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YOUNG SPORTSMAN'S MANUAL;

OE,

RECREATIONS IN SHOOTING.

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF

THE GAME OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS ;

PKACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF
THE DOG AND GUN.

By CKAVEN.

With Sixty-two Embellishments, Engraved on Wood by Frederick W. Branston,
from Original Drawings by William Harvey.

SecontJ lEDition.

LONDON :
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 186 STRAND.

MDCCCXLIX.

ADVEETISEMEls^T.

The following pages are meant literally "to teach the young
idea how to shoot,'" and to set forth a popular sport in the
character of a rational rural recreation. Ko such work had yet
been written. Colonel Hawker, indeed, calls his amusing and
thoroughly practical volume, " Instructions to Young Sports-
men;" but as a class book, it is only suited to a school for
grown children. A youth ambitious of the Scottish moors, or
to essay his devoir among the pheasants and partridges, cares
as little about " a self-acting machine for turning the insides
of gun-barrels," as for the internal economy of a self-acting
piano, or a barrel-organ. We have, therefore, in this our
Manual for the young shooter, eschewed all allusion to the
haberdashery of his pastime ; and, supposing him equipped as
befits liis purpose, have taken him abroad to "flood and field,"
introduced him to their boon populace, and — bade him good
speed !

CONTENTS.

TxTRODUcTORV CHAPTiiu, — Spoiling instinct — Early yearning of ihr
' young idea" alter the lore which teaches " how to s/iooi"— Improved
character of the pursuit of Field Sports — The general de.^ign of
this work — Brief notices of the materials used in Shooting — Gun-
makers — Purveyors of gunpowder — Charges of powder and shot —
Shot — Wadding — Percussion caps — Directions for the management
of detonating guns from page v to xx

CiiAPTKR I. — Deer Stalking — Highland districts celebrated for this
sport — Weather suited to it — How best to stalk herds and single
Deer — Deer driving — The Deer rifle — Telescope — Hounds— IS' at u-
ral History of the Red Deer — A word about Stag Hunting — 'I'he
Fallow Deer — The f niily of Deer in IreLmd— Earl of Marr's
Deer Hunt from pa.i^e J to 2(»

Chapter H. — Grouse Shooting — lis characteristics — Scodand the
chief district for this sport — Its system of shooting " (juarters "
craves wary tenants — Period of commencement — How and when
to begin — How to carry on the war — Scene of operation — Neces-
sity for earnest exertion — Dogs for the Moors — Their jjcheral
management — Natural History of the Red Grouse

from page 21 to 35

via CONTENTS.

Chapter lil — Cupercalzie Shooting — An Imperial Sport — Intro-
duction (of late years) of the Ca])ercalzie into this country — Slaying
the Capercalzie in S^veden — Mr. Brehm's plan — Natural History
of the Wood Grouse, or Capercalzie .... from page 36 to io

Chapter IV. — Black Cock Shooting — The Black Grouse, a bird easy
of approach at one season of the year, and equally difficult at
another — Its pugnacious propensities — Hints for young hands to
become handy at this sport — How old hands, poachers, treat it as
a business — Natural History of the Black Grouse from page 46 to 57

Setters. — The principal family of Dogs used for the -purposes of
Shooting — Their peculiarities — Mr. Lang, the gunmaker's, theory
and practice of Setting Dogs — His Russian breed — The management
of Shooting Dogs in kennel from page 57 to 66

Chapter V. — Partridge Shooting — Period of commencement — How
to set about this pastime — General rules for its pursuit — Colonel
Hawker anent the same — Natural Histoiy of the British and Red-
legged, or French, Partridge from page 67 to 80

Chapter VI. — Pheasant Shooting — When to begin and how to con-
tinue it — Ancient fashion and modern style of chasing this most
splendid of game birds — Natural History of the Common Pheasant
and its varieties from page SI to 90

Chapter VII. — Ptai-migan Shooting — An introductory notice of that
remote residenced member of the Grouse family, the Ptarmigan —
How to sport for it according to the receipt of Mr. Colquhomi, of
Lnss — How le jeu ne vaui pas la cha)idelle — Natural Histoiy of
the White Ptarmigan, or White Grouse; and several other varieties
of the species from page 91 to 101

CONTENTS. IX

The Retriever. — Notice of this field servant-of-all-work — \ slight
biography of Venom, the property of the Author, one of the worthies
of this cosmopolite family from page 102 to 105

Chapter VIII. — Quail Shooting — The Quail a bird of passage —
Partial to Ireland — Once common to our cockney Isle of Thanet —
Growng more scarce every year — Daniel's social sketch of this
migrate not much to its credit — Natural History of the Common
Quail from page 106 to 112

Chapter IX. — Bustard Shooting — A reminiscence of the amusement
— No more leviathan gunnery of that sort to be had — Foi-mer
fashion of its economy — A rich episode touching the circumvention
of a Bustard — Natural History of the Great and Little Bustard

from page 113 to 117

Chapter X. — Hare Shooting — Vast quantities of Hares found in
closely preserved districts — Their favourite resorts — How best to
shoot them — A touch of the philosophical — Property of speed in
the Hare — Natural History of the Hare ; its Domestic History
also from page 118 to 127

Chapter XI. — Rabbit Shooting — Various ways of enjoying this pas-
time— Some accoimt of the best — Time best adapted for approach-
ing the Rabbit — Ditto, Place — Most suitable methods for -shooting
him — These are many, and therefore every one may please his fancy
— and his taste, with luck and onion sauce . . from page 128 to 131

The Ferret. — Ferreting — How the animal and the amusement were
wont to be used, and abused, in former days — Season for Ferreting,
and improved mode of treating the Fen-et — Management of Ferrets
— General remarks upon them, in reference to cur Recreations
particularly from page 132 to 135

X CONTENTS.

The Rabbit.— The olden British Rabbit of English Auiliors— Its
Natural History and peculiarities . . . from page 136 to 138

The Pointer. — The Natural History of this species of Shooting Dog-
How to select the best specimens — How to test their quahty — How
to treat them when you have got them . . . from page 139 to 143

Chapter XII. — Pigeon Shooting — The Author's apology for its intro.
duction to the Reader — Where to go about it^ and how, if he will —
This, of course, relates to Dove practice for wagers, or fun ; if fun,
such may be Wild or Woodpigeon Shooting — Its season and
fashion of achievement — Natural History of the Woodpigeon, or
Ringdove of British Authors, and different varieties of the family

from page 144 to 1.55

Terriers. — General remarks upon these familiar four-footed friends — A
spice of their peculiarities — Instinct and the like

from page loo to 159

Chapter XIII. — Woodcock Shooting — "the fox-himting of the trig-
ger " — Where to find, or, at all events, where to look for the " Cock "
— How to compass him when discovered — Colonel Hawker on
these matters — Capital Cocking in Ireland — Natural History of
the Woodcock, with a word about some of its varieties, and other
matters from page 1 60 to 1 72

Chapter XIV — Snipe Shooting — Your Snipe, like your Cock, is a
bird of passage — The sport of slaying him not common on a satis-
factory scale in many counties of England — How to set about it —
With what dogs, and other devices — Nice field practice for young
gunners — Natural History of the Common Snipe, Great Solitary
ditto — and a Variety from page 173 to 182

Shooting the Jack Snipe. — A few hints on this subject, with a brief
Natural History of this queer sample of Sporting Ornithology

from page 183 to 186

CONTENTS. XI

The Newfoundland Dog. — A succinct biography of this species, with
notices of its philanthropy, compiled from remote and modern
instances — How useful to the Sportsman — Wherefore an object of
interest to man, whatever his calling or pursuit — Also a word about
the Pheasant Spaniel, or Springer from page 186 to 196

Chapter XV. — Birds which are not "Game" — The Ust commences
with the Bittern, and thence proceeds to —

Shooting the Heron — Reasons and directions for so doing — To which
are added the Natural Histories of Bitterns and Herons

from page 197 to 208

Chapter XVI. — Shooting the Knot — the Land and Water Rails —
the Godwit — the Golden Plover — the Grej^ Plover — the lapwing
and the Long-legged Plover — together with the Natural History
of each from page 209 to 235

Chapter XVII. — Shooting the Dotterel — the Ruff and Reeve — the
Grebe — the Curlew — the Coot — the Oxbird — the Redwing—
the Fieldfare — and the Lark — With items of the Natural History
of each, and a few words about Waterhens. This and preceding
chapter relate to little more than the matter in their respective
catalogue ; the act of sporting such " small deer " being no matter
of science, and scarce an affair of skill . . . from page 236 to 269

The Water Spaniel— And his Natural History . from page 270 to 275

Chapter XVIII. — Wild Fowl Shooting — Why this may be called
the " poetry of sport" — Directions for slaying the " Songster of the
Waters"— Colonel Hawker circumventing the " Syrens of Shooting"
— Mr. Colquhoun ditto — Natural History of the Wild Swan

from page 276 to 284

XU CONTENTS.

Wild Goose Shooting — How followed on the Hampshire coast — Canoe
cannonading — Inland " Gooseing " in England and Sc itland —
Natural History of the Wild Goose, and its varieties

from page 284 to 287

Wild Duck, Widgeon, and Teal Shooting — Directions for these Sports
generally, especially in running waters — Battue Shooting afloat —
Natural Histories of the species, and their varieties — Our farewell
gun from page 287 to 307

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS,

FROM ORIGINAF, DRAWINGS BY WILI-IiM HARVEV; ENGRAVED ON
WOOD BY FREDERICK BRANSTON.

-oo-D^-^^-^-x;

OPORTSllEN ivKFKESHl?

>u — riuiiu

^[Jieuc

Pass

Deer Stalking

1

Deer Hounds .

1

The Red Deer

8

The Fallow Deer

15

Grouse Shooting

21

Red Grouse

31

The Capercalzie

40

The Black Grouse

50

The Grey Hen

o4

The Setters

61

Partridge Shooting

e?

