely entered into,
that it only remains for us to approach this part of our
amusement in a superficial way. There yet remain
a few parts of England where partridges are shot to
dogs, and in Cornwall and Devon the sport is still
carried on in the old style, and the code holding good
for the grouse-shooter over dogs applies equally to
this sport. The author, however, is of opinion that,
if the owner of any shooting is really keen at seeing
dogs work, and will be satisfied with a small bag,
that then there is no county in England in which a

142 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

certain number of birds cannot yet be killed over them
during the first ten days of the season.

Though now-a-days the stubbles are bare, and the
shooter to dogs is thus robbed of fully half of his old
cover, there still remain turnips, rape, clover, etc. ;
and as when once birds are driven into such cover
they sit close and offer easy shots to a party walk-
ing in line, it is certain they would do the same
to thorougffiy broken dogs working without being
whistled or shouted "to.

The sport over the dogs can, however, be shared
but by two guns, who would make nothing like the
same bag as five or six others walking in line ; but,
to state that merely because stubbles are shorn, that
therefore dogs are useless now-a-days, has always
seemed to us a weak aro-ument.

o

Four guns walking in line will cover about twice
as much country, and kill nearly treble the quantity
of game, that can be accounted for by two sportsmen
shooting to dogs ; and, we rather think, the pointers
and the setters have been sacrificed in some deo-ree

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 143

to the wish to make large bags, and of being able
to invite more friends to join in the sport.

Walking in line is capital fun when properly carried
out, and if the shooters are at a pleasant distance
apart, say not nearer to each other than forty yards.
The number of friends asked should be strictly deter-
mined by the character of the beat, and it will make
poor sport, if four are bidden to walk a country of
small fields and holding no great quantity of birds ;
albeit, the same ground would give a pleasant day
to two, or at the most three. In counties where the
fields are large, and vary in extent from thirty to even
a hundred acres, as in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Lincoln-
shire, then, even six or eight guns can be walked in
line with pleasure to them all ; but, in our humble
opinion, a party of four is the pleasantest to be out
with ; add to this four beaters and two keepers, each
with a good retriever, and there are but few fields that
cannot be taken in twice or thrice ; but even if some
of them are so large that it takes half-a-dozen turns
to cover them properly, this sized party is easier to

144 SHOOTIXG AND SALMOX FISHING.

work and keep in line than any larger one. For our
own part, we prefer to walk turnips or other cover
right out from end to end, and then to shift the guns
at right angles to the beat, till the field is finished ;
b)- this means *' the wheel " is done away with, a
performance which is seldom well executed by a party
of ten. It is quite extraordinary the number of
shooters one meets who seem apparently wholly unable
to keep in line. Those who are for ever in advance
of the line are great sinners against the rest of the
part)-, and the)- should be told off to walk on one of
the flanks, as in that position they will do less harm
than if in the middle of the line, which they at once
make convex or Avedge-shaped, and that formation
forces plenty of game to break to right or left, and
so to escape quite out of the direction of the beat.

In many parts of Scotland partridges are shot to
dogs, for there the root-crops rarely fail, and at times
are even too strong ; in addition, there is such a
quantity of other cover in the shape of whin, bracken,
etc., that birds will lie to dosfs rieht up to the end of

&■" *"i3'

up

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 145

December. Owing to the lateness of the harvest
across the border, partridge-shooting is rarely in full
swing until the middle of September, and more often
than not it is a fortnight later before the birds can
be gone at systematically ; indeed, on the Carim
shootings by Blackford, in the autumn of 1877, we
well remember watching corn being cut on the first
of November.

Great numbers of partridges in the North nest on
the heather, and there remain till harvest-time ; and
even then, though they will come to the corn and
turnips for food during the day, they return to the
heather to "jug ; " and for a true and realistic idea of
such sort of ground one look at Millais' beautiful
painting, " The Fringe of the Moor," will tell my
readers of what is in my mind better than anything
that can be penned. Birds thus bred are of a much
finer flavour than purely lowland ones, and gourmets
have been heard to maintain that a young heather-
bred partridge is the best of all winged game for
the table.

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

As a specimen of a good Scotch bag, I may state
that in this past season of 1891, on the shootings
of Pitfour in Aberdeenshire, now leased from Colonel
Ferguson by Mr. Frank Lawson, he and three other
friends, of which I had the good luck to be one,
commencing on the first of October, bagged in the
open in ten short days and walking in line — 7 grouse.
77 pheasants, 685 partridges, 203 brown hares, 615
rabbits, 6 snipe, 8 ducks, 17 various — total, 1,618
head.

A spaniel is preferable to a retriever for recovering
any "little brown birds" that may be winged, as
in high turnips or other thick cover the former will
of necessity have his nose closer to the scent and
below the turnip tops ; and we have seen several well-
broken spaniels that would fairly beat any retriever
at this, the most difficult of all retrieving. Owing,
however, to their headstrong and excitable natures,
spaniels are very hard to procure perfectly trained.

It is often hotly debated as to whether a driven
grouse is easier to kill than a driven partridge ; but

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 147

for our part we ihave ever found the stubble bird
far the easier to stop, for the very good reason that
they do not fly as fast as grouse do, as rising nearer
to the guns they have not time to get up full speed
ahead ; and, furthermore, as they approach the shooter
they much oftener show up against the sky ; and any
mark viewed in such a light is always an easier one
than if it be flying low, and against a background
of the same colour as itself.

In partridge-driving, as in grouse-driving, numbers
of shots are missed from the shooter allowing them
to o-et too close on him ; and if anyone will fire a
few shots at a plate at fifteen or twenty yards, he
will be surprised to see what a very small space
the shot will cover, and how slight a margin is left
for him to " come and go on."

As to " Frenchmen," they are not to be named
in the same day as presenting either the variety of
shots or as flying nearly as fast as grouse or English
birds. They come to the guns low and slow, often
singly or in twos and threes, and offer the easiest

148 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

of all driven shots ; and many a laugh has been had
by those watching someone proudly knock over five
or six in succession, only to have the conceit utterly
taken out of him by several coveys of English birds
coming nearly twice as fast as the Frenchmen had
done. There is no greater test of a good shot than
a few slow birds followed by some very fast ones, and
if all alike are cleanly stopped, the shooter may at
once be put down as "useful." A moderate shot,
finding himself in much better company, will often
have his shooting improved ; for the knowledge
that his friends are better than himself will serve
to make him rise to the occasion, and he will also
be certain that all birds that are his will be strictly
left for him to deal with. When driving partridges
at the end of the season, the author on several occa-
sions has been asked to try and shoot cocks only.
At the first moment it seemed an impossibility, but
we soon found, if all thought of making a "double"
was discarded, that then the matter was by no means
a difficult one to accomplish, as with a good light

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 149

the horse-shoe of the cock shows out very clearly ;
and we know several friends who, if asked to do this,
will kill a cock bird out of a covey almost every
time, though of course now and again they will be
deceived by an old hen, v/ho will have almost as
good a horse-shoe as a young cock. Five or six guns
working in this style for the last few days of the
season will be doing no slight service to that shooting
ground, for cock birds are always too numerous, and
the old ones assert their territorial claims tyranically
and fearlessly, and drive other and younger cocks
far and wide, and do all they can to hinder them
nesting anywhere near.

In the home counties there are often seasons when
birds are plentiful and absolutely no cover to shoot
them in ; in such circumstances it is a good plan to
walk over the manor just before harvest commences,
and having found a corn-field or two that are failures,
and the crop of which would not pay the expenses of
cutting and carrying, enter at once into negotiation
with the farmer and try and buy it as it stands ; and

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

this accomplished, so leave it till the end of September.
It will not be money thrown away, as cover will be pro-
vided to drive birds into, and we have often seen two
fields of this sort add fully a hundred and fifty brace
to the bag during the first three weeks of September ;
and as soon as the cream of the bird-shootine is over,
the keepers can cut what remains of the crop, which
can then be used for pheasant food ; and, moreover,
should such fields be near well-stocked covers, they
will greatly help in keeping the longtails at home.

In placing guns for a partridge drive, it helps the
bag if the shooters are all well known to their host, for
if he be an observant and keen sportsman, he will
have a very good idea of what each can do best ; one
will excel at high overhead birds, the strong point of
another will be side shots, and another will be expert
at low birds flying straight in his face. Now, if the
host has a long and not wasted experience of his
shooting, he will know where to place his friends so
that each may get the sort of shots he is cleverest at.
Wherever we go, we like to see the host placing his

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 151

guns for himself, and not leaving it to the keepers ;
for it is usually a guarantee he takes a deep interest in
the matter and knows his ground thoroughly. Owing,
however, to the constant change in the cropping of
the fields, the shooting-ground is always different
every season, and requires a fresh study each year.

As to shooting lunches, we have seen too much
provided, and also too little, and there is always a
happy medium which many of our friends have attained
to perfection. Champagne, with hot and substantial
solids, capped with, foie gras, cake, old cognac, and big
cigars, is not calculated to improve anyone's shooting ;
but all the same, it is preferable to cold tea and dry
biscuits, which fare we once saw five guns asked to
sit down to, at a white hare drive, at an altitude of
two thousand feet above sea level !

We consider champagne is fatal to good marksman-
ship or stout walking, and have several times felt (only
just to see if it really was the case) how it spoils the
eye, and have witnessed the same effect on many
others. We especially remember the occasion of a

152 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

ptarmigan day early in September on a hill-top which
was absolutely springless, and so two bottles of cham-
pagne were put into the panniers, with beer for the
men, to save the toil and waste of time in descending
and remounting the steep hill to find a spring at
luncheon time. Now, two bottles between three was
not a very extravagant allowance after five hours' hard
walking in a hot sun, for we had made an early start ;
they were fairly divided, and yet on one of the party
his share had the effect of causing him, an old deer-
stalker, to mistake mutton for venison on a sky line
not a quarter of a mile distant, and for about half an
hour after lunch we all three shot very badly ; so
"ware" champagne in the field, is our advice.

The best lunch cart we ever saw was invented by
our friend Mr. Edward Lawson of Hall Barn ; it
started in life as an Irish car, and has been developed
into something much better : it holds lunch and all
needfuls, has an ice well, and two seats and two
benches which take to pieces and pack into the car.
When in use the usual seats are the buffets, the boards

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 153

on either side on which the feet should rest are tables,
and the benches enable the shooters to sit at them
and eat in great comfort.

Partridges shot under a kite do not give anything
like the same sport offered by grouse ; but the imita-
tion hawk is worked as much as possible in a similar
manner, allowance being made for the very different
nature of the ground to be kited. When well done,
the birds usually seek refuge in hedgerow^s, and rising
in great fear close to the shooter, offer the easiest of
shots ; and unless birds be wanted for the larder and
a drive cannot be arranged, it is not a sport to be
commended, although one or two days in a season do
no harm, and are all very well if just two friends want
some birds, and can get at them in no other way.

Come we now to the pheasant, and in emulation
of that wonderful scribe so mockingly and so pleas-
antly told of by the late Mr. Bromley Davenport, let
us "seek the rocketer in his lair;" and were it not
for his unimpeachable authority, it would be well-
nigh impossible to believe such nonsense could ever

X

154 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

have been penned or printed. Editors of provincial
newspapers are, however, often of a confiding turn
of mind, and we remember a good laugh our party
had years ago, at the expense of a local journal in
Scotland. One of us had shot an eacrle. but none
of us had ever before handled one, and we were
all uncertain whether it was a orolden-eaofle or an
erne ; three were in favour of the victim beino- the
true king of birds, and but one was downright
certain it was a sea-eagle, and to that opinion he
adhered with considerable warmth ; he was also an
irrepressible joker, so to establish his theory, and
confound the rest of us, he wrote an account of the
exploit to the local newspaper, which wound up
with a flourish, statincr that '' Gould. Morris, and
Yarrell having been consulted, the bird was un-
doubtedly a splendid specimen of the aquila scdum
sidum,'' and to his great joy this appeared in big
type. Our friend was, however, right in his con-
tention, for after all it did turn out to be a sea-eaele
or erne. We have at times thought the writer of

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 155

" seeking the rocketer in his lair " may perhaps
have been a scribe as irreverent as our merry friend
of years gone by, and penned the article by way of
a joke. A rocketer, to our mind, is a bird flushed
some way off, and out of sight of the gun, and
which, topping tall trees, comes to the shooter down-
wind very high up in the air, and very fast. This,
at any rate is, we think, the most difficult shot a
pheasant can offer, and much more so than when the
bird is seen to rise from the edge of the cover, and
then attain an altitude as it flies to the gun, for the
former mark will be going at a much greater pace
than the latter one. Also, our ideal rocketer will
frequently come with outstretched wings, which do
not beat the air, and when moving in this way we
have never met anyone who could make a good
score, and often a bird of this kind will take the
fire of several guns, and pass on untouched ; and we
believe the only way to make even fairly good shoot-
ing at birds thus flying, is to take a snap-shot. The
o-reat object of all pheasant preservers, is to make

156 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

the shooting of them as difficult as possible, and to
send them to their friends flying high and fast.
Where there are hanging co\ers, there should ho. no
difficulty in doing this, and if wooded hill-sides are
both steep and high, it becomes a hard matter to
beat them in such a way as to keep the birds within
shot.