The Partridge

73

The Red-legged Partridge

78

Pheasant Shooting

80

The Pheasant

8o

White Grouse, or Ptarmigan

96

A Retriever

104

The Quail

110

The Bustard

lU

The Little Bustard

117

The Hare

118

Rabbit Shooting

128

The Ferret

132

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

ND Dog

The Rabbit

The Pointer

The Woodpigeon

The Blxte-rock

The Stockdove

The Terrier

Woodcdck Shooting

The Woodcock

The Snipe

The Jack Snipe

Spaniel and Newfoi

The Bittern

The Heron

The Knot

The Land Rail

The Water Rail

The Godwit

The Green Plover

The Golden Plover

The Long-legged Plover

Thk Dotterel

The Ringed Dottere

The Ruff

The Reeve

The Grebe

The Common CuiiLEW

The Bald Coot

The Fieldfare

The Water-Hen

The Wild Swan

Wild Duck Shooting

The Grey Lag Goose

The Canadian Goose

The Wild Duck

The Widgeon .

The Sheldrake, or Burrough

The Teal .

Tail-Piece

Due

l^TRODUCTOKY CHAPTER.

" Thus much may serve by way of proem." — Swift.

From what source springs that human instinct
which, for the want of a better term, we call a
taste for Sporting? Is it because while life is
epicene — vibrating between petticoats and trow-
sers — the child is delivered over to Mature, that
we find the boy ever contriving means for the
circumvention of the denizens of "flood and field?"
Seek him even in innermost Cockaigne, where,
in strange apparel, under the denomination of a
Blue-coat scholar, his piscatory exjierience has
been haply confined to Burgess's essence of
anchovies, his practical ornithology to the study
of the sparrow on the house-toj) — mark the youth,
we say, in circumstances which shall have limited
his familiarity with tlie creatures of the waters to

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

pickled salmon and Yarmouth bloaters — his in-
tercom'se with game, to an autumnal brace of
birds and bread sauce, — and you discover him
shaping a pin into the '"weak invention" of a hook,
or, armed with a j)op-gun, giving token of the
spirit which j^resently shall move him up to the
blue Highlands and the 2:)urj)le Moors,

" Wliere the hunter of deer, and the warrior, trode
To his hills, that encircle the sea."

The pastimes of stream and woodland, cham-
pain and valley, are the characteristic exercises
of many of the noblest properties of man's nature.
They call into exertion courage, perseverance,
sagacity, strength, activity, caution : they are the
wholesome machinery of excitement: of hope
and fear, joy and sorrow, regret and rejoicing :
they are at once the aj)petite and the food of
manhood. The j^rogress of science and civiliza-
tion has taken from the pursuit of field sports
many of the natural and moral ills to which they
were once exj^osed. Instead of being antagonist
meanings, the sportsman and the gentleman are
become synonymous terms. It is an excellent
thing that the youth of England may now adopt
the hale bold pastimes, which have ever been

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

peculiar to their country, without prejudice to
their manners or morals : it is pleasant that they
can do so, " with all appliances and means to
boot," which their requirements or convenience
can stand in need of. The following pages, ad-
dressed particularly to this class, are designed, witL
the view to advance still further the social and
liberal character of rural sports. Not only do they
aspire " to teach the young idea how to shoot ;"
but to afford it familar introduction to the his-
tory, genealogy, and idiosyncrasy of the tribes
with which it may come in contact. Humble as
the claims of their author ujDon the reader may
be, they will escape utter repudiation, for sake of
the spirit in which they were written : small as
his hopes are of reaching the point of his
ambition, the manner of his work essays to
realise the principle, which he has made his
maxim in its construction,

" Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci."

The natural history of the game of the British
Islands — in an illustrated form — is an under-
tcxking in keeping with the spirit of the day. It
provides for the prevailing taste for embellished
works in an especial degree, because the feeblest

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

efforts of description are those which attemj)t to
convey correct ideas of persons or things. We
ai'e not, indeed, without books, wdiich help us to
portraits, as well as the natural history of our
social /erce — so to call modern game; but there
does not exist a volume confined to the subject,
or which professes to deal with it alone and com-
pletely. We cannot comj^lain of any scarcity of
sporting literature ; but the young disciple of the
trigger, the youth who would know how to comport
and enjoy himself on moor or stubble, in cover or
canoe, is unj)rovided with a Hand-book. Colonel
Hawker has certainly written eight editions of "In
structions for Young Sj^ortsmen ;" but, like other
devices of instruction, they seem more fitted for a
task than a recreation. His amusement of wild
fowl shooting, superficially appears as little like
fun as anything that can be imagined. According
to the gallant Colonel's account, it is necessary
for the performer to wrap himself up in a cere-
cloth, like an Egyptian mummy, to avoid being
•'ruined with the frequent mixtm^e of salt water,
blocd, mud, and gunpowder!" The young
sportsman is thus advertised as to the preparation
of his holyday suit : " Make with Russia-duck,
a loose, over- all frock-coat, and a hood, or a cap

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

with a flap behind, similar to a coal-heaver's hat,
and dress them as follows : — Take three quarts
of linseed oil, and boil them till reduced to two
quarts and a half, the doing which will require
about three hours, and when the oil is sufficiently
boiled, it will burn a feather. The addition of
some Indian rubber was suggested to me, but of
this I did not make a trial, because the dressing
answered so well without it. When the oil is
quite cold, take a clean paint brush, and well
work it into the outside of the whole apparel, and
it will soon find its way to the inside. Let the
apparel then be put out in the air every diy day
for a fortnight or three weeks ; and, at the expi-
ration of that time, provided the oil on it be
thoroughly dry, take the remainder of your pre-
pared oil, and give it the second coat. — N.B. Let
the person who boils the oil, &c., beware of getting
burnt, and let him do it out of doors, or he mif/ht
run a risk of sett hi g your house on fire ; add to
this, the smell of it, tvhen hoilijig, is a great
nuisance." O ! ingenuous youth ! what think ye
of dressing thus for a pleasure party ?

Before our neophyte enters on his pleasant
craft, it will be convenient to fiirnish him with
fitting materials. Chiefest of these, are his dog

INIRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

and his gun. Elsewhere he will find hints how
best to supply himself with the former : we will
here address ourself to counsel him touching the
latter, and its necessaiy appurtenances. For your
gun — of course a double-barrel percussion — go to
the best artist in such articles within compass of
your pocket. Leave to him all matters of finish
— all quality of the instrument — and, as regards
choice, adopt to the letter the advice of Horace
to the youth about to rush into verse : —

"Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, equam
Viribus : et versate din, quid ferre recusent,
Quid valeant humeri.''

The great names in the Metropolitan gun trade
are those of Manton, Egg, Moore, Nock, Smith,
Purdey, Westley Eichards — represented by his
agent. Bishop, of Bond Street, — and last, but
certainly not least, in our good opinion, Joseph
Lang, of the Haymarket :

" Cum multis aliis quos nunc," &c.

Comparisons are proverbially odious, and we
therefore eschew them, merely remarking, that
not being hard to jolease, we should be content
to have our ^\ickecl will in the preserves of
Holkham or Henham, with the best double de-
tonator any one of these might turn out.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

Being supplied with a gun, we next come to
advise our young sportsman upon his supply of
powder : the vital principle of shooting. If ori-
ginally of a good quality, this agent will last
unimpaired for a very great length of time— always
premising that its being kept perfectly dry is a
sine quanon. If once allowed to become damp,
your powder can never be restored to its first
excellence ; as moisture dissolves, more or less,
the materials which give it strength. Even the
air has a tendency to produce, or, at all events,
quickly to instil, damp into saltpetre ; therefore,
to preserve your powder, in all its original proper-
ties, keep it hermetically sealed in tin cases,
which axe infinitely the best. A great deal has
lately been wTitten upon the granulation of gun-
powder, and other subtilties of this composition ;
but, for all ordinary sporting purposes, get the
best quality of any recognised manufacturer, and
you may be sure of an article suitable to all your
wants: Curtis and Harvey ; Pigou and Co. — Try
their wares, and if your piece do n't carry straight,
be sure the fault is not in the propelhng principle.
Much diversity of opinion prevails as to the
best general charge for a gun— to our thinking,
there can be no rule for any such thing. Eirst
b2

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

subject it to a patient seiies of trials at a target;
and, having accurately proved the heaviest charge
it will carry, with the best effect — shooting close
and true— adopt that as your loading. Some
years ago the correct proportions were declared
to be, an equal measure of powder and shot;
wjiile some of the great professors, in their pigeon
matches, used only four drams of powxler to two
ounces of shot — No. 4. Where game does
not abound, we would recommend the use of
heavy charges; because when a bird is hit, it is
hit hard : in preserves, less ammunition will do.
It must always be borne in mind, that the heavier
the charge, the more quickly a barrel becomes foul.
As a principle, let the substance of the wad-
ding be regulated by the bore of the gun. Let
it also be elastic, and of a texture sufficiently
solid to resist the blast of the powder. The
article of w^adding is sold everywhere that powder
and shot are to be had ; and the great gun manu-
facturers have fitting contrivances of the sort, in
vast varieties. But there is not one of them
better than felt for large, and strong pasteboard
for small, bores. Keep these as dry as your
powder ; and ram yom- wadding, whatever it may
be made of, well down upon both your powder and

INTRODUCTORY CHAPrtR.

your shot. Before ramming it home over the
latter, give yom' gmi a gentle blow upon the
groand, to make the shot he even. The sooner
you re- load after firing the better : do it always
while the barrel is still warm. Of course, the last
thing you will do in loading is, to put on the caps.
It will not be enough that the charger of
your powder-flask has been accm'ately adjusted
to the measure of your charge, for you must take
care it is also fairly filled. To do this, place
your finger upon the top of it sufiiciently firm to
prevent the powder from spilling, but not so as
to force it into the charger ; then turn your flask
upside down, give it a shake, and you will have
your just complement.

The size of shot is another fertile subject of
discussion among sportsmen. Some have gone
so far, in then- desire to settle the question, as to
have pigeons plucked for the purpose of ascer-
taining to what extent feathers affect the pene-
tration of shot. Without leading om* student
into refinements of theory as abstruse as this
unpleasant process of plucking — word untuneful
to a student's ear — we venture to propound, for
his acceptance, the fruit of our personal expe-
rience. In countries where game may be ap-

INTRODUCTORY CHATTER.

proachecl within reasonable distance, let him load
the right barrel with No. 6, and the left with
No. 4 : the latter to come to the rescue after a
miss with the first; as, of course, heavy shot kills
at longer distances than light. Should he prefer
shot of one size, then let him use No. 5. Per-
haps it may be as well not to confuse his practice
by projectiles of various sorts : and a good
authority declares, that for a shooter who goes
out for his morning's recreation, to shoot game
at fair sj^orting distances only, like a gentleman,
without any regard to destroying everything he
shoots at, this is the best and most sportsman-
like plan ; shot of this medium size being
adapted to all seasons, and to all sorts of game,
except snipes. Some shooters mix their shot;
which certainly is not to be recommended.

As it is assumed that the gun used by the
young sportsman is a detonator, we will add a
word as to the choice and proof of the percussion
cap, Avhich will fill uj) the catalogue of his field
necessaries; and conclude with a set of rules,
constructed, for the management of his shooting
equipage, by the celebrated gunmaker, Purdey.
Let your stock of caps be of the best quality : to
test their composition, and ascertain whether

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

they contain any fulminating mercury — a m(3st
dangerous ingredient, vv^hich causes them to ex-
plode with great violence — throw a few into the
fire. If they then explode with a loud report,
reject them as unfit for use. Excellent caps,
however, may he counted on by those who deal,
for theh shooting apparatus, with established
houses, and tradesmen of character.

DIRECTIONS FOR PERSONS USING DETON ACTING
GUNS.

Load with the cocks down. When ramming down
shot, observe the distance the end of the brass worm
is from the muzzle of the barrel, to prevent over-
charging. Always ram down hard.

Prime the last thing ; otherwise, in ramming
down the wadding, the powder will be driven into
the caps, and become so firmly compressed as to
destroy their effect.

Should the caps be put on by mistake prior to
loading, force them off with a turnscrew, and replace
them with new ones.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

Never put the cocks do^vii upon the caps when
the gun is loaded, as it compresses and spoils the
detonating powder, and is very dangerous; the cock
being liable to be lifted up, by catching hold of any
substance, and then falling, will explode the gun ;
but if left at half-cock, it cannot possibly haj)pen.

Keep the copper caps dry; if exposed to the fire
for a few minutes, when required for use, in damp
weather, they will never fail. Take care that no oil
or grease get to them.

The caps made with the purified detonating pow-
der should always be used in preference to those
which are made with fulminating mercury, and called
" anti-corrosive." This powder is dangerous, as it
inflames with a very slight pressure, and detonates
with such extreme violence as frequently to burst
the shields of the cocks, and split the pegs, and
wear them out in a quarter of the time the other
does : it is likemse very foul, and will not keep.
It also injures the inside of the barrels and
breeches.

From the peculiar construction of detonating locks,
they should not be snapped either with or without the
copper caps, but in the act of shooting. When the
gun is loaded, the flash from the detonating powder
never enters the inside of the barrel ; but if snapped
upon the caps, Avhen the gun is unloaded, it diives the
detonating gas into the barrels, which creates nist;
and if done without the caps, the works are liable to
be injured, by reason of the cocks meeting no resist-
ance in their fall, as in flint locks.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

The detonating pegs will last a season's hard shoot-
ing, but shoidd by no means be used after the holes
are worn large by repeated firing ; as it will weaken
the force of the gun, and damage the locks.

DIRECTIONS FOR TAKING LOCKS TO PIECES, AND
PUTTING THEM TOGETHER AGAIN.

[Be careful not to mix the screws.]

Let down the cock.

Cramp the main-spring sufficiently to remove it.

Take off the bridle.

Press scear against scear-spring with the fore-
finger and thumb of the left or right hand, according
as the lock may be a left or a right side one ; and
ha\'ing, with the fore-finger of the other hand, pushed
back the cock as far as it will go, let the scear-spring
go back gently, wdien the pivot of the sceai' is easily
lifted out of the hole, and the scear taken out.

Turn out the scear-spring screw, and take out the
spring.

Unscrew and take off the cock.

Take out the tumbler.

To put them together again, put in tumbler, and
screw on cock, so as to be down.

Put cock rather backwards, and screw on scear-
spring.

INTROUUCIORY CHAPTER.

Push cock as far back as it will go : put pivot of
scear into its proper hole ; and then taking hold of
scear with the thumb, and of the top of the cock
with the fore-linger of the right hand, if a right-hand
lock (and vice versa if a left), compress the spring, and
move the cock forwards and down.

Push forward the swivel, so that it may not inter-
fere with the screw, and drawing the cock a little for-
wards, slip the two holes in the bridle upon the heads
of the scear and tumbler pivot, and screw on the
bridle.

Ha\ing let down the cock, and pushed forward
the swivel as far as it will go, cramp the main-spring,
hook the end of it on the swivel, move it up into its
place on the lock-plate, and unscrew the cramp.

These directions vdll be found of service in the
ordinary arrangements and details of shooting gear.
The process of washing, drying, and preparing the
gim for use is too familiar to need a place in the
hand-book of the veriest tyro in rural sports.

tV^ '

■,W CHIPTEK J.

DEER-STALKING.

Non cunis homini contmgit adite Connthum '

' "It is not every man's luck," g
says Horace, "to go to ^y}l
Corinth:" in like manner only
,here and there a sportsman J
] has the fortune to try his
hand at deer-stalking-

2 DEEE-STALKING.

to taste the highest flavour of shooting kno"\Mi to
the British islands. But that is no reason the cim-
nmg of the noble pastime should not he set before
him. On the contraiy, because his opportunities
of indulging in it — if, indeed, he ever have any —
"will most certainly be " few and far between," the
best means of insuring success, should the chance
occur, ought to be made available to him. Details of
its Stirling scenes and associations, the economy of
its perilous pleasure, while exciting his interest, will
ser\^e to tell how stags were won — and, it may be,
enable him to do so likewise : to this we address
ourselves.

The sport of deer-stalking, as pursued in Great
Britain, is followed only in certain portions of the
Scottish Highlands ; for though stags are shot in the
royal chases in England, as well as in private parks,
the method of doing so is far from sporting, and the
practice confined to game-keepers. The principal
districts where stalking is enjoyed are Athol Forest,
the Sutherland Forests, the Forest of Marr, the
Forest of Conichbach, Lord Lovat's Ross-shire haimts,
Glenfiddich and Gaick in the county of the Gordon,
Glenartney, besides others of less note. The former
of these, Mr. Scrope states, contains an area of one
hundred thousand acres, and is upwards of forty
miles in length : it has, however, only recently been
devoted to the rearing and preserving of red deer.
The Sutherland Forests are fifty miles long, and
embrace some of the -wildest scenery of Scotland. It

DEER-STALKING. 6

was in these wilds, according to the same authority,
that the last of the British wolves surrendered the
ghost. The Forest of Marr is remarkable for the
attempt made by its proprietor, the Earl of Fife, to
introduce the mid boar into the catalogue of British
game. He turned out several of these savage porkers,
but it is supposed they departed this life from the
want of acorns.

Extensive, however, as the stalking grounds are,
they belong to a few great proprietors, who limit their
pei-mission to share with them the royal sport to a
few great men. Only two individuals so favoured
have left us any record of their proceedings, — these
are Mr. Scrope, already referred to, and JMr. John
Colquhoun, of Luss. The latter gentleman is quite an
enthusiast in all relating to the wild pastimes of his
momitain home, and writes of deer-stalkuag not only
as a thoroughly practical hand at it, but as one well
sldlled in the fashion in which those about entering
on the campaign should take the field.

'.' The most propitious day for this sport," he says,
" is a cloudy one, with blinks of sunshine ; exactly
such as you would choose for fishing. When the sky
is cloudless, and the smi veiy dazzling, the herd are
apt to see you at a great distance, and take alarm.
High and changing wind is always veiy bad, as it
keeps them moving about in a wild and uneasy state.
In such weather it is better, if possible, to wait till it
settles a little, and take advantage of the first calm.
If the breeze be light they will not move much, but

4 DEEE-STALKING.

a Strong, steady wind, lasting for some days, will
always make the deer change their gromid, by facing
it often for miles. Mist is the worst of all, for the
deer are pretty sure to see you before you see them.
Always advance on deer from above, as they are much
less apt to look up than down a hill. If possible have
the sun at your back and in their face : with this ad-
vantage you may even venture to approach them from
below. Birds, on the contrary, always look up, and
it is best to stalk them from the lower gromid. If it
is a quiet spot, even if the sun is at your back, wait
for a clear blink before making your near approach.
Of com'se every one knows that it is out of the ques-
tion, mider any circumstances, to attempt advancing
on deer miless the wmd be favourable; so all other
directions are subject to this.

" In corries and hollows it is quite impossible to
know how the wind will blow upon a particidar point,
unless you have marked eveiy change of wind upon
every point of the corrie. After deer have been
stalked and shot at, they become much wilder; the
best sport with the old harts is therefore obtained at
the beginning of the season. They generally keep
together, and when their stately mien and branching
antlers are seen in the distance, it is enough to in-
spirit the most apathetic : but when told to cock his
double-barrelled rifle, I could well excuse a no\dce for
being scarcely able to obey. When there are hinds
in the herd, they often present themselves between
you and the unsuspecting harts ; but even shoidd

DEER-STALKING. 0

tliey be at a distance, great caution is necessary, as
if one hind gets a glimpse of the crouching enemy,
the whole herd, stags and all, are sure to scamper
away, amidst the bitter execrations of the forester
upon its hornless head.

" The next best time for a shot at a fine old stag,
after they have become wild, is about the beginning
of October, wiien each lot of hinds is sure to contain
a good hart. The chances may then not often be so
good, but, from the stags being dispersed, there are
more of them. If deer are feeding forward, it re-
quires very nice calculation, when at a distance, to
know the point they will arrive at by the time you
have neared them, especially as a gust of wand or a
shower of rain ^^ill quicken their motions. But if the
stalker is not far from the herd, which is feeding up
to his place of concealment with a favourable wind,
he should not grudge waiting ; for, by sending round
drivers to the windward of the deer, they are often
apt to turn and face them. I can't say that driving,
under any circumstances, gives half the pleasure that
stalking does : for my own part, I would rather kill
one stalked hart than several driven.