At Balis Park in Hertfordshire, Carnanton in Corn-
wall, Kilmaronaig in Argyle, Langley Park in Norfolk,
Hall Barn in Bucks, and Tillingbourne in Surrey.
we have repeatedly seen quantities of pheasants pass
over the guns out of shot. It is, however, quite
possible to send one's friends a stream of rocketers
from absolutely flat covers. Masters, the head-keeper
at Charlecote Park, Warwick ; Hammond, at Langley
Park. Norwich ; Mathews, at Balls Park. Hertford ;
and Norman, at Cowdray Park, Sussex, are all past
masters at this and every other detail of the keeper's
business ; and though doubtlessly there are many men
quite as good, it would be a hard matter to find four
better ones. At Langley Park some of the covers

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. i^l

had no hedges, and were merely fenced off with a
shallow ditch dividing them from the adjoining fields,
and in such covers the undergrowth was cut back
for about a hundred yards, and the guns being placed
a similar distance away from the fence, the pheasants
could see and hear them, and so naturally ceased to
run forward when the undergrowth failed ; and then,
as the beaters approached, they would at once tiy
up through the tall trees and pass over the shooters ;
and that they did come both high and fast may be
euessed when at one stand, out of some four hundred
birds put over six guns, but one hundred and twenty
were laid low. This cutting back of the undergrowth
is an excellent plan for giving rocketers, and it also
provides plenty of shooting for a couple of guns
standing back behind the beaters.

We have read it is advisable to kill cocks only the
first time of going through well-stocked preserves ;
but having seen it tried, unless the manor is a large
one with plenty of other covers on it, w^e are dead
acrainst the proceeding. Wherever it is done there

ijS SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

should be an interval of fully a fortnight to allow
the birds to come together again before the same
cover is beaten afresh. On small shootings where
there are but few other covers for the hens to escape
to, it is a suicidal policy, although one much appre-
ciated by owners of adjoining spinnies should they
not be preservers. Guests invited to a bathie should
never be told the number of birds turned down or
reared on the beat they are to shoot. Hosts have
been heard to say at breakfast, " Well, seven hundred
birds have been reared in the woods we are o-oino-
to beat to-day, so at any rate we shall have some-
thing to shoot at."

Forthwith guests will set to work with a rule of
three sum. The birds turned down, plus the wild
ones, will make at least a thousand in the cover,
and, therefore, fully six hundred should be got ; and
all start on the day thinking they know what the
total of the bag is going to be, a fact which of course
spoils all the pleasure of anticipation ; while, should
but four hundred birds be picked up, all will return

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 159

home absolutely disappointed with a splendid day's
sport.

If making an attack on thickly-stocked covers
when perhaps some hundreds of cartridges may be
wanted, it is wise to have the reserve ammunition
under lock and key. By so doing, one will be sure
of getting one's own cartridges when it is needful
to replenish the bags, and in these days of Schultz
and E.C., when so much depends on the loading,
this is a matter of no slight importance. There
can be no harm in always taking out plenty of
cartridges ; but even if the reserve be not touched
and there be no lock, it will often be found short
of the full complement at the end of the day ; for,
apart from the friends who may help themselves,
there is a great deal of cartridge pilfering carried
on, and we know of one instance in the vicinity
of a village, the inhabitants of which turned out in
numbers to watch the shooting, where the boy in
charge of the game-cart and eight unlocked maga-
zines, was fairly caught selling ammunition by auction

i6o SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

on the road-side. It is certain that since taking care
to have locks (the "Yale" padlock is perhaps the
best) on our bags and magazines our cartridge bill
has decreased, although the amount of shooting has
remained the same.

If several guns are told off to come down a ride,
each keeping equidistant and in front of the other
as the beat advances, and if more guns have been
posted ahead, then it is not good form for those who
have been walking to leave the cover as they come
to the end of it, and place themselves between those
who have been posted outside. Those who have been
moving will have had shooting the whole way along
the ride, while the stationary ones will hardly get any
sport till the beaters are nearing them, and will perhaps
have been standing idle in the cold for some time ;
therefore, it is not right for those who have already
had their share of the sport to come forward and take
a double allowance. Those who have been shooting
their way to their posted friends should either stand
still, one behind the other, and wait for chances flying

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. i6i

back, or, should they be meant to come forward, the
beaters should be halted while they gain the open,
where they ought to be placed well in the rear of those
who have been waiting.

During the rearing season, young pheasants have
many enemies in winged and ground vermin, and even
" the harmless necessary cat" is often a great culprit ;
but that ducks should be classed in the black list and
done to death on that account will perhaps be read
with surprise. Nevertheless, at Kilmaronaig during
one breeding season not a day passed but what one or
two young pheasants vanished, and for many days the
keeper could not discover the thief; until one evening,
while lying up on the watch, he saw an old drake from
the farmyard waddle towards a lot of young birds,
and, after looking them carefully over, he quickly
snapped one up and swallowed it whole. The rascal
was shot on the spot and brought to the house, where
his crop was cut open, and therein were entombed not
one but two young pheasants, and this was at a time
of year when they were nearly as big as tennis balls.

Y

1 62 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

Keepers vary very much in their abiHty to rear
pheasants. Some will lose very few each season, and
others will lose many hundreds, and it is not un-
common to hear of gentlemen who buy five thousand
egg-s and yet get no better result than others who
have purchased but two thousand.

In order to give a keeper every chance, all bought
eggs should be delivered before the end of the first
week of May, and the slightly higher price paid for
these is money well spent if the yield they give is
compared with that of the later laid eggs.

To the mind of the not very enthusiastic shooter a
battue is to some extent associated with the "tip" to
be disbursed at the end of the day ; and, as dusk
comes on, the heads of guests are to be seen close
together in whispered conversation, the tenor of which
is : " How much shall you give } I vote we all do the
same." This is a question we rarely ask of anyone, for
as the day finishes and the total of the bag is called
out, we setde in our own mind what is the ricrht thino-
to do, and from that we rarely swerve. Where there

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 163

is not a very large staff of keepers, we usually re-
member the second in command as well as "the head."
A friend of ours who is a good judge, and annually
does a great lot of pheasant-shooting in the home
counties, tells us he has a fixed tariff — ten shillings
up to two hundred birds ; a sovereign from that up
to seven hundred ; and from that up to a thousand,
or even double, the maximum of two sovereigns is
reached ; and he finished up by saying : " And, thank
goodness, as I'm a poor man, there are more days
under seven hundred than over ! "

This tariff is, however, one evolved by a Londoner,
shooting chiefly within a radius of fifty miles of
Pall Mall ; beyond this distance, and in counties
situate further away from clubland, tips are rightly
not so large ; for, in a society not depending on
London gunners, and where the greater number of
guns at every shooting party are made up of county
gentlemen who shoot with each other many times
every season, it would be unreasonable on the part
of the keepers to expect large and oft-repeated tips

1 64 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

from the same hands, and moreover, they do not
do so.

In fixing on the amount of a tip, we always take
into consideration the number of guns out, and should
be more liberal to a keeper on a shooting where five
ofentlemen had bao-p-ed a thousand head, than if a
like total had been realized by ten. Also, we think
the keepers on small shootings, where the staff is not
strong, and the difficulties of preserving great, and
all for but two or three days cover-shooting in the
whole season, should receive more liberally than the
keeper who has seven others under him, and twenty
to thirty days at the longtails each season.

We have heard of a tip being given before the
shooting began, so as to ensure a good place all
the day ; but sincerely glad are we to say we have
never known of such a disgraceful thing being done.
The few words said on the subject must not induce
our readers to think we object to or would curtail
tips to keepers, for that is not at all the case ; we do
not even regard them as a necessary evil, and have

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 165

ever "parted" with pleasure, and as a well-deserved
acknowledgment of many days and many nights of
hard work. The only tips we ever do grudge are
those bestowed on idiotic footmen, who put out some
other fellow's black trousers for us to dress with, and
send us off from a country house with the kit of a
stranger packed into our portmanteaus.

I cannot refrain from relating a piece of unexpected
luck which happened to me one day when shooting
with Mr. George Faudel Phillips at Balls Park,
Hertford. We had had a first-rate day up to lunch-
time, so much so, that I had got rid of all my
cartridges, something just over three hundred. On
resuming work, I found my reserve-bags had missed
the ammunition cart, and that I was quite cleared out.
Sir George Prescott kindly came to the rescue, and
lent me a hundred to go on with ; at this moment, my
host, who is a very old friend, came up and whispered
me that he feared one or two of his oruests had not
had quite their share of sport, and asked if I would
mind taking a stand in the ensuing beat which at

i66 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

the best would yield but a few shots. Cheerfully
consenting, he placed me himself in a spot to which
we both knew pheasants never flew, and quite con-
tented, I watched the birds running past me to the
forward guns. I was placed in an open space, and on
either side, some forty yards off, two large and thick
oak trees shut me out from the guns to right and
left. The beaters drew level, and then had passed
me some distance, when of a sudden all the birds
in the beat began to fly back over me, and directly
between these two trees. I had a very good loader,
and at them we went with a will, and in less than
ten minutes the whole hundred cartridges were dis-
posed of, while hardly any one else fired a shot.
This was "taking a back seat" with a vengeance,
and I could not help feeling rather shy about the
matter, yet the birds were all returning to a part of
the cover we had already beaten, and would have
been lost, as far as that day was concerned. My
loader said I got seventy-four ; but the firing was
so fast, I had no idea myself what the score was.

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 167

At the end of the beat, it turned out a stop, who
should have kept in a ditch outside the cover, had
left his place and taken up a position inside it, and
so that every bird could see him, and thus they were
all, most unexpectedly, headed back to me.

There is one matter on which keepers are often
careless, and that is gun-cleaning, and we find but
few who will take the trouble to do this properly, or
to see that it is well done by their assistants. It is,
indeed, unpleasant to be handed a gun, the stock,
grip, and fore-end of which are almost dripping with
oil, while an examination discloses that the insides
of the barrels are not half bright, and that incipient
rust is forming on the extractors, triggers, and breech-
ends of the barrels.

Hares give very poor sport when killed in cover,
as they rarely go at any pace, and we have heard
it asserted, that which they offer in the open is but
little better. With this, however, we cannot agree, for
shooting them in the open is one of the highest tests
of marksmanship, and only a really good shot will kill

1 68 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

them well ; that is, laid out stone dead with no
squalling or kicking, and no wounds to be found
more than a few inches behind the shoulder ; and
wherever anyone standing at a cover side, out of
which the hares are being driven across the open, is
seen to bowl over a good few in this style, he may at
once be put down as a good shot.

We well remember the laughter which arose one
evening in the dining-room of an old house in
Perthshire, after a long day's tramp in line for white
hares. The ladies had joined us at lunch, and after-
wards two of them insisted on walking^ with the gruns.
Each lassie selected her laddie, and off we went ; but
an hour of it soon satisfied the two ladies, and the
whole party did not meet again till dinner-time ; and
then, to break a deadly pause in talk, one of the ladies
innocently said to her host, " Oh! do tell me why all
the hares Mr. A. shot kicked and cried so piteously,
while all those Mr. B. killed never even moved."
A. was a guardsman with a large fortune, and B.
was only a subaltern in " the common army;" but A.,

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. i69

a thorough good fellow, was the first to break the
silence, and lead the laugh against himself, and as
the whole party were close friends, it could not be
suppressed.

A hare shot at broadside on should be kept in
view as long as possible, for, like deer, they will some-
times run on a good distance though shot through
the heart. As for shooting at them running away
end on, a good man will not make the attempt if
they are over thirty yards away ; but the bad one
always tries this sort of shot at any distance, and if
a clean miss is not made, a broken hind leg is the
frequent result, and a long chase with the retriever
may or may not add it to the bag.

And, oh ! for the retrievers to be met with in the
field. Certainly, seven out of ten are worthless,
except for picking up dead birds off bare grass, and
for this purpose a two-legged one is preferable. It
is quite wonderful the number of " Neros " encoun-
tered each season, who run in, are shouted at, and
flogged, and who never by any chance retrieving a

z

I/O SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

running" bird yet dash helter-skelter into "corners,"
and scatter the pheasants in every direction, the while
calling forth anathemas of " Shoot the brute !" — which,
by the way, of course, no one ever does. It is little
short of wonderful that men should be content to take
such dogs about, under the delusion that they are of
any use. How pleasant it is to be posted in a good
place in the best partridge drive of the day, and to have
for a neighbour a friend with a " Nero !" The moment
the first shot is fired, he is off at full gallop. Then,
what shouting, what whistling, and what yelping when
he comes back to be thrashed ; and by the time this is
over, every bird on the beat is well acquainted with
the position of " Nero" and his master, and, wherever
else they may fly, timely warning has been given them
not to venture that wa)-. And thus, where one ought
to have had twenty or thirty pretty shots had no
noise been made, the drive will come to an end, and
the owner of " Nero," and the friends to riorht and
left of him, will hardly have used a cartridge.

An unpleasant adventure happened to an old friend

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 171

of the author's, who now, alas ! has joined the great
majority. Some years ago he was presented with
a " Nero," and the first time he had the doQf in the
field he was " all over the place," till at last our
friend caught him by the neck, and stooping low to
give power to the lash, proceeded to try the effect
of a flogfo-inof.