"Driving, however, upon a large scale, has a most
imposing effect ; and although it cannot be otherwise
than injurious to a forest, yet the exhilarating nature
of the whole proceedings, in which so many friends
may join, often makes the proprietor overlook the
consternation and panic it creates among the wild
and timid herd. Some part of the forest is selected

a2

6 DEEE-STALKING.

to which the deer are to be driven : a great number
of hill men and shepherds, who thoroughly under-
stand what they are about, are then sent to the
farthest extremity to bring all the deer they can col-
lect to this spot : the passes, of course, being well
known, are occupied by the sportsmen with their
rifles. The drivers sometimes hallooing, and some-
times giving their mnd, gradually contract their
circle, the deer are huddled together, and finding the
only clear ground in the direction of the rifles, slowly
and cautiously take their doomed way. There is often
great difficulty in driving them, as they are always
obliged to go with the wind, which their natural
instinct of self-preservation makes them very miwill-
ing to do, and, if they possibly can, they always
face it."

The implements of the deer-stalker are his rifle,
his telescope, and his homids. Of these latter, Mr.
Colquhoun says, that Lord Breadalbane has a very
superior kennel. They are for the most part a breed
between the foxliomid and greyhound, but some are
between the deerhound and foxhound. The former
are reckoned the best winded. His lordship's forester
sets great store by them, and tells you that when
choosing a cold, that is, an unwounded hart, in com-
pany with hinds, they are so knowing, that should the
hart give them the slip at a burn or mountain
stream, and run down it, they stop their pursuit of
the hinds, recover his track, and hold him at bay all
night, should no one come to their relief. That no

DEEE-STALKINa. Y

inferior animal should attend the deer-stalker may be
inferred from the fact, that a stag, with his fore leg
broken will often beat the fleetest greyhounds. A
very singular result of the hind leg of a hart being
broken is, that, in mnning he is almost certain to
fracture the other: whether from the additional
weight thrown upon it, or some other cause seems not
to be Imown. Red deer are as cimning as foxes, and
as game. In illustration of their cunning, they have
been observed to keep a dog at bay till he exhausted
himself with barking, and then, waiting till he had
lapped his fill of water, they bolted away refreshed
and rested, and soon left their pursuer beliind. It
should be borne in mind, that deer are powerless in
the water.

The all-important agent, however, of such as have
the good fortune to take their pleasure among the
Scottish wilds in pursuit of the good dun-deer, is the
rifle. This description of fowling-piece, if it may be
so called, or more properly, sportmg-piece, has, like
everything in gunnery, undergone great improvement
within the last twenty years. It is now frequently
two-grooved ; though it has been urged against this
plan, that the extreme rotatory impulse given to a
ball by a whole spiral turn in the grooves of the
barrel, occasions a sacrifice of velocity, and conse-
quently of range. The ball, by this mode of grooving,
is made to revolve two or three times as often as,
imder the percussion principle, is found to be quite
sufficient for projecting the plain spherical ball with

DEER-STALKING.

accuracy and effect. With the common sort of rifle,
the best size for red-deer shooting mil be fomid that
which carries an ounce ball. The length of the barrel
should be from two feet four to two feet six inches.

THE RED DEER.

DEEK-STALKING. 9

The red deer [Cervus Eleijhas) is also known as
the hart and the stag. The height of the British
stag is somewhere about four feet ; and he arrives at
great weight in some localities : in the Duke of
Athol's quarters it is asserted that stags have been
shot which weighed upwards of thirty stone. At
Woburn, we are told, they have reached thirty-four
stone ; while the predecessor of the present Glen-
garry is said to have lulled one wliich, after the offal
was removed, weighed thirty-six stone.

The stag royal is the chieftain of the wild.
There was a tame one once kept at a shooting-lodge
of Lord Breadalbane's, wliich attacked all who came
near it, except the foresters, and at last was removed
to the park, at Taymouth. He became so savage and
expert with his antlers, that Mr. Colquhomi was
informed he had killed two horses, and that no one
dared to pass his haunt miless he knew them. The
red deer is fond of water, to which he has recourse as
well for pleasure, as for protection when pressed by
hounds. "We passed, during the day," writes a
highland stalker, " several forest-baths in full use —
that is, moss-holes, where the stags plunge up to the
neck, and roll about to cool themselves, in summer
and autumn. When they come out again, black as
pitch, they look like the evil genii of the mountain.
In former times, poachers used to fasten spears, with
the points upwards, in these places, and when the
stag threw himself into the hole, he became impaled."

The full-grown harts, both male and female,

10 DEER-STALKING.

during the summer season, have back, flanks, and
thighs of a yellowish brown, with a row of pale yellow
spots on the sides, and a black streak along the back-
bone. In the winter these parts assume a grey
brown, the quarters and tail only remaining a pale
buff. The head, neck, belly, and legs are of a grey
browai tint, a broad brown streak passing down the
forehead and nose. As the age of the animal in-
creases, its colom's become darker, and most particu-
larly the male. This description is intended only to
apply to the family of European stags : as a race,
those of the British islands are distinguished by that
peculiar rufous tint, which has obtained for them the
title of red deer.

The stag is Imown from the hind by his horns,
by a beard of hair mider the throat, and by tusks in
the upper jaw. The yomig of both sexes are called
calves. The male, to three years old, is a brocket;
at four, a staggart ; at five, a warrantable stag ; and
afterwards, in the rojsl chaces, he is entitled a "hart
royal." The protuberances which denote the growth
of the horns, appear at about six months, in the shape
of two knobs, covered with a hairy coat ; in the second
year the horns come forth, but, generally, straight
and single. In the third year these roots put out
t\vo antlers ; in the fourth, three ; in the fifth, four ;
and before the end of the sixth, there are six or
seven antlers on either side. However, this is no
strict mle, the branches differ constantly in shape
and number. In the Museum, at Hesse Cassel, they

DEEE-STALKING. 11

shew a horn ha\dng twenty-eight antlers ; while
Cuvier gives instances where a horn has had sixty-
two, and another sixty-three antlers. Colossal branches
are frequently found also in the Irish bogs ; indeed,
the wilds around the famed lakes of Killamey pro-
bably contain the finest family of red deer to be met
with in the British islands.

About the beginning of April the stag sheds his
horns — a process which commences according to the
animal's age; the young often carry their head till
autumn. According to Mr. Scrope, the modem Eobin
Hood, — " they cany their horns as long as the hind
carries her fawn, that is to say, eight months. Both
horns do not necessarily fall at the same time ; a day
or two, or even more, occasionally intervene. Soon
after the old horn has fallen off, a soft tumour begins
to appear, which is quickly covered "^ith a down-like
leaden-colom'ed velvet. This tumour is seen every
day to increase, like the graft of a tree, and, rising
by degrees, shoots out the antlers on each side. The
skin remains to cover it for some time, and it con-
tmues to be furnished with blood-vessels, which
supply the gro\ring horns with nomishment, and
occasion the furrows observable in them, when that
covering is stripped off. The impression is deeper
at the bottom, where the vessels are larger, and
diminishes towards the point, where they are smooth.
When the horas are at their full growth they acquire
strength and solidity, and the velvet covering, or
skin, ^^ith its blood-vessels, dries up, and begins to

12 DEER-STALKING.

fall off; wliicli the animal endeavours to hasten, by
mbbmg them against the trees : and in this manner
the whole head gradually acquires its complete hard-
ness, expansion, and beauty." The hind of the red
deer goes with its yomig a few days over eight
months.

In England, the sporting uses of this noble
specimen of the deer tribe are confined to the field.
The red deer is the proper quariy of the stag-hunter.
For that pm'pose he fomis as integral a portion of a
stag-hunting establishment as the hounds or horses.
Red deer are stabled and brought into hunting con-
dition by means of hard meat, and the ordinary hunt-
ing-stable process. Still, stag-hunting is not the
sport we would see the youth trained to, or Ave desired
should take honom's in the science of woodcraft.
Stalk, yomig friend, the good dun deer, and ye mil
(and have the opportunity) but leave the chase of the
calf to the cockney, and eke the household herd of
Diana's disciples.

Although we have attempted to initiate the un-
learned in the practical details of this first and most
regal sport, as at present used, it must not be for-
gotten that " its age of chivalry" hath long past away.
The golden era of deer-hunting, in all its branches,
must be placed at that epoch of an early histoiy,
when every hill and mountain glen, eveiy forest pass
and sylvan flat, eveiy bog and morass was tenanted
by its fercB naturcc. The wild deer then held state
in the chase as the noblest of animals. It was far

DEEE-STALKING. 13

superior in size and qualities to that of our times.
We find from horns that have been dug up in several
parts of Scotland, that some large species of deer
must even have become extinct. Within how short
or how long a space of time, it would appear difficult
to determine. Portions of what are supposed to be
an enormous variation of the stag, have been also
discovered, at various intervals, in the mud beds and
bogs of Ireland. The horns of the Irish elk are
said to have measured five feet from the tips
to the roots, with an expansion of near eleven feet !
It is easy for the mind to picture the British Isles
of the days of yore, as an aggregate of forest and
moorland, thinly be-scattered by the habitations of
man, while the beasts of the field out-numbered, by
countless hosts, the hairs of his head. And bring-
ing oui' view infinitely more within the focus of exa-
mination, we still find the stag one of the most
numerous of the families of animals, and the undis-
puted lord of its herds. The general hunting matches
of the Norman era prove the multitudes of deer
ranging at will in the royal chaces ; a thousand have
been killed at a single match. A hmiting establish-
ment of these days was, indeed, a regal affair, encom-
passed with ceremonies, embarrassed with etiquettes,
and attended with distinctions, more gravely important
to the chieftains of those ages than we can now
altogether comprehend. No doubt, also, if the red
deer was then larger, the races of men were superior
in size and muscular power, and more hardy than at

14 DEEE-STALKINO .

present. Their frames -were nurtured in climaeteri-
cal exposures ; their kmgs were unoppressed to any
extent by the vitiated atmosphere of manufactories,
and unconsumed by the fiery ardours of fermented
liquors. The stalwart hmiters and mighty men of
old knoAV nought of artificial light. The dawn and the
dusk, God's light and shadow, these were their
fashionable horologes ; the midday and twilight of
these were their fashionable periods of refection : and
thus, wdth breaths of morning dew and sinews of
iron, they prepared to take the field, and grasp the
" antlered monarch," if need were, in a hand to
horn grapple. Did

" not old custom malce this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp ? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference ; as, the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind."

Already, at the Norman conquest, the red deer
had been hunted to the thinning of their species, and
our invaders did their utmost for its presentation and
increase. They exacted heavy fines from those who
trespassed on deer-enclosures, and life for life, if pre-
meditated, was the doom awarded to the biped who
slew the quadmped. Blaine gives a curious transla-
tion of a passage of Arrian's, relative to the stag-
hunting of the Anglo-Saxons. It is in the form of a
dialogue, and runs thus : —

" I am a hunter to one of the kings. — How do

DEER-STALKING.

15

you exercise your art? — I spread my nets, and set
them in a fit place, and instmct my hounds to piu'sue
the wild deer till they come to the nets unexpectedly,
and so are entangled, and I slay them in the nets. —
Cannot you hunt without nets ?— Yes ; with swift
hounds I follow the wild deer. — What wild deer do
you chiefly take? — Harts, boars, and rein deer, and
goats, and sometimes hares."

LIIE r.i.LLO'.V LEEii.

The slow but certain march of civilization, not-
withstanding every effort to the contrary, gradually

16 DEER-STALKING.

all but extii'pated many of the noblest denizens of the
forest. Boars, bears, wolves, antelopes, beavers, —
these \nth us, at length, and at different periods, be-
came extinct. The stag, or hart, or red deer, re-
ceded as population advanced; the circle of its
retreats became narrower and narrower, until it
sprung upwards to the inaccessible fortresses of the
momitains ; and there intrenched, it appeared to have
become at once fierce, shy, and wary. This, at
times, in the Scotch holds, or the wild western tracts
of Ireland, would turn at bay, like the Roman in the
capitol, upon its pursuers, or leaping agilely beyond
their reach, roar out its challenge and defiance. This
description will not appear exaggerated to those who
are versed in the old border-tales of chivalry, like the
late lamented Sir Walter Scott, whose "Lady of the
Lake " embodies the gist of many of them in its vi\ddly
splendid and graphic portraitiu'es of the red deer and
its haunts. StiU less will it be found to vaiy from
fidelity by the enthusiastic deer-stalker who has con-
quered the difficulties of the sport, or who glories in
them, and who finds in the stag a not less noble
though a less dangerous foe than the Highlander of
old. A Scot, of the time of Henry the Eighth, thus
explained to that monarch the various uses besides
food for Vy'hich the creature seized : — " We go a hunt-
ing, and after that we have slain red deer, we flay off
the skin bye and bye, and setting of oiu* barefoot on
the inside thereof, for want of cmming shoemakers,
we play the cobbler, compassing and measuring so

DEER- STALKING. 17

much thereof as shall reach up to our ancles, pricking
the upper part thereof with holes, that the water may
repass where it enters, and stretching it up with a
strong thong of the same above our ancles. So, and
please your Grace, we make our shoes. Therefore
we using such manner of shoes, the rough haiiy side
outwards, in your Grace's dominions of England we
be called ' Rough-footed Scots.'"

In Ireland there is still a solitaiy remnant of
wild stag hunting, followed much after the fashion of
the early days of the sport. This is pursued on the
banks of the lake of Killarney with much zest. It is
said that the French invasion (in 1708) of that comitry,
placed so many arms in the hands of the western pea-
santry, as to occasion the extermination of the red
deer of this locality. For, still keeping their weapons
of offence after the danger was over, they turned them
upon these noble animals. An anecdote is related of
the immense power of the wild stag. The Emperor
Basilius was attacked by a red deer of great size,
which lifted him from his horse by merely entangling
one of his horns in the sovereign's belt : although the
Emperor was quicldy released from his enemy by the
assistance of his equerry, the bruises received in
the attack proved incurable. The Normans hunted
the wild stag on horseback at a time they had
not universally retreated to such mountain-holds
as Klibreck, Ben- Avon, Ben-Nevis, and the wild and
almost inaccessible reaches of Applecross and Gair-
loch. Such haunts would affright the boldest rider,

18 DEER-STALiaNG.

and scare even Mazeppa's steed. We extract from
Taylor's " Pennilesse Pilgrimage" the graphic ac-
count given of the Earl of Marr's famous hunt of
the red deer in the year 1618: — "The mamier
of the limiting is this : five or six hundred men
doe rise early m the morning, and they doe dis-
perse themselves various ways, and seven, eight,
or even ten miles compass they doe bring or chase
in the deer in many hoards (two, three, or four
hundred in a heard) to such or such a place, as the
noblemen shall appoint them ; then, when the day is
come, the lords and gentlemen of their companies
doe ride or go to the said places, sometimes wading
up to the middles through bournes and rivers ; and
then, they being come to the place, doe lye down on
the ground till those foresaid scouts, wliich are called
the tinckell, doe bring dowii the deer; but as the
proverb says of a bad cook, so these tinckell-men doe
lick their otvii fingers ; for besides their bows and
arrows which they carry with them, wee can hear now
and then a harquebusse going off, which they doe sel-
dom discharge in vain ; then after we had stayed
three houres, or thereabouts, we might perceive the
deer appear on the hills round about us (their heads
making a show like a wood), which being followed close
by the tinckell, are chased dovm into the valley where
wee lay ; then all the valley on each side being way-
laid with a hundred couple of strong Irish grey-
hounds, they are let loose as occasion serv^es upon the
heard of deere, that with the dogs, gunnes, arrowes.

DEEE-STALKING. 19

durks, and daggers, in the space of two honres four-
score fat deere were slaine, which after were disposed,
some one way and some another, twenty or thirty
miles ; and more than enough left for us to make
merry withal at our rendezvous. Being come to our
lodgings there was such baking, boyling, roasting, and
stewing, as if cook ruffian had been there to have
scalded the devill in his feathers — the kitchen being
alwayes on the side of a banke, many kettles and pots
boyling, and many spits turning and winding, witli
great varietye of cheere, as venison baked, sodden, roast.
and stu'de ; beef, mutton, goates, kid, hares, fish,
salmon, pigeons, hens, capons, chickens, partridge,
moorcoots, heathcocks, caperkillies, and termagents,
good ale, sacke white and claret, tente (or alligant),
and most potent aqua vit(B. All this, and more than
these, we had continually in supei'fluous abundance,
caught by faulconers, fowlers, fishers, and brought by
my Lord Marr's tenants and purveyors to vitual our
camp, which consisted of fourteen or fifteen hundred
men and horses."

It is said that the red deer may be usefully
domesticated, although with more difficulty than the
other species. Martial relates of a deer that he
was used to the bridle ; and Montaigne alludes
to the famous present made to the Emperor Maxi-
milian, of a deer swifter than a barb, that bore both
saddle and bridle ! We cannot resist giving the
young sportsman, in conclusion, Christopher North's
portraiture of the death of the red deer, it is so

20 DEER-STALKING.

thoroiiglily graphic : — " Yonder, by the birches, stancls
a red deer, snuffing the east wind ! He suspects an
enemy hi that airt ; but death comes upon him, ^nth
stealthy foot, from the west : and if Apollo and Diana
be now propitious, his antlers shall be entangled in
the heather, and his hoofs beat the heavens. Flourish
the rifle — a tinkle as of iron — and a hiss accompanying
the explosion — and the king of the wilderness, bound-
ing up into the air ^^ith his antlers higher than ever
waved chieftain s plume, falls do^^ai stone dead where
he stood; for the blue pill has gone through his
vitals, and lightning itself could hardly have withered
him into more instantaneous cessation of life ! He
is an enormous animal ! What antlers ! Roll him over
once on his side — See ! up to oiu' breast reaches the
topmost branch! He is a 'stag of ten;' his eye
has lost the flash of freedom — the tongue that browsed
the bnishwood is bitten through by the clenched
teeth — the fleetness of his feet has felt that fatal
frost — the wild heart is hushed and tame ! — and there
the monarch of the mountains — the king of the cliffs —
the grand lama of the glens — the sultan of the soli-
tudes— the dey of the deserts — the royal ranger of
the woods and forests — yea, the very prince of the
air, and thane of thunder, ' shorn of all his beams,'
lies motionless as a dead jackass by the way-side ! —
he, who at dawn had boiTowed the wings of the ^vind
to carry him across the cataracts ! "'

CHAPTER IT.

GROUSE SHOOTIIVG.

Come where the heather bell,

CMld of the highland dell,
Breathes its coy fragrance o'er moorland and lea ;

Gaily the fountain sheen

Leaps from the mountain green :
Come to our highland home, bhthesome and free I

See, through the gloaming.

The young morn is coming.
Like a bridal veil round her the silver mist curled :

Deep as the ruby's rays,

Bright as the sapphire's blaze,
The banner of day in the east is unfurled.

The red grouse is scattering

Dews from his golden wing,
Gemmed with the radiance that heralds the day :

Peace in our highland vales.

Health in our mountain gales ;
Who would not hie to the moorlands away ?

Far from the haunts of man,

Mark the grey ptarmigan,
Seek the lone moorcock, the pride of our dells ;

Birds of the wilderness.

Here is their resting-place,
'Mid the browii heath where the mountain roe dwelh

22 GEOUSE SHOOTING,

Come, then ! the heather bloom

Woos with its wild perfume ;
Fragrant and blithesome thy welcome shall be :

Gaily the fountain sheen

Leaps from the mountain gi'een ;
Come to our home of the moorland and lea.

There is no species of rural sport of which the
characteristics are so picturesque and so mid as
those of grouse shooting. Fox hunting and wood-
cock shooting both lead their disciples " remote
from cities ; " but though they be wild sports, the
season of the year peculiar to them divests the
scenes in which they are pursued of all the attributes
of picturesque or beautiful. It is the golden time of
the year to the young amateur of the trigger.