00 o

At the first touch of the lash " Nero " howled loudly,
and on hearing his cries another retriever promptly
went to the rescue of his unlucky brother, and steal-
ing up behind "Nero's" master pinned him deeply
in the seat of honour. Then indeed arose a din —
" Nero " yelping, his master swearing, the attacking
dog growling, and his owner shouting himself hoarse,
and all the party joining in and running up to beat
the brute off. The combined attack soon set our
friend free, but only to find himself badly bitten and
bleeding freely. As good luck would have it, a doctor
was one of the party ; and no sooner had the injured
man announced his intention of making tracks to the
villa2:e medico, with a view to cauterization, than this

172 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

gentleman nobly came to the rescue, and suggesting
a retirement behind a haystack hard by, gallantly
offered to suck our friend's wounds. After some
hesitation, the offer was accepted. No harm ensued
from the bite, and as soon as the wounds were
healed, many was the laugh, and joke, we all had
about the affair.

No mention has hitherto been made of one of
the shooter's best friends — the humble bunny; that
nimble little creature which the late Lord Derby
wittily described as being "three inches too short."
In addition to puzzling many very good shots, their
engaging little habits have taxed the brains of some
of our most learned judges when summing-up in trials
on the question of damages caused by them. They
have put thousands of pounds into the pockets of
all members of the legal profession ; they have set
by the ears landlord, shooting-tenant, and farmer,
and have been the cause of millions of words both
spoken and written ; but, in spite of all, the rabbit
yet remains a staple article of our food supply and

PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, HARES, ETC. 173

sport. A rabbit smothered in onions is still a good
dish anywhere, and so, likewise, is the sport they offer.

Sometimes very easy to kill, at others very easy to
miss, all sportsmen are ready to engage in the fun
of a rabbit day. Enormous bags have been made in
warrens, but the best performance of all, to our mind,
was that of Sir Victor Brooke, who describes his day
as follows : —

" My bag of the 28th September, 18S5, consisted
of 746 rabbits. I shot with two guns, my cousin,
Major Brooke, loading for me. All the rabbits were
walked up in rushes and ferns, and I had a keeper
and four beaters on each side. The bag was made
in the deer-park at Colebrooke, County Fermanagh,
and the bunnies, were real wild ones, in contra-
distinction to warren rabbits. In a warren it would
be easy to beat this bag, but with bona-fide wild
ones it was a good score. I shot exactly ten hours,
and used 998 cartridges, loaded with 43 grains of
Schultz and i^^ oz. of No. 5 shot, the little squib
cartridges used in big warren days being, to my

174 SHOOTIXG AND SALMOX FISHIXG.

mind, useless with downright good rabbits if you
want to make a certain bag. My cousin walked with
me the greater part of the day and kept the count,
and while he was with me the average was 92 out of
a 100 ; second barrels and long shots account for the
disparity between- this and 746 out of 998 cartridges."
In coming to the end of the shooting portion of
this book, the author wishes to state he has tried all
he could to avoid touching on matter mentioned in
books of sport that he has read. Hints and recol-
lections illustrating the same are all that he has
intended to venture on. and he will be thoroughly
well pleased should either the one or the other
have been of service, or int.eresting, to any of his
readers.

( 175 )

CHAPTER VI.

SALMON FISHING.

Year by year it becomes more difficult to secure a
really good salmon fishery, and even indifferent and
downright bad ones never lack tenants. Those who
have leases of good ones rarely gi\e them up, and,
should they do so, some favoured friend is put in,
and, provided he and the owner agree about price, the
water never comes into the market. The moderate
fisheries are tightly held on to by those on the look-
out for something better, whilst the bad ones never
fail to find fresh victims each season. In rentinor a
stretch of river, it is common to learn from the agents
that in a certain season a hundred and fifty spring fish
were captured up to the middle of May, and no matter
if that good take has been made ten years past, it is
for ever dinned into the ears of enquirers ; and the

175 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

scarcity of spring fishing, added to the desire of the
angler to secure something, will tend to make one who
is young and enthusiastic argue to himself that what
has been done before may be done again, and, trusting
he is to be the fortunate mortal, the lease is sio-ned
and the rent fixed at a price representing at least a
repetition of the much-\-aunted score of years gone by.
When the new tenant commences fishing, he soon
learns that tl!e fortunate gentleman— a first-class
performer with the rod— who killed the boasted
hundred and fifty, paid but thirty instead of a
hundred and thirty pounds for his season, and that, at
the time it was made, his take was considered little
short of marvellous. Furthermore, the new man may
find the pools from which the large score was chiefly
put together have ceased even to exist, and owing
to changes in the bed of the river, caused by heavy
floods, the very one which ten years ago was the best
of all may now be occupied by a thriving colony of
rabbits.

In writing of a good fishery, we mean one which

SALMON FISHING. 177

shows a fine average for many years past, for it is
impossible to ensure a uniform good take ; and all
anglers will be able to recall cases of large rents being
paid for fishings yielding next to nothing, though for
many previous seasons the catch has been large and
renowned. Our idea of a good fishery is that each
rod on it should get from fifty to a hundred fish
during the two months of the best season, and any
piece of water showing this amount of sport before
the middle of May is worth twice as much as one
offering the like attractions in autumn.

In writing of a downright bad fishery, we mean one
that has had ten fresh tenants in as many years, and
in which the two best months have averaged fifteen
fish a rod, while the rent asked has been from seventy
to a hundred and fifty or two hundred pounds. Of
this sort there are always some in the market, and
nothing will ever deter rash anglers from taking them ;
and it is useless advising fishermen never to rent
any water from which they cannot get a return of
the sport had on it for several years.

2 A

178 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

The weekly reports published by many of the Scotch
daily papers, and by the Field and Land and Water,
are generally very correct, although, personally, we
are not much in favour of them, as it has ever
seemed to us rather absurd one cannot kill a stag,
or a few brace of grouse, or a salmon, without the
same being duly chronicled in print. In the Field
we have read of eighteen salmon in a day being
credited to a gentleman who had killed but one
eighteen-pounder, and though the matter was
probably a printers error, or the mistake of a
telegraph clerk, and was promptly put right in the
issue of the following week, there may yet be plenty
of anglers who read of the capture of the eighteen,
but who did not see the correction ; and anyone
doine so would rest convinced the stretch of water
on which the great score was reported to be made
was of far greater money value than it really was.
Whilst writing of mistakes made in sending wires,
we cannot refrain from relating a somewhat costly
one that occurred to ourselves. On the morning of

SALMON FISHING. 179

the day that Zoedone won the Grand National
Steeplechase at Liverpool, we wired from a Scotch
village to a London commissioner: "Zoedone, ten
pounds to win," and this we handed to a red-
haired Scotch lassie before starting out to fish. On
returning, we were glad, indeed, to learn we had
won a hundred and twenty pounds, and duly sent
off a request, asking that our cheque should be sent
to the north on the Monday following. The reply
to this was a letter, stating our wire had been
received, but minus the word "Zoedone"; so nothing
had been done ! Now, the father of the red-haired
lassie was our gillie, and he was at once sent to the
Post Office to ask for an explanation, and returned
to tell us : " Weel, sir, she thocht the word was
something indeecent, and so she joost left it oot " ;
and dearly as the stupid mistake had cost us, it was
impossible to help laughing. We remember, in the
spring of 1884 or 1885, Land and Water credited
the author and two of his friends with a catch of
about a hundred spring fish more than had been

I So SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

taken in the month. On demanding, instead of
humbly pleading for, a correction of the damaging
mis-statements, the editor curtly refused to alter his
published returns ; and this decision he adhered to,
although the author's fish-book, kept day by day,
and letters from each of his friends, with extracts
from their "logs" absolutely contradicting the pub-
lished accounts, were all laid before him. As one of
our friends was his own landlord, and the other had
a long" lease of his fishinof, and we ourselves were
giving up ours, the matter was not considered worth
further powder and shot. Later on, we ascertained the
gasconading reporter was a bank clerk at Aberdeen ;
but as bank holidays are not more plentiful across the
Border than in the south, and as on all other lawful
days this scribe must have been on his office stool,
it has ever puzzled us why he should have been
selected to report the doings of many anglers many
miles distant from his honourable occupation. His
employers are indeed to be congratulated, if he gave
them as much for their money as he ofiered to the

SALMON FISHING. i8r

editor of Land and Water for his. This reporting
is, however, the fashion of the day, and retiring
sportsmen have to submit. It is much encouraged
by some proprietors and factors, as it is a good gratis
advertisement for them ; and no great harm is done
as long as reports are really accurate, for most
shootings and fishings are certainly rented at their
very highest value. When, however, their yield ap-
pears in print greatly exaggerated, then the tenants
may fairly complain that such misleading statements
are likely to cause a rise in their rents.

There is one small fault in these reports of which
we have heard many complain, viz., that gentlemen
and keepers are usually all alike dubbed " Mr.," and
unless an angler well knows the river mentioned, it
is impossible to tell who is who, or to ascertain if it
be fished by amateurs or keepers ; and if the greater
part of a big river be not fished by gentlemen, then
it may be taken for granted the angling is not worth
much.

The nets on the Scotch coast and the estuaries,

1 82 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

and in the rivers themseh'es, work so closely and
incessantly that the spring fishings coming up to our
ideal standard are few and far between, and none of
the English rivers, and but few of the Scotch or Irish
ones, approach it. Of the Scotch rivers that can
5'ield such takes In the spring, in Aberdeenshire there
are the fishings of Glen Tana, Cambus-o'-May, the
Aboyne Castle water, Ballogie, Calrnton, and Blackhall
Castle, all on the Dee, and each of these have often
exceeded our ideal, and the first-mentioned stretch
of water is perhaps the best spring fishing in the
kingdom. In Argyllshire there is Lord Breadalbane's
part of the Awe. In Inverness-shire, Lord Lovat's
part of the Beauly ; also the Garry of Loch Oich,
and some of the Lochy beats ; the Helmsdale in
Sutherland, and the Thurso in Caithness. From this
it will be seen how scarce is really good spring fishing.
The Tweed, the Tay, the Earn, the North Esk, the
Deveron, and the Spey are all so closely netted in
the spring that on none of them, on any particular
beat, can our standard be nearly reached, although

SALMON FISHIXG. 1S3

in the autumn months it is at times exceeded. The
Earn, the Deveron, the North Esk, and the Don
are perhaps the very worst of northern spring rivers ;
and in all four of them it is quite a rare event to
kill a spring fish. These four streams are all very
easy to work with the nets, and hardly a fish escapes
till they are taken off on the 26th of August ; but
from that time till the end of the rod-fishing season,
the three first named are quite at the top of the
tree for autumn sport. The Earn, especially, often
yields splendid autumn sport.

On the Dupplin Castle water, the late Lord
Dupplin once took twenty-one fish from the Dyke
Pool in a short day; and the Earl of Hardwicke,
Colonel Oliver Montague, and many others, have had
their dozen daily. This October of 1891 we stayed a
week with Mr. Brydges Willyams, the present lessee
of this water, and, as bad luck would have it, the river
ran bank high and dirty the whole of the time ; but
though rod and line were nearly useless, it was still a
great sight to see the fish passing up Dupplin Weir,

i84 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and between two and three thousand must have
passed up during- the seven days of high water. In-
deed, I have never before! seen fish run so plentifully
and so continuously for such a long spell. On the
Dyke stream In season 1890, Mr. Wlllyams and
Colonel Cornwall Legh, his lucky visitor, fishing
opposite each other, had In a short day twenty-five
good fish between them.

Only the largest of the Scotch rivers have been
alluded to, but there are many smaller ones which give
good sport, and In Sutherland alone there are some
half-dozen miniature Speys and Dees running through
glorious Highland scenery, and requiring very neat, If
not very long casting. Of these, notably, are — the
Shin, the Inver, and the KIrkalg; and there was a
time when each of these rose to the level of our
ideal. There Is hardly a county In Scotland that
does not own a salmon river ; but it Is the larger
ones that are sought by the angler, for there can be
no doubt a twenty-pound fish, struggling for its life,
can make a more resolute and dashing effort for

SALMON FISHING. 185

freedom when fighting in deep, rapid, and broad
waters, than one of the same weight, doing its utmost,
in a small river only some twenty-five yards across.

Nothing can be more exciting in the way of fishing
than a prolonged tussle with a big, game fish deter-
mined to go down one side of the stream while the
rod is on the other, with some seventy yards of
water separating them. In such battles, victory often
rests with the salmon ; but even if worsted in a
combat like this, the angler will not feel half so angry
as when a break takes place just as the vanquished
one is quite close to the gaff. In the latter case,
he will have little sympathy with the fish wishing
him an abrupt good-bye, whereas in the former case
disappointment will be tempered with a feeling of
respect for the foe that fought so gallantly ; and
many a good angler has been heard to exclaim when
broken in the heat of the fray, "Confound it! he's
off; but such a plucky fighter deserved to escape."

There is no more annoying way of losing a fish
than to do so when it is fairly beaten, and has once

2 B

1 86 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

been brought within reach of the gaff. The inex-
perienced gilHe has had two tries and missed it each
time ; and then, by running wildly up and down the
bank in pursuit, has repeatedly scared the captive
back to the stream and deep water, till at last, just
as it is again towed to the bank, the lone-endurinof
hold breaks, and he is gone ! Numbers of fish are
thus lost each season, and this is a matter to be
easily avoided by the fisherman taking absolute com-
mand of a nervous or iornorant eaffer.