We are still among the hills and moors of the
" land of brown heath;" for, after all, for mooifowl
shooting, Scotland is the only place. In many dis-
tricts of Ireland grouse abound among the wilder-
nesses of bog with which that country is overrmi ;
and in the northern comities of England they have
been of late so carefidly preserved as to afford fair
sport: but " Caledonia, stern and wild," is the
chosen land of the grouse shooter. Few attempt the
sport in the Welch mountains, except such as happen
to be to the matter born — the native Taffies — or
their guests " in the season of the year." In Scot-
land, shooting-quarters are as commonly let to yearly
tenants or on lease, as the use of the land is hired
out to the farmer. We do not pretend to offer coun-
sel to those who are about to rent a " shooting,''

GROUSE SHOOTING. 23

further than by hinting, that, as a general piinciple,
they use circumspection before conchiding their
bargains. The historian, Joe Miller, relates that a
party who purchased an estate -warranted to contain
a hanging wood, found a gibbet in one of the fields.
We imagine a good many who have taken Highland
quarters on the assurance that they would furnish
red game, discovered that the supply was chiefly con-
fined to the carroty gillies that go mth the gromid in
capacity of markers — Incus a non litcendo.

Grouse shooting, according to act of j)arliament,
commences in Scotland on the 12th, and in Ireland
on the 20tli of Augxist. Of course there are sea-
sons in which the packs are more mature in Jmie
than in others in October ; but that has nothing to
do Avith the matter: we are spealdng of an act of
parliament, which, of course, has nothing to do with
reason or common sense. Those who take time
by the forelock, and begin at the commencement of
the season, have light work of it — like all who have
to deal with novices — particularly of the feathered
family. We will imagine our beginner, in both
senses of the word, has reached his quarters in good
time as becomes a sportsman. I do not mean by
good time the peep of morning, — eight or nine
o'clock is quite early enough ; give the birds time to
eat their breakfasts, or they are off before you get
within visiting distance. In contradistinction to the
maxim, " the early bird gets the first worm," it is
notorious that he who uncouples his dogs among the

•24 GROUSE SHOOTING.

heather at nine, fills his bag more surely and satis-
factorily than he who goes to work when the stars
are up. When grouse have done feeding they lie
better, and afford more double shots ; to say nothing
of scattering the packs conveniently for the evening
sport. Besides, let him be assm'ed that walking a
highland moor for twelve hours is by no means exer-
cise to be sneered at.

The grouse shooter should begin at the lowest point
down wind, thereby giving his dogs the advantage
of drawing up. His object also must be to drive the
birds towards some central portion of his beat. He
will be attended by two or three sharp fellows, for the
purpose of marking down the packs he flushes, as
well as turning them into his quarters. If he has a
companion, one of the two should make a wide circle
so as to head and stop them, for they will often run
half a mile or more after they are set. When a pack
is on the ^ing, and appears to have flown beyond the
reach of sight, keep the eye foi'ward in the cUrection
they have taken, and you may observe them when
they flap their wings previous to alighting. The
colour of the plumage being so like that of the
heather, is the reason you cannot distinguish them
when skimming just above it in rapid flight.

Should your beat range along a moimtain side,
the birds will be less likely to leave the ground.
When flushed or put up, they will, most probably,
fly along the hill side ; and, after a turn or two taken
when out of your sight, they will alight, though at

GEOUSE SHOOTING.

25

some distance, upon the slope or declivity. The
natui-e of the ground and the wind must furnish
hints as to their probable position ; but if you mark
the direction of their flight, when preparing to settle,
it will help you to a shrewd guess. Early in the
year, and before they have been much shot, they will
be found always loathe to leave the places where they
are met with. As a rule, it may be observed, that all
game, when raised, are apt to settle on lower ground.
Moreover, when they begin to move on the feed, they
are more easily winded than when at rest, and, of
course, more easily brought to a point ; for which reason,
towards evening the best sport may be looked for.

Whatever may be your ignorance or experience of
the district you are shooting over, the best plan mil
always be to consult the shepherds and keepers as to
where the packs are most plentiful, and arrange your
mode of operation accordingly. When hatching time
has been wet, the best broods will be found high up
the hills ; when very dry or sultry, in the flats and
hollows between them. But even this will depend
upon the peculiarities of the districts ; for instance, if
there be rills, or any supply of water high up the
hills, or even on their sides, there will the grouse be
met with. People accustomed to the neighbourhood
can help you to these particulars, to a certainty ; very
likely to more important information, the resort of
the game you are seeking.

Wlien you have gone forth, and are on the ground
you purpose beating, avoid such spots as are bare of

'4b GEOUSE SHOOTING.

cover, and where the heath has been burnt; but
where patches of old and young heather he scattered
around, together with mossy rivulets and peat-pools
filled with water, look out for a point. In the middle
of the day, particularly when the weather is sultry,
grouse lie without mo\^ng, and are, consequently,
very difficult to find. Storms or high winds make
them very wild ; the best way to approach them then
is from below; they cannot see you so plainly as
when descending from ground above them. In rain
it is next to impossible to fall in with them, beside it
being veiy questionable fim to range up to the loins in
a sort of vegetable ocean ; they wont " road" an inch,
having, like yom'self, no taste for wandering in bowers
as moist as the coral gardens of the Nereides, and take
\^ing before you are within bomb practice range.

You must not beat over the same line too often ;
if constrained ever so much for want of room, not
more than twice a week. When distui'bed, or broken,
grouse do not pack together again sometimes for a
day or two. These birds are said, by some writers,
to change their Ijing according to the state of the
weather. This is not true as regard localities,
but only in reference to hamits. As shelter from
strong sunshine, tempest, or ram, they resort to the
lee of a hill, or betake them to strong heather, but
only where such come within scope of their ordinary
flight. Neither do they wander far to feed. They
will merely make to the nearest patch of young
heather, the fresh tops of which constitute their food,

GROUSE SHOOTING. 27

for the most part, all the year round. In frost and
snow they are occasionally found among the " stooks"
of oats, which, there, often lie out till Christmas.

You are not to count on this wild momitain sport,
young shooter, as an achievement to be compassed
without earnest exertion ; what then ? —

" Though sluggards deem it but a foolish chase,
And mai-vel men should quit their easy chair,

The toilsome way, and long, long league to trace —
Oh ! there is sweetness in the mountain air.

And life, which bloated ease can never hope to share !"

As Byron says "never mind the pain," your delight
will "physic it;" which, according to Shakspere,
means, will ''cure it:" wherefore we take it " doc-
toring" was a very different affair a couple of cen-
turies ago from what it is now. Let your care be
for your dog and your gun. If you will take our
counsel, your dogs shall be pointers; and use all
zeal, and the experience of older heads than your
own, in their selection. Have a horror of near
rangers; they are the very woi-st of all for moor-
shooting. Of these — that is, pointers — hunt a
brace at a time, it will be quite enough. Before
bujnng your dogs see that they have round, hard
feet, and are well "hung" upon their legs, to
borrow an expression from the coach-makers vo-
cabulaiy. Above all, look to the head — "the Imow-
ledge-box," as it is vulgarly, but most aptly, called. It
oucfht to be broad between the ears, which should
hang down close, with a fall or dent under the eyes ;

28 GKOUSE SHOOTING.

the nose long and not broad ; the nostrils veiy soft
and moist. You will, of course, ascertain that they
are of a pure breed ; with such you can hardly fail to
obtain great excellence, by never allowing a fault
to go unnoticed ; by not chastising them so severely
as to break their courage ; and by killing plenty of
game over them ; which, indeed, will equally serve to
give spirit to your own exploits. Never permit a dog
to run in when a bird falls. The best remedy for this
mischievous vice is the collar, called "trash collar,"
and spike. If you have patience enough, in the first
instance let him rim in and tear his bird to pieces,
while you load ; this may make him ashamed of him-
self. Then walk up quietly, and without noticing the
remnants of the grouse, take him by the ear back to
the spot whence you fired, shaking him earnestly,
ci-jdng " down." Then take your whip, and lay it
over him well, calling out between every stripe,
"down, down." Continue this for some time, and
when you have done beating, force him to remain
down for several minutes. Then, speaking slowly to
him, lead him to where the dead bird lies, and lift it
before his nose. By follomng this system upon every
occasion of a dog running in — unless he be good for
nothing — you will cure him of iimning at shot. Re-
member, always making a dog fall down when birds rise,
is the only way to ensure his steadiness in the field.

Christopher North says somewhere, that " shooting
grouse after red deer, is for a while, at least, felt to
be like writing an anagram in a lady's album, after

GROUSE SHOOTING. 29

having given the finishing touch to a tragedy or an
epic poem. 'T is like taking to catching shrimps in
the sand with one's toes, on one's return from Davis's
Straits in a whaler that arrived at Peterhead with
sixteen fish, each calculated at ten tuns of oil."
Elsewhere he says, " We do not admire that shooting-
ground which resemhles a poultry-yard. Grouse and
barn-door fowls are constructed on opposite principles ;
the former being wild, the latter tame creatures,
when in their respective perfection. Of all dull
pastimes, the dullest seems to us sporting in a pre-
serve ; and we believe that we show that feeling with
the Grand Siguier. The sign of a lonely inn in the
Highlands ought not to be the Hen and Chickens.
Some shooters, we know, sick of common sport, love
slaughter. From sunrise to sunset of the first day
of the moors they must bag their hundred brace.
That can only be done where pouts prevail, and
cheepers keep chiding ; and where you have half a
dozen attendants to head your double barrels sans
intermission, for a round dozen of hours spent in a
pei-petual fire. Commend us to a plentiful sprinkling
of game ; to ground which seems occasionally barren,
and which it needs a fine instructed eye to traverse
scientifically, and thereof to detect the latent riches.
Fear and hope are the deities of the moors, else
would they lose their witchcraft. A gentleman ought
not to shoot like a gamekeeper, any more than at
billiards to play like a marker ; nor with four in hand
ought he to tool his prads like the Portsmouth
c 2

30 GEOUSE SHOOTINCr.

dragsman — slioot in a style equidistant from that
of the gamekeeper on the one hand, and the bagman
on the other : neither killing nor missing every bird ;
but, true to the spirit of the Aristotelian doctrine,
leaning mth a decided inclination towards the first
rather than the second predicament. If we shoot
too well one day, we are pretty sure to shoot as ill
another ; in short, w^e shoot like gentlemen, scholars,
poets, philosophers, as we are ; and, looking at us,
you have a sight

' Of him who walks in glorj' and in joy,
Following his " dog" upon the mountain side ;'

a man evidently not shooting for a wager, and per-
forming a match from the mean motives of avarice
or ambition ; but blazing away ' at his o^vn sweet will,'
and, without seeming to know it, making a great
noise in the world. Look with thine eyes on yonder
bank — yonder sunny bank, beneath the shades of that
fantastic cliff's superincumbent shadow — seest thou
not basking there a miraculous amount of feathers ?
They have packed, Hamish — they have packed, early
as it is yet in the season; and the question is. What
shall we do ? We have it. Take up a position,
Hamish, about a hundred yards in the rear; on
yonder knoll, \rith the colonel's sweeper. Fire from
the rest ; mind, from the rest, right into the centre
of that bed of plumage, and we shall be ready with
Brown Bess and her sister to pour in our quartette
upon the remains as they rise, so that not escape

GROUSE SHOOTING.