Should the pool have a shelving beach of sand or
shingle, then, as soon as the fish is exhausted, step
back some twenty yards from the water, and order
the gillie to keep in the rear, and with a little coaxino-
the fish will allow itself to be hauled into shallow
water ; as it grounds it will begin to splash and turn
on its side, and then, if a gentle strain be kept up,
it will soon kick itself high and dry ashore, and the
gillie can go quietly forward and tail it.

Should the angler be alone, as soon as the fish is
lying on the bank with tail clear of the water, he can

SALMON FISHING. 187

lay the rod down with a nearly tight line and reel
handle uppermost, and go down and lift it out for
himself; in doing this, a slight detour should be made,
so as to avoid walking straight to the head of the
fish, and also let the first grip be a good one, for
as soon as handled, kicking will commence with all
the life that is left. A small fish is naturally more
difficult to hold than a large one, as the tail of the
former offers but a small grasp to the hand.

In this way we have landed hundreds of fish, and
believe it is quite as quick as gaffing, certainly more
so than one would be with an unskilled attendant,
and it has the advantage of not spoiling any part
of the fish for the table.

Even where the water is deep to the banks, fish
can be landed in this manner, but of course it takes
a longer time than where there is a shelvinQf bank,
as the fish now has to be played till he is utterly
and entirely exhausted.

If the angler wishes a fish to be gaffed, and knows
his attendant is not a great hand at the process, he

i8S SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

will do well to call him behind, and keep him there
till the fight is virtually over. When that time arrives,
select the easiest-looking place for gaffing and point
it out to the gillie ; then lead the fish away from it.
head up stream, and as soon as it can no longer see
the chosen place, send the gillie to the spot and make
him kneel down and put his gaff into the water as
far as he can reach, and keep motionless. The fish
can then be floated down over the gaff, and will
see nothing till too late ; and the greatest duffer
could not want two strokes at such a chance.

By this method the fish will be gaffed from under-
neath, and it will not be such a pretty or dashing
stroke as when the gaff, in the hands of a skilled
man, is stretched out over the captive and passed
through the back ; but when this is done, the fish
must always see both gaff and gaffer, and will often
be frightened and make bolt after bolt into deep
water, and sudden rushes with a short line in shallow
water are always dangerous.

Over and over again, we have seen a nervous g-illie

SALMON FISHING. 189

prolong a struggle fully ten minutes more than needful.
He will perhaps scratch the fish at the first attempt,
and so make it extra wild, and then, by running up
and down to meet it each time it comes near, he will
be the cause of so many short rushes and head and
tail splashes, that unless the hold is very good the fish
is too often lost at the finish ; and under such circum-
stances the fisherman is fairly entitled to a good
growl.

If the angler is alone, the same plan — i.e., that of
getting the fish above him and floating it down over
the gaff — can be practised ; and the heaviest fish we
ever killed, a thirty-eight pounder, was secured in this
way one August day from the Long Pool of the
Taynuilt Hotel water of the Awe. We also once,
when alone, lifted a forty-two pound hen fish one
February from the Mill-stream Pool on the Crathes
water of the Dee ; but as she was on the point of
spawning, we returned her to the water, hoping that
there might be a mate about, although it was of
course very late in the season.

I90 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

The heaviest fish we know of, and saw landed
with our own eyes, came from the Awe ; it scaled
fifty-four pounds, and was captured by the school-
master at Taynuilt, in October.

The Awe, indeed, annually yields many big fish,
both to the net and the rod, and annexed are the
weights of some others, vouched for on unimpeach-
able authority. Colonel Murray of Polmaise, writes
as follows from

" Fannans, Taynuilt,

^^July 2nd, 1 89 1.

"The fish weighed 42 lbs., a male, and measured
26J inches in girth, 47I in length, and was killed
in the Bothy Pool, 25th July, 1879. A 'Thunder
and Lightning' took his fancy, and I had him out
m about ten minutes, and before he was nearly
done. The next in size that I have killed in the
Awe was 38 lbs. There was a large salmo ferox
hooked by Mr. Mure in the top pool of the Awe,
and killed in the loch some way up the Pass of
Brander, which weighed 39I lbs., and this I should

SALMON FISHING. 191

think the heaviest ferox ever killed, certainly with
the fly.

" I may mention a curious case of a fly I had, which
killed eleven salmon in two days, and was lost in the
twelfth fish, on the third day, which went over a fall
in the Conon and cut the line. Two other anglers
were fishing the river at the same time and never
got a fish, and I could not kill another after losing
the fly, although I had several of the same pattern
dressed by the same man at the same time that the
killer was tied. Was this some chance, or some
combination of colour ? "

Mr. Thorpe of Ardbrecknish, who rents the
Inverawe water, also writes to me he got one in his
cruive that weighed 52 lbs., but that he has never
got one with the rod that was quite 40 lbs., though
several times close to it. Sir John Bennett Lawes,
who for many seasons rented the upper water of
the Awe, which at present Lord Breadalbane keeps
in his own hands, tells me he caught in Pol Veri,
a fish weighing ^/^\ ^^s.

192 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

While on the subject of big fish, we believe that
Mr. Arthur Prior's monster is still the heaviest
authenticated capture to the rod, and he writes me
as follows on the subject : —

"The big fish was carted up to the Castle (Floors)
with his fourteen companions, and it was then weighed
by His Grace in the presence of the Duchess, Lord
Hardwicke, Lord Kensington, and the late Lord
Lovat, and was declared to be just over 60 lbs. The
next morning at 10 o'clock, the shepherd, bringing in
mutton, re-weighed it, and made it but 57^. The
Kelso Mail the next day described the fish as beino-
60 lbs., so also did ' Steel,' the fishmonger at Kelso,
where it was exhibited."

Mr. Prior has been very lucky in getting big
fish, as he also had a forty-pounder, in addition to
the big fish, during the same month of November,
1886, and later on in November, 1888, another forty-
pounder.

Never permit a kelt to be gaff'ed, for more often
than not the wound will be fatal, and personally

SALMON FISHING. 193

we would rather lose our tackle than put steel into
one. On many rivers it is, however, a common
practice to land all kelts in this way, and then to
flingf them back to the water. With a little more
patience they can be lifted out and returned unhurt,
beyond the exhaustion of the fight, which of itseli
frequently proves fatal. When replacing a heavy
and thoroughly beaten kelt in the water, it should
be held by the tail for a short time till it has
recovered strength enough to swim. While strongly
objecting to any law enforcing the carrying of a
landing net, which would absolutely necessitate the
services of an attendant, we should yet like to see
a penalty placed on gaffing a kelt, and then leave
fishermen to their own devices. The law is the
avowed champion of their lives, and inflicts a penalty
of five pounds on anyone keeping a kelt, but yet
it sanctions their destruction by the gaff, and so
long as the destroyer throws the poor wounded
creature back to the water, and does not keep
it in his possession, the law is content ; but, surely,

2 c

194 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIXG.

this is an anomaly our fishery law-makers should
attend to.

At times unclean fish are landed so well mended,
and looking so like the real article, that for a few
moments even old hands may be deceived. A peep
into the gills will settle the matter, and if there are
any white maggots clinging to them it is for certain
unclean. From the Dee, the Spey, and the Tay we
have landed hundreds of kelt, and have never yet
seen one without some of these white parasites, and,
vice versa, we have never seen a fresh run spring fish
with any of them.

The eyes of the kelt are usually not quite wide
open, while in a clean fish the eye is full, round, and
prominent. This, however, is not an invariable rule,
as we have seen quite fresh run fish with this pecu-
liarity, and we think it possible this drooping of the
lid may be caused by the fatigue of the fight against
the rod.

If rivers get very low in the spring diseased kelts
may easily be seen, and as at such times there is very

SALMO.Y FISHLXG. 195

little real fishing to be done, an angler may often get
a bit of fun for himself, and, by taking such fish out of
the water, do the bailiffs and the river a good turn.
A white and diseased fish having been found in an
accessible position, cut a long straight twig, something
like the top joint of a rod, wrap the line already
attached to the rod a few times round it, and bring
the hook to the end, and there fix it tightly by a half
hitch, so that thus a miniature gaff is formed. Keep-
ing the rod in the left hand, stick the hook into the
kelt wherever fancy dictates, and let the twig go. It
will soon be pulled clear of the line, and the diseased
one can be brouo^ht to bank, knocked on the head, and
duly buried. We once saw one big kelt so covered
with fungus that he was absolutely as white as the
paper this is printed on ; but notwithstanding his ail-
ments he made a splendid fight for his life, and took
us down several hundred yards of water. This fish
we laid hold of by the side of the pectoral fin, as we
think a fish thus hooked shows harder fighting than
when fouled in any other part of his body, and as the

196 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

water was low and bright, his long white form showed
every movement, and from start to finish every detail
of the struggle could be seen. On the Crathes water
of the Dee we once landed three kelts. which had all
been recently gaffed and survived the barbarity ; but
in the same water hardly a day passed that vv-e did
not see dead kelts lying in the pools, and those we
could reach had mostly been killed by the gaff in
the fisheries above.

We did not see all there were, for a colley dog
was in the habit of hunting the banks and pulling out
the dead kelts for himself. The dog was fat and
sleek to perfection, and would take a regular header
when the dead fish was in deep water, and would pull
it out from a depth of fully eight feet. He knew
his business well and never hunted the streams, but
went from eddy to eddy and searched the backwaters
till he found his breakfast, and when this laid in a
deep place he would often have to make many dives
before it was secured.

As to what is good time in which to kill a fish, it is

t^

SALMON FISHING. 197

an accepted law by many old hands that a pound a
minute is smart work. It may be prolonged by a sulky
fish ; but with the rod in good hands, we hold such
an event as a long sulk should not be permitted to
happen, unless indeed it is impossible to get below the
"sulky brute," for on such occasions all fish at once
become "brutes." We have never met with one that
could resist, for more than a few minutes, the weight
of a long line and a steady pull down stream from
the middle of the rod. Out from behind the sulking
place it must come, but look out for squalls, as a rush
down stream may drown the line ; but never mind if
it does, and laugh even if the hold be broken, for any-
thing is better than standing still, pulling steadily at
a fish for an hour or so ; it makes one feel and look
like a fool. Therefore, do not be afraid to go even
fifty or sixty yards below the sulker, all the while
paying out line step by step, and keeping up a heavy
strain, with the rod held low and nearly parallel to
the water. As the strain begins to tell, the fisher-
man will get warning of the impending move by

198 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMOX FISHIXG.

feeling a tug or two as the captive endeavours to
keep his place ; as he gives way, then upright the rod
and get in every inch of h'ne possible. Go up and
meet him, if he will let you, and try to get oppo-
site him, and that position once attained the combat
should soon be over. At times a fish will sulk in
such a position as renders it impracticable to get be-
low him, and then indeed he is almost master of the
situation. Various and costly messages may be sent
him down the line in the shape of a valuable bunch
of keys, which we once saw done, without producing
the least effect ; the gillie may throw any amount
of stones, but when sulking occurs in deep, sluo-o-ish
water, and there is no boat to be had so that the
surly one can be poked out of his lair by oar or
sting, and unless the angler has seen he is in to an
extraordinary large fish which it would be a glorious
matter to take, then it is best to put on a severe
strain for twenty minutes or so, and gradually increase
It till either the fish moves or something breaks.
We are of opinion that when a fish makes a furious

SALMON FISHING. 199

dash down stream in heavy, broken water, and if the
going be very bad, that then it is wiser not to try
and keep level with him, but to pick one's way
quietly with the rod bolt upright, and so follow on
behind him, even if the reel be nearly bare. A time
will come when even the wildest fish will be forced
to rest for a minute or so, and in that short time
one can get in some line and be nearing him pre-
paratory for a fresh start. If an attempt be made
to keep level with a mad fish making a rush down
white water, and the footing is very bad, it is nearly
certain the rod point will be lowered, and that is
usually the signal for good-bye.

An angler should remember that in pools on which
a boat is used that, when watching it from the opposite
bank, it will always look to be more than fairly half
way across the stream ; and a knowledge of this will
do away with many uncharitable feelings, and save
even downright wrangles. It is, of course, annoying
to see a boat appear to come more than fairly across
the stream, to fish one's favourite catch, but the oppo-

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

site neighbour may have been forbidden to wade, or
perhaps the pool can be reached in no other way.
Under such circumstances make the best of the matter,
for if the banks were changed the chances are the
grumbler himself would do precisely the same thing.
If the boat be rowed, it does less harm than if a
sting be used, which causes greater disturbance by
the noise it makes in striking the bed of the river ;
but in either case, if there be plenty of fish, a pool
that has been "boated" can be cast with confidence
half an hour afterwards. Indeed, we have come down
our side of a pool immediately behind a boat fishing
from the opposite bank, and have hooked fish so
close to it that the party afloat have had to pull out
of the way to let us down. In some fisheries the
march will begin or end in the middle of a pool,
and this is often a matter productive of unfriendliness
between two anglers who are both good fellows and
should be the best of friends. The old-fashioned
plan was for the owner of the upper part of the
pool to come to the march, and fish over into the

SALMON FISHING.

next water as far as he could cast. On many rivers
this has been altered to the fairer method of placing
a stake twenty-five yards above the actual boundary,
and below this mark the angler on the upper water
is not supposed to put his feet.

There are two sorts of very bad fishing neigh-
bours. The worst is the case of the opposite bank
being let to an hotel, the landlord of which places
no limit on the number of rods, and to fish opposite
such a water as this is terribly uphill work, as each
pool gets incessantly splashed over all day. That
fine stretch of the i\we that is now let with the
Taynuilt Hotel is a notable and melancholy example
of this sort of fishery. There are, to the best of my
recollection, some fourteen pools on this water, and
of course some are high-water catches and others
vice versa, and they are rarely all in order on the
same day ; but the late landlord of Taynuilt Hotel
let almost anyone fish, and I once counted eighteen
rods out ; and that sort of thing went on for many
years, and the pools on the opposite bank which the

2 D

SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

hotel anglers could reach were entirely spoilt. There
is now, happily, a new landlord at Taynuilt, and he
proposes to limit the rods to six ; but even this is
twice as many as the water will fairly carr)-. In our
opinion it is not quite fair to one's opposite neighbour
to let a fishery to an hotel without strictly limiting the
number of rods ; and this is carefully done on the Dee.
and anyone getting a rod from the hotels at Aboyne
and Ballater can make sure of an ample beat to
himself. The Taynuilt Hotel water has, however,
recently changed owners, and, owing to the discover)-
of some missing documents in the muniment room
at Inverary Castle, the Duke of Argyle has been
enabled to establish his right to it. although the
late possessors, the Campbells of Loch Nell, had
owned it for over 150 years.

The second worst neighbour an angler can have is
the one who does not fish himself, and gives indis-
criminate leave to friends, tradespeople, and servants ;
and this is a matter certainly very trying to the
temper of any keen fisherman renting the opposite

SALMON FISHING. ^^3

bank. We recollect a case of this sort where the
fishing was given to a family, and daily the father,
the three sons, two daughters, and two visitors turned
out, and as there were but eight pools, each one had
more or less an occupant all day. At length the
matter was laid, in the most courteous manner, before
the donor of the fishing to the family, and the repre-
sentation being taken in good part, the family rights
were at once limited to two rods a day.

Should anyone be lucky enough to take a fish so
heavy that it is not weighable by his steelyard, there
is yet an ingenious method of doing this, which was
first shown to the author by Mr. C. M. P. Burne, who
rents Pitcroy on the Spey ; and as we had fished for
thirty seasons before hearing of the "dodge," it is
probable there are others in the same plight. Suppose
the fish is judged to be thirty pounds, and the steel-
yard will only show up to five-and-twenty, then pick
out a stone of over ten pounds weight, tie a cord
round it and weigh it exactly ; pass the end of the
cord through the ring at the top of the steelyard, and

204 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

fasten it to the hook at the bottom. Then put the
fish on. and before moving the indicator on the scale
the weight of the fish will have to lift up the weight
of the stone, and that, added to what the scale then
shows, will be the total. Thus, a thirty pounder
having raised a twelve-pound stone will lower the
indicator on the scale to eighteen pounds.

The author^ has but a very few words to say on
rods and tackle, for that has already been very
thoroughl)' done b}- many others. Rods appear to
us to be very much like guns, and because A. can
throw his thirty-five yards of line with Jiis pattern,
that will be no reason why B. should do the same with
a similar one, yet B. will throw quite as well and as
far as A. with a rod of a totally different build ; and.
then, in steps C, who will beat them both with some-
thing wholly different in shape from either. The
make of the rod with which an angler is "entered"
is the one generally continued ; it may be modified in
later years, and perhaps improved on, but the build of
the rod the angler starts with will leaven all the later

>^

/

■« w

THE SPEY CAST, No. 1.

SALMON FISHING.

ones. Personally, we own to liking a spliced rod
better than a ferruled one ; but when in two pieces
they are so difficult of conveyance and so troublesome
to put together that it is pleasanter to use the ferrules,
unless going to fish in the same place for several days
in succession, and where the rod once put up need not
be taken down until it is time to depart. The author
swears by Farlow and eighteen feet of green-heart ;
but of late years we confess to having seen such fine
rods of glued-up cane that our allegiance to the old
wood is wavering. Their lightness is a great recom-
mendation, and they cast as far in the face of a wind
as the stoutest green-heart, and there is no doubt our
old favourites will eventually be discarded in favour
of the more modern invention.

The Spey-rod like the Spey-cast, is a thing of
itself, and to the beginner, no matter how good he
may be at the overhead business, both rod and cast
seem hopeless and impossible ; these rods are always
spliced, somewhat whippy, and the top joint, instead of
being straight, turns up, and is most unsighdy to the

2o6 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

uneducated eye. In commencinor to practise the Spey-
cast, the novice will often wind himself up in his line ;
and lucky if he do not dri^-e the hook into his ears
or shoulders. After a period of this excitement, sud-
denly the cast comes to him as far as a short line
goes, but it will take him weeks ere he can put out
thirty yards.

-Hoo aisey.' it looks, to see "old Crookey "— we
beg his pardon, Mr. Cruickshank-as the Field and
the Scotsman call him, putting out forty yards, while
standing dryshod on two little stones on the bank of
Pol Brock on the Wester Elchies water ; we believe
he held the title of "King of the Spey " for many
years, though Robertson the famous Tulehan fisher-
man and Shiach at Aikenway, could each run him
close. The Spey-cast is an exceedingly useful one to
learn, and all anglers should try and attain it, and
when well done the fly lights on the water as true
and as gently, and with no more splash than if pro-
pelled by the overhead cast. Much has been written
about this same cast, and my friend Major Traherne,

/■

THE SPEY CAST, No. 2.

SALMON FISHIXG. ^-^l

in the Badminton Library, has taken much pains
both by word and by diagram to explain the matter,
and doubtlessly his efforts have been of great use to
his brother anglers. It occurred, however, to the
author, that if he could get this cast illustrated by
someone combining angler and artist, that then such
illustrated diagrams might be of still further use to
the beginner. In his friend Mr. R. R. Holmes, Her
Majesty's Librarian at Windsor Castle, he has had
the o-ood luck to meet with this happy combination
of art and sport, and the three accompanying drawings
of the spey-cast were executed on Speyside itself; and
the author ventures to think that never before has
the spey-cast been so well illustrated, and all credit
is due to Mr. Holmes for his able handling of a
difficult subject. This cast is made in three distinct
motions, and like the overhead one, is essentially a

"time" cast.

Plate No. I represents the angler having raised the
rod upright with one steady and moderately quick
rise, so as to bring the line to the surface ; No. 2,

2o8 SHOOTING AXD SALMON FISHING.

shows the hoe as it is immediately before the down-
ward stroke is made ; and Xo. 3 depicts the result
of this, and the fly is speeding in graceful curls to
its destination. We also quite agree with Major
Traherne, that there is no line so easy or pleasant
to cast as a hand-made silk one of about thirty-three
yards in length, spliced on to a hundred yards of
reel line. F^rlow makes these silk lines right well,
and dresses them to keep supple for many seasons ;
and, of course, when one end of the taper begins to
wear it should be reversed, and for fully fifteen years
we have used nothing else. We consider the reel is
best made of thin ^w\\ metal, for thoueh this is
slightly heavier than wood or vulcanite, both these
substances are easily cracked by knocks or tumbles,
while the metal one is far less vulnerable, and even
if badly dented can usually be put right again by
any blacksmith. A reel should run lightly ; in fact,
so much so as to allow a fish being struck from it.
Should a pluck come at the fly during any moment
of inattention — and if fishing for hours w^ithout an

CO

d
Z

h

<
o

>^

m
u

SALMON FISHING. 209

offer the sharpest look-out is apt to relax — then
the fish does not get such a violent jerk as will be
the case if the reel is a stiff one ; such a rise not
having been seen, the rod is mechanically and sharply
raised as the pull is felt, and in doing this a too
severe strain is often put on the tackle, and many
times we know of the hook being left in the fish.
In streams, and even in steadily moving waters, we
are all against working the fly, but as it sweeps into
slack w^ater, some motion should be given to it, and
even though the point of the rod rise and fall a yard
with each movement, if there is a long line out, the
fly itself will be moved but a few inches. On many
rivers there are high, steep banks overhanging the
pools, and on "dour" days it is instructive to hand
the rod over to the gillie, and creeping to the edges
of such banks, the f^y can be watched as it explores
the depths below. With a small river and a bright
sun it is easy to see the fish lying behind their
resting-places, and in such a state of affairs they
will frequently bolt in all directions as the fly swings

2 E

2IO SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

over them, and not for some minutes will they return
to their accustomed places in the stream. At rare
intervals a fish will rise under such circumstances,
but he does not come with a dash, but with one
sweep of his tail will shoot from his shelter, and
falling well below the fly and holding himself
stationary in the current by a trembling movement
of fins and tail, his mouth opens, the fly appears to
fall into it, while with a downward sweep he drives
the hook home.

Under such circumstances, to shout " Look out !
he's coming," will almost always save the fish, as
there are but few who can keep their hands quiet
while such an intimation is excitedly made. Me-
chanically the point is raised and the fly snatched
away, and rarely will the fish return.

We remember, one bright June day, fishing the
Cruive Pool of the Awe with a small " Blue Doctor"
we had dressed that morning with a very spare wing
and on purpose for the sunshine. Overhanging this
pool is a high bank, on which our old friend and

SALMON FISHIXG.

attendant, Peter, had posted himself. The cast was
drawn blank and not a fin showed, and when we
again joined forces and learnt from him that eight
different fish had all come to look at the fly, we
were indeed surprised. Some two hours later the
pool was re-fished, but this time the author and Peter
changed places, and from our vantage ground we
saw five fish come and have a look at the small
" Sun " fly so neatly offered them ; but each returned
to his lair not in the least alarmed, and not one of
these thirteen fish broke the water, for had they
done so they must have been seen, as this is a still,
"oily" pool, and from this we think it may be taken
for granted the anofler on a level with the river little
knows what goes on in the depths below. Having
waited till the sun went off this pool, we again fished it
with the same fly used the first time of trying it, and
two fish fell victims to its fascinations ; but the light
was then so bad that Peter could not see if others
were moved. Even in the very hottest and brightest
of weather a keen angler need not quite despair,

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHIXG.

and if he can see a fish " turninor " he had better
sta)- and offer fly after fly, and perhaps he may bull)-
it into laying hold of one of them. An instance of
this kind happened to us on the Usk, one scorching
day in July. The late Sir Sandford Graham and
the author were staying at the Three Salmons
Hotel, in Usk, and fishing the association water,
and as we were not believers in very early starts,
it was often ten o'clock before a move was made.
On that particular day we found " Pen Carrig "
vacant, so Sir Sandford continued on his way to
find another pool below. " Rhil-a-derry " and " Coed-
a-prior" were both occupied, and from the rod on
this latter pool he learnt that everything else lower
down was also full, an unusual number of ticket-
holders having come out that day. He therefore
returned, and we took it turn and turn about to fish
over a nice little salmon that had been seen to rise.
Thus in about every twenty minutes the choice of
a fresh dainty was offered, but all to no purpose,
and at last fourteen tasty morsels had been dangled

SALMON FISHING. 213

over his nose, and evening began to come. It was
then our turn to try with a fifteenth, but giving it
up in disgust, Sir Sandford had another cast, and
at once hooked and shortly landed our stubborn
friend — a nice fish of fourteen pounds.

There is no doubt one of the great secrets of
success is perseverance, and any fairly good fisher-
man who will never stop working, who will run from
pool to pool and eat his lunch while so doing, will
kill more fish than a better angler who thinks it is
going to be a bad day, and takes it easy if he does
not get a rise in the first pool he puts f^y over.

Keep the lure in the water all day, hold the point
low, and fish deep ; do not watch the point, but
keep the eyes on the spot where the fly is judged
to be. By doing this a " boil " will be seen which
might escape notice if the eyes were on the point of
the rod, and when such is seen the fish can of course
be offered another fly.

At times the gillie may be heard to say he is " Just
thinking it will be a gold day," or a "silver one,"

214 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

as the case may be, and unless the fisherman wishes
to make his attendant miserable, let him put on a
rty with gold or silver tinsel, as the case may be ;
and, more often than not, the man's long experience
of the state of the river and the atmosphere will
prove him to be in the right. Salmon are odd
mixtures of shyness and boldness, and their sight is
extraordinarily quick. In clear water we have often
stood on bridges and dropped small stones on fish
lying under them, and the fish has invariably seen
the stone coming and dashed off before it struck the
water, though in the course of a few minutes it would
return to the place it left. When a fish is seen to
move, many anglers at once conclude the resting
spot is exactly beneath the splash ; as a rule, it is
some yards below and a little to one side of where
the water was broken. That very fish will, however,
often take the lure above where he showed, or even
a good bit below, and this we think is also a fact
from watching their habits from high banks and
bridges ; and we are quite sure they see further afield

SALMON FISHING. 215

than is generally supposed, and though the accepted
theory is not to advance more than a yard at each
cast, we think quite two yards may be taken at
every fresh throw ; and that when fishing in this
quicker style, if there be a taking fish in the pool it
will be equally certain to see the lure, for a fish
that wishes to feed will be sure to be keeping a
sharp look out on all sides. In this way a long
pool can be fished twice over, with two different
flies, in the same time that the cast-at-every-yard
ano-ler will take to fish it once. If a fish rises and
does not hook, then throw the line gently on the
bank without reeling up, change the fly for a smaller
one of the same pattern, and try him again in a
few minutes from exactly the same spot. Fish may
often be seen splashing at the sides of a narrow and
heavy rush of water, and the eddies formed by such
streams are often dead or even moving gently up
stream. Such waters are best fished by commencing
at the tail of the pool and casting into the rapid,
and as soon as the fly nears the still water the angler

Ji6 SHOOT I XG AXD SALMON FISHING.

should walk smartly up stream for three or four
paces. By this means the fly will be kept "alive"
and working in the slack, and thus this sort of
awkward place can be fairly well fished, and if
salmon are to be seen splashing in such situations
they are usually hungry ones.