31

shall one single feather. Let our covering ' to the
present' be your signal. Bang! Whew! What a
flutter ! Now take that, and that, and that, and that !
Ha, Hamish, as at the springing of a mine, the
whole company has perished ! Collect the dead.
Twenty-one ! Life is short, and by this compendious
style we take Time by the forelock ! "

RLD GROUSl

The Red Grouse (Tetrao Scoticus of Linnseus), or
moor-fowl, is well entitled to head the catalogue of
British game birds, inasmuch as it is peculiar to
these islands, never having been found elsewhere. It
belongs to the ptarmigan family, in common with the
varieties of its species, under the heads of the caper-
calzie and the black cock, as well as the partridge
and quail, also individuals of the class TetraonidcB. It

32 GEOUSE SHOOTING.

is Still plentiful in England, Scotland, and in Ireland.
It is foimd in the northern counties of England, and
in most of the Scottish islands, as well as the conti-
nent of that kingdom. It was formerly abundantly
spread over the more southerly districts of North
Britain; but the sportsman of modem days must
now intrench himself in the Highlands, whither
cultivation has not yet extended : and in the most
remote parts of these, such as the Cairngorm range,
Sutherland, and the highlands of Rosse, he will still
find the red grouse nearly unchanged in habits and
disposition. There he is still the continuous inha
bitant of the moor ; still, as it were, the indigenous
creation of the land of rock and heather, of lake and
glen. There, at dawn, shall he be tracked by his
loud shrill call; and there, at set of sun, shall his
note enliven the pictm'esque solitude. In summer,
it is tn^e, the cm-lew s whistle, and the mournful ciy
of the golden plover, may vary the monotony of the
grouse's call ; but in winter he shall seem, with the
red deer, the only animate thing for miles around.
Here it is not fearful, as in the cultivated districts ;
nor, until warned by the gun, will it become wild
and wary, but permit the approach of man unremarked
but by the peculiar note which is probably one of
warning to his family. When cultivation advances
into the moors, either wholly or in part, its ordinaiy
effect is observed in the retiring of the game, in
thinning their numbers, and in an alteration of the
habits of the birds and their choice of food. In the

GROUSE SHOOTINa. 33

midst of the wildest districts may now be fomid de-
tached spots of culture. Here the grouse, instead of
feeding on the odorous heath-tops, and other aromatic
mountain-plants picked from beneath the snow, will
migrate for their winter's food to these grounds and
enclosures ; where, before the grain is cleared off,
they will rob the crops of the husbandman, and
obtain a liberal supply. Where the grain, in the
midst of December snows, still lags out, the stooks
invariably might be seen crowded with grouse. In
the lower lands they arrive as gleaners, and hunt for
that which has been scattered and left in the stubble,
or even in the ploughed fields. The birds that feed
thus on grain are esteemed by no means of so de-
lectable a flavour as those that pasture on the delicate
young heather. Not a tenth of the number of birds
formerly seen are now observed, save, as we have
said, in the remoter wastes and solitudes ; and the
shjaiess and wariness of those that remain, render
them difficult, nay, well nigh impossible of approach.
Their plumage mingles with the dark brown moss
and heath in such unbroken miiformity, as to deceive
the eye of the most practised sportsman : the pointer
is his best friend and assistant in the disco veiy of
grouse which have been at all disturbed by the sports-
man, however superior and more attractive may be
the dash of the setter among the blue heath in the
early part of the season.

The red grouse pairs very early in the year, even,
in a mild month, in January. The female begins to

34 GROUSE SHOOTING.

lay her eggs at tlie close of March, depositing them
in hollow cavities at the base of heatheiy tufts, which
sei-ve both for a sort of concealment, and for pro-
tection from the weather. She floors the nest with
a straw or two, or a few blades of grass. Here both
parents watch over their brood, and pertinaciously
defend it from the attacks of eveiy assailant; in
many known cases successfully protecting their eggs
from the bold attacks of the carrion crow. The
greatest foe of the young of the red grouse, as it is at
present found, is the tape-worm ; by which, in occa-
sional seasons, it is so terribly ravaged, that it be-
comes nearly extirpated in districts so infested.
After this, their most pestilent natural enemy may
be deemed in importance the common crow, who
vigorously attacks the ground-nests in order to cany
off the eggs. The early plumage of the young bird
takes its hues from the female, which is of a pale
ground tint, marked with white bars, only there is
more red in the feathers of the young. Its adult
plumage is a rich reddish bro^Mi (sienna brown),
deepening in shade on the belly to black, with pale
tips, and barred across Avith deep brown. There is
variety, however, discovered in the markings ; for
some of the early birds are considerably marked \^ith
white underneath. Some deem this, we believe erro-
neously, a sign of age. The female is altogether of
fainter hues, and the palest colours are the largest.
The feathers of both birds change at breeding time,
becoming more decided in colour, with pale yellowish

GEOUSE SHOOTING. 35

white tips, and interlined with yellow. Also, the
bare skin above the eyes, which is a prevalent feature
of the family of the Tetraonida, increases in size and
depth of colour. It is supposed that diversity of pastui'e
produces diversity of plumage in the red grouse. Sir
William Jardine had a grouse, shot on the moors of
Galloway, whose gromid colour was yellomsh white,
and whose dark markings were reddish brown, much
lighter than the ordinary hue, while the quills were
dirty W'hite. Mr. Selby speaks of a cream-coloured
or pale grey variety on the Blanchland moors of
Durham, that seems to have bred and continued the
diversity from year to year. The red grouse is a bird
easily tamed; we have known them familiar with
man. They even lay when in confinement. Jardine
mentions a brood hatched under a Idtchen-dresser ;
and many have been bred in a\iaries. The yomig
thus hatched are seldom reared to maturity ; a failure
no doubt produced by the need of some food not
known, or unattainable in their domesticated condition.

Lagopus. Generic characters : bill veiy short,
clothed at the base with feathers, which conceal the
nostrils ; wings short, somewhat rounded, with the
third and fourth quills longest ; tail short, and nearly
square at extremity ; tarsi and toes covered with hair-
like feathers, sometimes over the claws, which are long,
straight, and rather flattened. Types : L. Scoticus, &c.,
Europe ; north parts of North America ; Arctic circle.

Note. Monogamous; gregarious in winter; habits
entirely terrestrial.

CHAPTER III.

CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING.

This riglit royal gimneiy, though for the present
extinct among us, holds out promise of being restored
at no veiy distant time. The vast forests of fir
which begin to clothe the Scottish momitains offer
home and fitting food for this king of game birds ;
and the efforts recently made by their proprietors to
renew the race, by importations from the north of
Europe, can hardly fail of final success. Mr. Lloyd,
the Swedish traveller, was influenced by Mr. Fowell
Buxton, the wealthy London brewer, to procure a
supply, which he did to the amount of twenty-nine.
These Mr. Buxton presented to the Martpis of
Breadalbane. The histoiy of this attempt to restore
the cock of the wood to the game of the British
islands is given in some letters, addressed by a son
of Mr. Fowell Buxton to Mr. Blaine, and published
in that gentleman's admirable work, " An Encyclo-
paedia of Rural Sports."

After detailing the reasons which induced his
father to send a commission to Mr. Lloyd to procure

CAPEECALZIE SHOOTING.

37

for him a cargo of Capercalzie — a proposal made by
him to Lord Breadalbane to attempt the restoration
of that bird upon the oc(;asion of his shooting with
tliat nobleman over his moors— he proceeds to state,
that the nmiiber above named reached England in
1837, in charge of his father's Irish gamekeeper.
A portion of these birds were turned out in the
autumn of that year, and the remainder kept in a
house. In 1838, he tells us, a brace only was
reared by the keeper, but two fine broods were seen
in the woods. In the summer of 1838, sixteen hens
were forwarded to Taymouth ; so that in all thirteen
cock capercalzies and twenty-nine hens reached Lord
Breadalbane, the others being destroyed by the ca-
sualties of travel. In the spring of 1839, instead of
attempting to rear any capercalzies, Mr. Guthrie
(Lord Breadalbane's head keeper) placed eggs, laid by
the birds kept in the house, in the nests of grey-hens,
who hatched and brought them up in a wild state.
According to this keeper's account, the ex-
periment was very successful. In 1839, he states
that forty-nine young capercalzies were born in the
district under his care ; but unfortunately they could
hardly be said to have been brought up, as the
poachers were soon upon them, and they made their
appearance in the shops of the Edinburgh poulterers :-
" A hen has been offered this season to a poulterer
in Princes Street." Now, we would ask— apropos of
the existing dilemma of the game legislators— why
was not the offerer transferred to the care of a police-

38 CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING.

officer ? If a giraffe had been submitted to liis ac-
ceptance, "we presume he ^vould have asked the seller
where he procm^ed his merchandise ; and a caper-
calzie was at the time as little likely to have come
honestly into the hands of a Highland gillie as a
cameleopard. But then the cock of the wood was
only game, and game stood and stands in the con-
ventional category of no man s chattels ; the fact
that .very probably the papa and mamma of the
capercalzie aforesaid stood Mr. Fowell Buxton in as
much as a pair of his dray-horses, to the contrary
notwithstanding .