It may be fancy, but we prefer the old gut-fly loop
to the more modern metal-eyed one, as the former
seems to swim the fly with more life ; also, to a
great extent, we are believers in every river having
its own special flies ; at any rate, it is certain the
local ones are lures shown by long experience to be
killers. At the same time, we are averse to having
a vERv large selection of flies, and any angler who
is provided with various sizes of Blue Doctors. Jock
Scots, and Gordons for "gaudies," and the Glen
Tana, the Killer and the Grey Heron of the Spey
for "spiders," never need fear of catching fish
wherever he may go. The four last-mentioned flies
not being so well known as the two first-named
celebrities, the dressing is appended for the use of

SALMON FISHING. 217

those who tie their own, and all anglers should learn
to do this. Apart from the pleasure of killing with
flies of one's own making, the amusement will while
away many a long day when the river is unfish-
able, and even a wet Sabbath — of course, not if
within reach of the kirk and two services — may
be shortened if surrounded by fur, feathers, silk,
wax and tinsel ; but tell it not to " Sandy," or for
ever those flies will come under the ban of unlucky
ones.

The Killer :

Tag. Silver tinsel.

Tail. Red saddle feather of golden pheasant.

Body, commencing from tail. Yellow, orange, red.
and blue mohair, equally divided and sparely put on,
silver tinsel over.

Hackle. Grey heron at shoulder, and over it a red
saddle feather of golden pheasant.

Wing. Two slips of red turkey or gled hawk set
wide apart.

The Gordon :

2 F

2i8 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

Tag. Silver twist.

Tail. Topping and red ibis.
Butt. Black.

Body. Two turns of orange yellow floss silk and
the rest rich claret floss, silver tinsel, and, if the fly be
large, then silver twist by the side of it.

Hackle. Claret from commencement of claret
'floss, and light blue at shoulder, or in a small fly a
jay hackle will do.

Wing. Two feathers of gold pheasant ruff, reaching
to black butt, over these a mixture of gold pheasant
tail, peacock, white, yellow, red, and blue fibres of dyed
swan, a long topping over all, jungle cock cheeks and
a black head.

If the fly be dressed large, one or two sword-
feathers of the gold pheasant should be added over
the gold pheasant ruff feathers.

The Glen Tana :

Tag. Silver twist.

Tail. Red saddle feather of gold pheasant.

Body. Half yellow, half claret mohair, sparely

SALMON FISHING. 219

put on, gold tinsel, and, if the fly be large, then silver
twist laid on beside it.

Hackles. Black heron laid on from commence-
ment of claret wool, and teal hackle at shoulder.

Wings. Two long slips of red turkey or gled
hawk, set on well apart.
The Spey Grey Heron :
Tag. Two turns of gold tinsel.
Body. Barely one-third orange floss and rest black
floss, gold tinsel put on very wide., and between the
turns a single strand of fine silver twist ; in a large fly
two strands can be used, each equidistant from the
other.

Hackles. Grey heron from half way up, and teal
at shoulder.

Wingr. Mallard.

In spite of sombre look and meagre appearance,
caused by the absence of tail and the shortness of the
wing, this fly Is a very killing one wherever quiet flies
and sparely-dressed hooks are in favour, and we have
rarely failed to score when giving it a trial.

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

Whether wading trousers should be buckled tightly
round the waist, or be held up by braces and left open,
is a question on which anglers differ. Personally, we
choose the open plan, as it is not so hot and better
ventilation is ensured ; also, accounts vary very much
from those who have taken involuntary headers, some
stating they can swim quite comfortably while others
tell a very different tale. Our own experience is,
luckily, very small, and the only ducking we ever had
while wading in trousers was one April day into some
ten feet of water of the north side of the Kirk Pot at
Glen Tana. A large piece of rock broke away and
we went souse in, and on striking out and looking up
we could clearly see our feet above our head. For two
or three strokes we foug-ht our hardest to reverse the
position, and before we had any wish to try further
we were floated against a piece of projecting rock, and
clinging on quickly pulled ourself out. Although
smoking at the time of immersion the pipe was not
lost, and, moreover, the rod was kept hold of, which
perhaps had something to do with the poor progress

SALMON FISHING. 221

made in swimming. John Power, one of Sir William
Cunliffe Brooks' keepers, was with us that day, and,
fortunately, was wearing a long blue woollen sailor's
jersey ; so, as the sun was shining brightly, we
stripped and donned this garment, and raced up and
down the bank to keep warm, while the wet ones
having been wrung out were spread on a bush to
dry. After a certain time, the wind and the sun
were pronounced to have done their work, so,
dressing again, we fished the day out.

Most anders have the feet of their waders, as well
as the brogues that cover them, made much too small ;
for in February and March it is most desirable to
keep as warm as possible while in the water, and if
there be the least tightness or pressure on ankles or
feet the cold becomes almost painful. For spring
wading in snow water we encase ourselves Irom head
to foot in Shetland wool, and tucking the ankles of
the drawers into a pair of soft worsted socks, over
these come a pair of very warm and long knicker
stockings, followed of course by the ordinary raiment

222 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

of everyday life. Thus attired we walk to the river,
and then, before putting on the waders, a pair of soft
lambswool sleeping-socks complete the heating appa-
ratus ; but all this will be of no use if the feet are
cramped up by either the wader or the brogue. If,
however, all fits easily, then thus arrayed we can stay
in the water in the coldest weather for an hour at a
stretch without being numbed or miserable. Brogues
are preferable to boots for wearing over all, as they
are quicker to take off and put on when walking
from pool to pool ; and if the fisherman have a gillie
with him and has to walk half-a-mile or more to the
next pool, he is strongly advised not to do this in
his waders, for should he do so and then wade into
deep snow water he will feel the cold far more than
if he had taken off his waders for the walk ; and in
addition to the comfort, the mackintoshes will also
wear longer if carried.

The advantages of very large brogues were forced
on our notice while fishing out the last week of
season 1890 on the Spey at Aikenway, with Mr.

SALMON FISHING. 223

W. S. Menzies of Culdares. Arrivinor there from Gaick
Forest and deer-stalking, we were minus brogues,
and Aberdeen was wired to, but they were sent too
small ; so Jock Shiach, the fisherman, kindly lent us
his, which were just about twice as large as seemed
needful, and so much so, that it was a difficult matter
to stay in them on dry land ; but never before had
we waded in such comfort, and with so few stumbles,
and as the Spey offers the very worst of wading, we
are sure the very large flat shoe is the right thing.
Wading is quite an art of itself, and wants a quick
eye and good nerves ; but the great thing when fishing
a very bad place, when the toes are invisible and the
pool strange, is to move very slowly, and with a nearly
straig-ht leg- shuffle the feet round rocks and stones
and avoid in any way climbing over them ; also be
careful not to stir the rear foot before the advanced
one has a firm hold. During our stay at Aikenway,
mine host made a curious catch of a fish ; he had
hunpf his coat — a sleeveless one — on a rail when
walking to the top of the pool, and having fished

224 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

down to his garment, halted to put it on, and so
save the trouble of going back. Laying his rod on
the bank with the Hne out, he ran to the garment,
and while sHpping it on, a fish hooked, and began
to make the reel sing ; the rod was speedily in good
hands, and a fifteen-pounder was laid on the bank
in due course.

To some bigoted anglers bait-fishing is a detest-
able method of catching salmon, and by the very
rabid ones, this has been described as equivalent
to shooting a hare on its form. Well, if it was really
impossible to kill a hare running, then, we confess, if
we were hare-shooting and they were as few and far
between as, alas, they are in many counties, and we
wanted one badly, we would certainly shoot it sitting.
There are many reaches of w^ater through which
spring fish run without a halt, and as they will not
take a fly when travelling, and will yet take a bait,
we consider that fact to be a very good reason for
using one. Admitting we would rather catch a fish
with a fly than by any other lure, we ow^n to being

SALMON FISHING.

SO constituted, that to come home blank is the

abomination of desolation. To work hard at anything

the whole day long for nothing does not suit our

temperament, for after such an event, dinner is not

enjoyed, sleep fails us, breakfast next morning is

hateful, and peace of mind and content can only

again be restored by a tight line and the music of

the reel. In sport, as in all other matters, live and

let live has ever been our motto ; and without going

the length of some bait-fishers, who call the fly an

antiquated old lure, we do not hesitate to resort to

bait of every sort, and by so doing, more often than

not, a duck's ^g<g for the day is saved. No one who

dislikes bait-fishing need practice it ; and those who

object to it are usually fishermen having some of

the picked fishings of a river, in which the salmon

will lie for weeks, and if they will not rise one day

they will be sure to do so on another.

Fishers of the natural minnow are often even railed
at and complained of by those who use the phantom,
prawn, and worm ; and if this is not a case of pot

2 G

226 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and kettle, there never was one. This petty jealousy
usually arises from the fact that the prawn and phan-
tom man either will not take the trouble to procure
the natural bait, or, having got it, cannot learn how
to use it. This class of angler is often the one who
begins to fish at fifty, and in two seasons is full
of advice and instruction to those who have been
at it since fourteen ; therefore, w^e advise everyone
desirous of makino- a o-ood score, and who has a

o o

stretch of water through which the fish pass rapidly
upwards, to go at them with every lure he can
bring into play. As to a natural minnow spoiling
a pool, it is all stuff and rubbish. On a cold, cloudy
day a fresh run fish will be more likely to take a
natural minnow than a fly, as the hungry one can
so easily see and smell that the former is genuine ;
and, thus, small wonder it should be preferred to a
bunch of feathers, which, like the first oyster, will
have to be taken on trust and in the hope it is
good. At the same time, there are distinctly fly
days, minnow days, phantom days, and prawn days.

SALMON FISHING. 227

As to clean fish or kelt not eatinsf in fresh water,
we do not credit one word of it, for minnows, prawns,
or worms are all devoured by both. If plenty of
fish are seen in a pool on a cold and cloudy day,
and they refuse fly and bait, it is simply an indication
that none of them are hungry, although a short time
afterwards some may have acquired an appetite, and
then if a fly comes over these there is a very good
chance of hooking one which is in no ways spoilt by
the natural minnow previously offered. It must not
be forgotten that of natural minnow there is but
one kind, while there are hundreds of flies, and that
the right one is presented must always be uncertain.
Whilst on a visit to Mr. .E. Brydges Willyams,
who, in 1885, was the lessee of the Park Fishery of
the Dee, we had a day on the Keith Pool when it
was in grand order. It is a long pool, every bit of
it fishes, and the salmon were splashing all over it.
Commencing with a " Glen Tana," one was landed ;
the second time over it a "Grey Heron" was used
with a like result ; this was followed by a natural

SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

minnow, and all for nothing. Then the " Gordon "
had a turn, and one more fish came to bank, and
lunch was eaten briefly but happily. Recommencing
with the " Gordon," another fish was hooked and
landed ; then followed a blank draw with the "Yellow
Eagle," and, finally, the minnow took other two and
made up the half-dozen ; weights — twenty-eight,
twenty-three, twelve, ten, ten, and eight pounds.

On the very same day, our host, fishing the pools
of the upper water with fly only, "tied" us with
six other fish, weighing twenty-four, nineteen, twelve,
ten, ten, and nine pounds. This was the best take
of autumn fish that we have ever seen, as all this
dozen were as brigJit as spring fish, and all had
sea lice on them ; and our joint total for the eight
last days of September was forty-three fish, weighing
five hundred and twenty pounds. Now, when ceasing
to flog the Keith Pool we had fished it with five
flies and two minnows, and though there was any
quantity of salmon left in it, we think we had an
offer from every hungry one, for in addition to the

SALMON FISHING. 229

six captured, one more was pricked and two others
" came short."

There is one great advantage the real minnow has
over the fly, and that is in the attraction it possesses
for "travellers." These, it is well known, will rarely
halt for a mouthful of feathers ; but that is not at all
the case when the lure is a big, fat minnow. Also,
this bait will take on frosty mornings and while the
ice is yet on the sides of the pools, and all anglers are
aware that fly-fishing under such circumstances is
nearly useless. Long experience has shown this to
be the fact, and anglers accept it as gospel, though
why it should be so has ever been a mystery.

Once when fishing a fly one April over Bir-
kenbad Pool of the Crathes water of the Dee, a
small company of running fish came into it, and
shortly began to show as they went out at the head
of the pool. Quickly discarding the fly-rod for the
spinning one, we were in time to capture two of the
runners in that pool, and then, racing up stream at
best pace, we headed them at the top of the

230 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

" Floating Bank." There other two were brought to
the gaff, while the rest of the school continued their
journey; but once again running forward to " Chapel-
of-Ease " Pool, one more was accounted for. Now,
with a fly not one of these fish could have been
captured ; but, by the aid of the merry minnow, what
would have been a blank day was converted into a
red-letter one^ for, on the lower reaches of the Dee, it
is a very rare event to take five clean fish on a
spring day below Banchory Bridge, and we doubt if
it has ever been done again.

We once made a very remarkable catch of a
fourteen-pound fish out of the " Sandy Havens," on
the Kineskie water of the Dee, and landed the same
without a hook in it ! This fish gave a splendid run,
and on eventually being gaffed we discovered it was
not hooked at all ; the minnow had swunof under one
of the pectoral fins, and the triangle catching over
the line had made a loop, which had drawn so tight
that it took us longer to disentangle than if the hook
had been in the usual place.

SALMON FISHING. 231

Salmon may also be taken with dace, gudgeon,
bleak, par, prawns boiled and unboiled, shrimps and
worms, as well as by all sorts of artificial minnows
and spoons ; but neither by a mock representation
of prawn or worm have we ever heard of an authen
ticated capture. Of all these different lures, the
natural minnow is the most killing (when it kills at
all) and the prettiest to use.

The rod should be of green-heart throughout, not
too stiff, and from fourteen to fifteen feet in length ;
the rings of course upright, and the top and bottom
ones of revolving steel, whereby much Avear and tear

of the line is saved.

The reel should be large enough to take some
seventy yards of " stuffing," together with a hundred
yards of the so-called American line, size letter F,
for thouorh the material of which the " M. C. & Co."
lines are made comes from America, the lines them-
selves, we believe, are made in Glasgow — and none
the worse for that ; and we have imported them
from America, and found them no better. They are

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

not expensive, twelve shillings and sixpence for the
hundred yards ; but the longer they are kept in store
before being used the better they wear, as lapse
of time hardens the dressing. They are, however,
necessarily so thin that a few days' fishing will spoil
the ten yards getting the greatest friction ; therefore,
like all other tackle, only in a greater degree, this
especially requires carefully looking over and testing
each day. As soon as the varnish wears off, the line
becomes so sodden when in use that the least wind
blows it into kinks, and makes it impossible to throw
even a fairly long cast. For this reason, the minnow-
fisher must perforce part with a portion of his line
every few days ; and as soon as this has been several
times repeated, then the value of the stuffing becomes
apparent. The ]\Ialloch reel is a pleasant one to
use in a high wind, as it does away w^ith any chance
of the line being blown into a tangle ; but, except
under those conditions, w^e prefer to throw from the
hand, for with this reel it is impossible to cast to an
inch, and the action of righting it after making each

SALMON FISHING.

cast allows the bait to sink very deep. Though
this is desirable in high water, in a reverse state of
affairs it lets the lure sink so far under the surface that
it is for ever catching in rocks ; and anyone fishing a
Malloch reel in low water will get hanked up, and
have to break much oftener than if the cast were
fished off the hand.

A single gut trace a yard long, with three swivels
in it, looped on to a similar one of treble gut, six
feet and six swivels, entirely does away with any
kinking of the reel line ; and Brown, the phantom-
man of Aberdeen, supplies these of excellent quality
at a moderate price, and for flies and all other Dee
tackle we can strongly recommend him. In the
Badminton Library there is an illustration of the
tackle used for spinning the natural minnow, and
as we ourselves gave it Mr. Cholmondley Pennell
on purpose for that book, as he very courteously
acknowledges, we think no apologies need be made
for referrinsf our readers to that work.

A large carpet or darning needle with the eye cut

2 H

234 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

through is the best form of baiting needle, and these
may be very quickly made in quantities by heating
the eyes to soften the steel ; and as soon as they
are cold a file will cut a slit in the eye, and then
the metal is re-tempered by again being heated to
redness, and while still aglow it is dipped in oil or
cold water.

To bait the Jackie, pass the eye end of the needle
into the mouth of the minnow (previously killed by
a finger flip on the head), and out at the vent ; then
hook on the gut loop (which must be a whipped
loop, not a knotted one) to which the hooks are tied,
and draw it carefully through till they are in position.
Should the needle catch in the minnow, twiddle it
round between the thumb and forefinger and it
will pass smoothly; then hold the bait firmly in the
left hand, thread the lead on to the gut, and press
it well home, and if this be not done thoroughly
the minnow will not spin properly. Before the lead
is inserted in the bait, it should be slashed with a
knife so as to prevent it slipping out of its mouth.

SALMON FISHING. 235

The gut between the two triangles should be
doubled, as it keeps them stiff after being in the
water a long time, and so hinders them from catching
over the trace when casting.

The minnow is par excellence a cloudy-day and
cold-weather bait, and unless the water is dirty
bright sunshine is nearly fatal to it, and fly or prawn
would have a better chance.

Our experience is that the minnow will kill well
on all rivers running into the sea on the East Coast
of Scotland, and that it is of no use on any river
emptying itself into the sea on the West Coast, where
the worm and the phantom are the best bait lures.

It goes without saying, that Brown's phantom will
kill anywhere, and in highly coloured and nearly
dirty water it is the best bait of all.

The natural minnow is usually cast directly across
the stream, but if the current is heavy it should be
directed a litde upwards to ensure it sinking deep ;
as it is carried round by the stream, it should be
drawn slowly in and out with a sawing motion of

2^6 SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

the hand, and without any reeling up of the Hne.
As soon as it swings into a straight Hne with the
point of the rod, draw it in, take two steps forward
and cast again, and so on till the end of the pool.

So long as the line can be deposited in coils on a
grassy bank at the feet of the fisherman, it is child's
play to send out some twenty yards ; but as soon as
it is necessary to wade, this becomes quite another
matter, and requires a lot of practice to do well.
The process is somewhat difficult to describe. The
butt of the rod should rest high up on the inside of
the thigh, and as much line should be pulled off the
reel as the stream will float on the surface in the
shape of a loop ; nip this between the thumb and
forefinger, repeat the operation, but make the loop
shorter than the first ; again secure it, and continue
to do this till there are four or five loops floating
on the surface, and kept away from the angler by
the force of the current ; then sweep the rod from
the thigh as if casting from the bank, and at the
same time slightly raise the hand holding the loops.

M

^SSS^,

^

■""'V"!35*w^..

^v

MINNOW FISHER.

SALMON FISHING. 237

and the whole line will fly out smoothly. When the
stream is not flowing smartly past the angler, he
will have to make more and shorter coils. We
once saw a gentleman, unable to master this method
of casting, who had a tray of wicker-work hung by
straps across his shoulders and standing out in front
of him, and on this his line was coiled. It certainly
answered very well, but he was chaffed out of it, by
being promptly christened "brandy balls," from his
ridiculous likeness to the well-known old character
at Brighton, who for so many years promenaded the
King's Road there, with his case of sweeties sticking
out in front of him.

It is often a matter of difficulty to procure minnows
large enough, for they should be three inches long
at the very least. During the summer months there
are plenty of this size in the Dee, but in winter and
spring they entirely disappear, either going up the
burns or sinking into deep, quiet holes from which
they do not stir till the water gets warm, and the
latter proceeding is most likely the solution of the

23S SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

problem as to where they vanish to. Joseph Loveder,
Full Moon Inn, Fish Ponds, Bristol, is the only
man we know of who can supply very large minnows
in spring, and the journey to Scotland is usually made
without the loss of a single one. When ordering,
it is best to give as long a notice as possible, for each
minnow has to be caught by hook and line ; and thus
if several hundreds are required, it means catching
fully a thousand. The charge is a pound a hundred,
and they are forwarded in tins which will easily take
two hundred in each; and whether these cans are
kept or returned is optional. The minnows should
be kept in soft running water, and beware of spring
water, for we have seen whole cans full killed in a
few hours by hard water. A flow of water should
pass continually through their prison, and about once
a week a small quantity of oatmeal should be given
them. They are, of course, carried to the river in
a smaller tin, which should be placed in the water
while the cast is fished, care being taken to fix it
so that it cannot be blown or washed away. We

SALMON FISHING. 239

have watched numbers of salmon seize this lure, and
as a rule it is taken as it swings to straighten the
curve of the line, and is a matter of deliberation,
though there are occasions when the bait is seized
the instant it touches the water. As soon as the fish
is hooked, the minnow is blown up the line ; and if
not bitten in half, two or three fish may be landed
with the same bait.

It is a rare event to get a pluck whilst drawing
in the line to make a fresh cast, and if such does
happen, then nineteen times in twenty it will be a
kelt that is hooked. It is of little use spinning the
natural bait in a stream so rapid as to keep it close
to the surface, for, apart from the reality of the lure
and the small show made by the arming, the depth
to which it can be sunk is also a great secret of
success ; therefore, to repeat the expression we gave
Mr. Pennell, it is of litde use fishing a heavy stream
which, as it were, tears at the bait.

The two best fishers of the natural minnow I have
met are my old friends Mr. Digby Cayley and Mr.

240 SHOOT IXG AND SALMON FISHIXG.

George Whitehead ; and I believe it was the former
who first introduced this lure to the Dee, and on
this head he writes me the following characteristic
letter : —

"As to the 'Yorkshire Grey,' I really believe I
was practically the originator of its use for salmon.
Twenty-five years ago, when fishing for trout with
natural minno^ on fine gut, with thirty yards of line.
I found I was continually hooking and generally
getting broken by salmon, and I set to work to
develop appliances to prevent the latter casualty,
little thinking it would turn out the success it has
become. The first time I went to the Dee, viz., to
Ballater, some sixteen years ago, I took with me,
simply on spec, a can of some fifty minnows. This
was on March 31st. The gillies laughed me to scorn !
They had never heard of such a thing, but said they
had known kelts hooked with a phantom in water
too big and thick for a fly. In low, clear water, with
twenty degrees of frost every night, I soon found that,
as usual, the local artists did not know everything,

SALMON FISHING. 241

and pulled out two or three daily with the 'Grey
Eagle,' to their astonishment.

*' Patterns of my tackle were begged from me by
numbers of people. George Whitehead got it from
me that year at Ballater, and took it to Aboyne, and
thence it spread, till it is universally used now not
only on the Dee but on many other rivers.

" I have been cursed and called a poacher, &c., &c.,

but I have become callous, and am sure it was envy

of my success, and nothing else, that prompted such

feelings. I used in those days to fish every pool first

with a fly, generally with two different flies, and then

with the minnow, often getting one to six fish out

of a pool in which I had had no rise to a fly. I am

speaking of April, which, in my opinion, is the worst

fly month on the Dee, though there are the most fish.

I have thrice killed sixteen in a day on the Dee, and

one year at Ballater— the last I was there, I think

1S82 — I got 133 fish in the month of April, and

thirty-eight in the first three days, all, or nearly all,

with minnow. I consider that the fact that it has

2 I

242 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

more than doubled bags, has raised the rental value
of the Dee fishings considerably. When told that
it is unsportsmanlike to use it, I reply to my abuser
that if he wishes to be consistent he has no rieht
to use a breechloader, but should adhere to flint and
steel, or the bow and arrow.

" My experience is that it is taken best in a big
clear water and in cold weather. The Malloch reel
has simplihed the casting for beginners ; before that
reel came out, the casting of thirty yards from the
hand was an art not easily acquired, and many gave
it up in disgust in consequence, but any muff can
now fish the minnow tolerably with the Malloch reel.

"There is a general idea that it ruins a pool for
anything else, but that is not at all the case, though
I would not care to lish a pool with either liy or
minnow after prawn or worm. They sometimes take
it well in October, though not to such a certainty as
in spring, for owing to the water being warmer the
fly is taken freely in that month, and when they do
that I prefer it, although one loses many more fish,"

SALMON FISHING. 243

George Whitehead and his eldest son had an extra-
ordinary good day at Glen Tana, in May, 1888, on
the beats above Dinnet Bridge. He writes me : —

" I was on the south side, and my son on the north ;
and at lunch time he had killed nine with the fly,
and I had only seven with the minnow. After that
I got eleven more, and he did not get another — total
twenty-seven for the day. It may interest you to
know that about twenty years ago, while trailing for
pollack, I hooked and landed a salmon of eleven
pounds, and the nearest rivers were the H umber
and the Esk, the former over forty miles off and
the latter over thirty."

Sir William Cunliffe Brooks' famous fisherman,
"Boatie" Stevens, has equalled these performances
with the fly alone, and as an all-round caster of
the fly is the best man I have ever come across,
for he is equally good at overhead and underhand

castmg.

The prawn is fished in much the same way as
the minnow, and the rod that does for the one will

^44 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

serve for all other baits. Swivels should be dis-
pensed with, and the line is weighted according to
the strength and depth of the stream to be fished ;
and by this also the size of the prawn is determined.

There are various prawn tackles in use, but we
prefer two triangles close together, one of which lies
under the head of the prawn and the other a little way
lower down. The hooks should be painted red, which
is done by making a saturated solution of scarlet
sealing-wax, dissolved in spirits of wine. Fine orange
silk should be used to secure the prawn to the tackle,
and if well put on and not seized it will last all day,
and even the next one too. The cast is made rather
more down stream than if using a minnow ; the point
of the rod should be lowered to the water, and no
motion given to the bait till it comes to the end of
the swing ; but then, before drawing it in, the rod
should slowly rise and fall a few times, and it is
often at this moment that a fish will hook.

This is a good summer and low river bait, and will
kill in the brightest sunshine and clearest water ; but

SALMON FISHING. 245

at times we have also done well with it in heavy and
dirty water.

In baiting the prawn tackle, that part of the end
of the needle to w^hich the gut loop is tied should
be tightly lashed to the gut of the hooks, and if
this is done well the bait will never slip up the
needle.

In still, deep pools, where there is hardly any current
and the bottom is smooth, the common boiled shrimp
is often most deadly if used on a small worm hook,
passed in at the throat and brought out at the bend of
the tail, the curl of which will cover the barb. A good-
sized bullet should be placed about two feet above the
shrimp, and all that need be done is to drop it in the
pool and wait events. If nothing happens in a few
minutes, lift it up and pop it in again ten yards lower
down ; in summer and in suitable pools, with plenty of
fish, it is usually a certain if not very skilful way of
getting a few. On the Usk in July and August it was
found to be so deadly that it was abolished on the
Association waters. At the time this was done the

246 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

x'w&v was so low and the weather so hot and bright
that no angler had killed a fish for a fortnight, and in
despair the shrimp was tried, with the result of an
average of half-a-dozen a day to the introducer of
the bait. The Association, having promptly put an
end to this sort of sport, immediately proceeded to net
the pooh on the plea of their being over-stocked, and
report said the, proceeds were sold for the benefit of
the Club funds ! Many members and day ticket-
holders were, however, of opinion that it w^ould have
been fairer to allow the use of baits durine the
months of July and August, than to take the fish
from the river by nets.

Anyone who has once become an enthusiast about
salmon will contrive to pursue his favourite sport in
the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. There is
the well-known case of the late Mr. Fawcett, the
Member for Brighton, who, although rendered totally
blind by a shooting accident, yet remained a keen
fisherman. There was a Mr. Clifford who used to fish
the Usk Association waters very successfully from the

SALMON FISHING. 247

back of a donkey, and the Jerusalem steed learnt his
business so well that he would advance a step at each
cast. On the Dee there was a one-armed fisherman
who did everything for himself, and killed numbers of
salmon. And all these three are instances of how
deep a root the love of the sport can take. It has,
however, still remained for my old friend Captain H.
Shaw Kennedy {he being unable to walk owing to
serious illness) to embark on a new method of making
the best of it ! This spring of 1891, he writes me from
Suisgill Lodge, Kildonan : —

" I don't think many fellows have hooked a fish
fairly casting from a bath chair, and then had thirty
minutes run along the bank over a roughish country
before landing him ; but I cannot walk a yard yet
and am forced to get about in this way, and the
other day I got down to a good pool with smooth,
grassy banks and landed two salmon from my chair.
You would have died of laughing had you been
looking on, as we nearly went into the river two or
three times, apple-cart and all."

24S SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHING.

In taking leave of our fishing friends, we cannot
refrain from indulging in a lament at the falling off in
sport on all Scotch rivers, especially since 1886. We
cannot understand why five such fine rivers as the
Earn, the Deveron, the Findhorn, the Don, and the
North Esk should never be allowed to yield spring
fishing for the rod, for on all these five rivers the
spring angling is not let at any appreciable price, and
to catch a fresh run fish on any of them is quite an
event, and only keepers and a few residents on the
banks try the experiment. Yet at the mouths of each
of these rivers hundreds and hundreds of clean fish are
netted each spring. Those two splendid rivers — the
Tay and the Spey — are not \ery much better off as
regards eariy salmon, and the spring angling on either
is but a half-hearted business, and confined also chiefly
to keepers and gillies. The ancient reputation of these
two rivers will, however, yet tempt a certain number
of anglers to rent fishings on them each season ; but it
is rarely any return for a second dose, and anyone
knowing Speyside and Tayside has only to read the

SALMON FISHING. 249

reports in the Field and the Scotsuian to see that for
one gentleman there are five keepers at work — a fact
which speaks more strongly than anything else of the
wretched sport to be had.

To all these seven rivers there surely must be
upper proprietors, and are they, then, indifferent to
the value of their rod-fishings, or do they stand in
with the man at the nets? It is quite certain if
a fair share of spring fish were allowed to ascend
the first five mentioned rivers, that then a stretch
of two miles of water on a good part of any of
them would be worth from a hundred to two hundred
pounds for the spring angling! The total length of
these five nearly fishless streams is, roughly, two
hundred and fifty miles, and of this there is at least
a hundred miles of right good fishing water, but so
close is the netting that we do not think the united
spring salmon fishings of the whole five lets for three
hundred pounds ! Now, if the same length of spring
fishine could be added to the Dee, the Helmsdale,
the Thurso, or the Garry of Loch Oich, they would

2 K

SHOOTIXG AND SALMON FISHING.

certainly, at the most moderate calculation, realize
five thousand pounds !

The Dee is one of the best spring salmon rivers in
Scotland, and this has been brought about by the

wisdom of the upper proprietors, who, joining together,
have bought the lower nets off the river. We can
remember when first staying with our old friend and
very good angler, the late Mr. Thomas G. Simpson,
at Blackball Castle on the Dee, that the nets used to
work right up to Banchory Bridge, which is some
twenty-two miles from the mouth, and between there
and the railway bridge at Aberdeen, some dozen
others were hard at work. These, by degrees, have all
been bought up, and now no nets exist on the Dee
above the suspension bridge of the granite city.

It is strange a proceeding so practical has not had
more imitators, as the result has been highly beneficial
to the upper proprietors, either in the shape of
increased sport or big rents. Only fancy the Tweed,
the Tay, and the Spey all well stocked with spring
fish, and that, instead of oroina to these rivers in the

SALMON FISHING.

autumn and paying large sums for the privilege of
hauling out numbers of red and gravid fish, that one
could be sure of similar sport in the spring time with
the strong, wild, and desperate-fighting bars of silver
fresh from the sea ! What prices such fisheries would
bring to the lucky owners, and what fun they would
o-ive to those able to pay for them ! Of all Scotch
rivers we consider the Spey is the grandest for the
angler, but in spite of that it is the one of all others
that has gone most hopelessly to the bad, though sad
to say there are plenty but a little way behind it in the
race for annihilation. In addition to excessive netting
and the rough treatment of kelts returning to the sea,
which is telling a tale on all rivers alike, the splendid
Spey has another drawback to contend against in the
incessant par catching carried on by the riparian
population. A right of free trout fishing is claimed,
and as this has never been contested in a superior
court, it is mercilessly exercised, and each village and
farmhouse sends forth anglers in plenty ; most of
them are pleasant-spoken, decent bodies, but among

252 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

SO many it is needless to say there are some black
sheep, men who will glory in stepping into a salmon
pool and fishing it with trout flies right in front of the
salmon angler ; and who, if asked to desist, will be
prolific in abuse and bad language. These are the
rascals who slip on a salmon fly the moment they
think it safe to do so, and should they land a well-
mended kelt, it js sure to be knocked on the head and
hidden till they can return for it at night. In addition,
however, to the man angler, each village sends out
troops of boys to catch par. We think we hear our
readers exclaim : " Oh, no ; that cannot be right, as the
Act of Parliament protects them ; " but, alas, on the
Spey it does nothing of the kind ; it throws its shield
over the smolt only, which is a par in the silver coat
it takes for a few months before going to the sea. The
Act does not even mention the poor par ; and yet
there can be no smolts without par, which stay in
the rivers from two to three years before becoming
smolts. Thus the boys and the girls of the species are
protected, but the defenceless babies in arms may be

SALMON FISHING.

massacred ! Truly, this is a clever and far-seeing Act
of Parliament. The little village urchins, therefore,
catch thousands of par each season, and between
Rothes and Aberlour one can daily see some twenty
to thirty of them all thus busily engaged. That each
lad will easily get a couple of dozen a day may
be taken as certain. We saw one boy with fully
fifteen dozen to his own rod, and as there are two
hundred and ten days in the Spey fishing season,
if but twenty-five lads are out daily and get but
two dozen each, they will take 125,000 par, and
this is on only seven miles of water. Now, if
one par in every two hundred grew into a salmon,
that alone would rob the river of six hundred and
twenty-five fish ; but there are fully (w^e believe a
great deal more) thirty-five miles of the Spey fished
in this abominable and wasteful manner, and thus, if
our calculation is anything near correct, half a million
par are annually killed, and the river robbed of over
three thousand salmon each year. Whether we are
even approaching real fact in supposing it takes two

154 SHOOTIXG AXD SALMON FISHIA'G.

hundred par to make a salmon, there is no possible
means of ascertaining, but it is making a hberal allow-
ance for the chapter of accidents incidental to par
life, for it must not be forgotten they are sweet to
salmon, trout, herons, and gulls ; and in the sea they
doubtlessly have other enemies we know not of.
These boy anglers are of course not very particular,
and should they catch a smolt instead of a par all
go into the basket alike ; and though there are plenty
of water bailiffs on the Spey, we believe we are
correct in stating there has never yet been a pro-
secution on Speyside for smolt catching !

Old fishermen tell us the par of the salmon have
an orange-coloured, adipose fin, the par of the sea
trout a yellow one, and the par of the river trout
a black one. We are not aware if this has ever
been ascertained to be correct ; it is a matter the
large fish hatcheries should be able to set at rest,
but certainly there are the three different coloured,
adipose fins.

The Spey trouters claim their right on the ground

SALMON FISHING.

that it is a navigable river ; that every such river has
a pubHc right of way, and that where such exists
the pubhc have the right of fishing for trout. Now.
the only navigation on the Spey has been in the
shape of rafts going down it, and whether such con-
stitutes a navigable river is a question for the lawyers.
To all ordinary mortals the word "navigable" implies
shipping, or at least boats going both up and down a
river for the purposes of commerce, and all dictionaries
we have searched explain the verb " to navigate " as
" passing by ships or boats." As there are two good
fishings on the Spey, each rented by distinguished
judges, viz., Sir A. L. Smith and Sir Ford North,
we should much like to hear their opinions on the
matter ; but, failing any intimation of their views,
we cannot help thinking if a case were fought in
a superior court that the trouters would lose the
day. The Tay and the Dee are both fully as much
navigable as the Spey, and yet on neither of these
is the rieht claimed. On the latter river the matter
has had the bad luck to be made a political question.

!;6 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

and none of the proprietors seem inclined to move.
The destruction of these numberless par could, how-
ever, be easily prevented, if the Fishery Board would
make a bye-law to the effect that no fish whatsoever
should be taken from the river that was not eight
inches long.

We do not think the trouters would lose much if
even a case ^t law went against them, for none of
those who are well behaved would be denied per-
mission, although it would enable the proprietors to
put a check on the offensive and poaching members
of the fraternity.

The Countess of Seafield, the Duke of Richmond,
and Sir George Macpherson Grant of Ballindalloch,
virtually own the bulk of the salmon rod-fishings of
the Spey, and if they jointly so willed, it is certain
they could devise some method of restoring the lost
prestige to this magnificent river. In our humble
opinion, the only thorough way to meet the present
system of close and scientific netting on any river
is to lengthen the weekly close time. Many people

SALMON FISHING. 257

imagine a salmon becomes a sort of aqueous race-
horse the moment he leaves the salt water, and
ceases not to wag fins and tail till he is a long way
up the river. As a matter of fact, nothing of the
kind takes place, and in cold spring weather his
progress in fresh water is decidedly slow, and it is
doubtful if he travels more than seven or eig-ht
miles in the twenty-four hours.

Such being the case, a net ten miles above the
mouth of a river has practically no close time at
all, for the fish entering on Sunday are still below
that net on Monday at six o'clock a.m., and are
sure to be stopped by it.

There is no doubt the poor kelts are very roughly
treated by many of the net men ; of necessity they
must be caught several times a day, and we have
it from eye-witnesses they are often flung or kicked
back to the water with violence, and during the
night netting many well-mended ones are knocked
on the head for clean fish.

Now, an animal or a bird that had been caught

2 L

V
258 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING.

several times and roughly handled would certainl)'
not revisit the scene of torture, and it is quite
possible kelts may be imbued with a similar instinct,
and so fight shy of returning to their rivers until
driven to do so by the laws of Nature ; and keepers
have told us that of late years the autumn fish have
not appeared as early as usual, but have arrived in
November and commenced spawning operations at
once. It is possible that this may be one of the
many causes which has made the autumn fishings of
the last few seasons so very poor.

The whole question between upper and lower
proprietors has always been a vexed one, and is
likely to remain so. For the last five years the latter
have had things pretty much their own way, and the
only hope for the angler appears to be the somewhat
forlorn one, that excessive netting may kill the goose
that la\s the eolden eesfs. We believe, that if an
extra twenty-four hours close time was made law,
that as soon as it had had time to bear fruit, the
netsmen would catch as much and even more in the

SALMON FISHIXG. 259

five days than they now do in the six. Our views
have been spoken plainly, and probably they are not
worth much, but if we have in our love for sport
unwittingly trodden on anyone's toes, we humbly ask
forgiveness. Every year seems to throw more light
on the habits of the salmon, but we are yet fully con-
vinced our interest is reciprocated, and that they know
more about us than we know about them, and that
year by year they become more alive to the flash of
the rod, the shine of the gaff, and the glitter of the
lure.

The end of our amusement is now at hand, and
we will but wish our readers more thirty-pounders
and more tight lines in the spring-time than have
been frequent of late years ; and if these pages have
helped anyone to get better sport, or while away a
little spare time, their object will have been fully
answered.

THE END.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES A\D SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

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