We know but little of the fair sporting after the
capercalzie. Mr. Grieff affords us a melancholy
account of its slaughter in his comitiy, Sweden.
There, he informs us, it is shot in the night-time,
by torch-light. This plan, which he states it as his
opinion is veiy destructive, and we should think on
good grounds, is, he believes, principally confined to
the southern provinces, and thus effected : —

" Towards nightfall, people watch the last flight of
the capercalzie before they go to roost. The direc-
tion they have taken into the forest is then carefully
marked by means of a prostrate tree, or by one
which is felled for the purpose. After dark, two
men start in pm^suit of the birds ; one of them is
provided with a gun, the other mth a long pole, to
either end of which a flambeau is attached. The
man with the flambeau now goes in advance, the
other remaining at the prostrate tree to keep it and

CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING. 39

the two lights in an exact line with each other ; by
this curious contrivance they cannot well go astray
in the forest. Thus they proceed, occasionally halt-
ing, and taking a fresh mark, until they come near
to the spot where they have reason to suppose the
birds are roosting. They now carefully examine the
trees, and when they discover the objects of their
pursuit, which are said to remain stupidly gazing at
the fire blazing beneath, they shoot them at their
leism'e. Should there be capercalzies in the same
tree, however, it is always necessaiy to shoot those
on the lower branches in the first instance : for,
unless one of these birds falls on its companions, it
is said the rest will never move ; and, in consequence,
the wdiole of them may be readily killed."

Now this we are constrained to pronounce poach-
ing— even to the reproach of innermost Cockaigne.
Hear how Mr. Brehm, another Swede, used to go
about his sport : "I usually shot the capercalzie,"
he says, " in company with my Lapland dog. Bru-
nette, a cocker. She commonly flushed them from
the ground, where, for the purpose of feeding on
berries, &c., they are much during the autumn
months. In this case, if they only saw the dog,
their flight in general was short, and they soon
perched in the trees. Now as Brunette has the eye
of an eagle" (brunettes mostly have) " and the foot of
an antelope, she was not long in following them.
Sometimes, however, these birds were in the pines
in the first instance ; but as my dog was possessed

40

CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING.

of an extraorclinaiy fine sense of smelling, she would
often wind or, in other words, scent them for a very
long distance. When she found the capercalzie, she
would station herself under the tree where the bird
was sitting, and by keeping up a constant barking,
direct my steps towards the spot." Should our
young friends ever have occasion to shoot this bird,
we trust they mil adopt the plan of Mr. Brehm, in
preference to that of Mr. GriefP.

THE CATERCALZIE.

The Wood Grouse, or Capercalzie {Tctrao Uro-
f/allus), known to British naturalists as Cock of the

CAPEECALZIE SHOOTING. 41

Wood. The capercalzie is the largest and strongest
of the bu'ds of this section {TetraonidcB) of the Rasores.
It is also the most beautiful in plumage. We speak
in the present tense, although the original caper-
calzie of the British Islands must be deemed to
have been for many years utterly extinct ; those at
the present day, found or reared in our comitiy,
being, in the first case, importations from Sweden,
and various parts of northern Europe. The power-
ful hooked bill of the male bird resembles that of a
bird of prey ; it is yellowish white, deeper in hue at
the end. The head and neck are dark grey, approaching
towards black. The feathers of the body are darkest
in their centres, and closely interspersed with minute
black dots; they are of lance-like form. Those
below the chin are longer and raised at will ; quite
black, but bordered with a beautiful glossy fringe of
purple and green hues. Below the eyes are patches
of white. The top of the back is of a splendid
orange-bro^vn, freckled in midulating lines of bro\\Ti-
black. The wings are the same, the quills of a red-
dish umber-brown. The lowest parts of back and
rump are grounded in a sort of brown-grey colour,
handsomely watered with bars of black; the effect
at a distance giving a blackish-grey colour. The
upper tail feathers connect together at the centre ;
they are well nigh black, shot with a brownish grey,
white-tipped: the tail itself black, and brokenly
marked with white about two inches from its point,
forming a broad and wavy line, or bar, across it.
D 2

43 CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING.

The belly is black, with white spots at the centre ;
the breast feathers of the glossiest bright green-black,
interwoven so closely and finely, as to present a
breastwork to the enemy, that would turn ordinary
shot from its well guarded surface. The side and
flank feathers are of a ground-colour, freckled mth
black. The tarsi are plumed, the feathers of
brownish-grey hue, long behind, of loose texture like
the moor-fowls, twice the length of the hhid-toes which
they hide. A fine sample of this beautiful bird
might measure from two feet ten inches to three feet,
at its full extent. The female is found greatly infe-
rior in size. Different specimens brought under our
notice have varied, however, in length. Jardine
speaks of one about three and twenty inches long,
which sat but seventeen inches high ; while a cock in
the same cargo would have sat upon his perch on a
branch of a tree full two feet above it. The female
is marked similarly to the grey hen, only its hues
are more distinct. It is of an ochreous bro^^ai,
broadly and clearly barred with black, while the ex-
tremities decline into paler tints. The breast is a
rich brownish orange colour, here and there freclded
over where the black bars intervene. The bill is of
a dirtier hue than in the male bird; a dark horn
colour, growing paler at the tip. The females, we
have ourselves seen, have all been smaller than the
specimen spoken of by Jardine.

In days of yore the ancient forests of Scotland,
and the sister kingdom, were abundantly supplied

CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING. 43

with this magnificent bird, whose noble size and
beauty rendered it the favourite quarry of the sports-
man. Its extirpation in Ireland dates from an
early period. Smith alludes to this bird in his His-
toiy of Ireland, completed in 1749, as extinct since
the demolition of the Irish woods. The last caper-
calzie, recorded as Idlled in Scotland, met his death
in the vicinity of Inverness, more than sixty years
back. Thus the destruction in the Highlands was
infinitely more gradual in its character. By the
exertions of many noblemen and gentlemen, princi-
cipally of North Britain, the capercalzie bids fair to
become once more the denizen and adornment of
our woods. Lord Fife made strenuous efforts to-
wards its naturalization. These were at first unsuc-
cessful. The earliest importation from Sweden took
place in 1828 ; but the male bird died. The follow-
ing year affairs were better managed. In 1838-9,
Lord Breadalbane made some attempts that were at
once successful, for from forty-nine couples that he
received, of which he turned out a portion, and kept
the remainder in confinement, seventy-nme yoimg
birds, in 1839, were accomited to be hatched. Birds
have been reared in confinement at Mr. Fowell Bux-
ton's estate in Norfolk. The Duchess of Athol had
some of these birds, and some birds have been
hatched in the aviaiy at Knowsley. Mr. Colquhoun
mentions an interesting fact relative to these birds.
He says the young capercalzie thrive better under the
foster care of the grey hen, than if left to maternal

44 CAPERC.iLZIE SHOOTING.

protection. When a capercalzie's eggs are dis-
covered, they are di\dded among several grey hens,
\yhose nests the keepers search out for this pui-pose.
The grey hens, however, will not sit upon them,
unless some of then- own eggs are also left ; but when
the yomig are hatched they ^^ill pay equal regard to
both; and it is not until the capercalzie are fully
grown that they drive away their step-mothers, who
then dread them as much as hawks. We can ima-
gine how splendidly furnished once appeared the
primeval woods and moors of Ireland and Scotland,
when the capercalzie perched and roosted in nmn-
bers on the trees, enriching, ^vith its gay investiture
of plumage, the solitar}^ sceneiy mth a beauty of its
own — when the black cock and red grouse were as
plentiful as sparrows — and ptarmigan and moor-fowl
hovered over lake, or sui'mounted pinnacles of rocks,
like the sylph spirits of the lorn localities. That
such shall ever be the case again can never be ex-
pected, nor should it be desired. The disappearance
of the large tribes of wild beasts and birds marks
ever tlie paths of civilisation ; and in bartering the
piictm'esque for the partially beneficial, the social con-
dition of mankuid has mfinitely the best of the
exchange. It is very rarely that the romance and
the reality of life are found living together on good
terms.

The food of the capercalzie consists principally
of the yomig shoots of fir (of which their flesh is said
to taste), and of the buds and berries of the forests

CAPERCALZIE SHOOTING. 45

and bmsliwood they inhabit. The call of this bird is
similar to that of the black cock ; and its habits, in
almost every respect, strictly analagous. Jardine
says, it attracts the female by its call from some
eminence or open spot; and, after the season of pair-
ing is past, it retires to midergo the process of
moulting, lea\dng the hen to perform the duties of
incubation, and to watch over her brood till the males
begin to change their plumage. Generic characters :
bill short, veiy strong, and hooked at base ; nostrils
vasal, lateral, and hidden by closely- set feathers;
naked skin above the eyes, enlarging in spring, and
brightening in hue ; wings short, concave, quills
elongated; tail ample and expanding, rounded at
base ; naked feet, edges of toes fringed ; tarsi, long
feathered. Tj^oes : Tetrao UrogaUus obscunis. Eu-
rope, Northern Asia, North America.

CHAPTER IV.

BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

There is no bird of game so easily come at, early in
the season (August), as the black grouse, familiarly
knoTVTi as the black cock ; nor one so difficult of
approach when the wnter has set in. Black game
do not pair like the red grouse, so shooting the
hen and her young ones, before experience makes the
latter sage, is as easy as circumventing a flock of
tm'keys. But getting a "crack" at an old cock, at
any period of the year, is another affair altogether.
He is found generally alone, sometimes with half a
score of other "old cocks," all on the qui vive.
Unlike the practice in reference to hen pheasants, as
we shall see presently, it is fashionable to destroy the
matrons of the black grouse family, for it is a pug.
nacious race. They cannot live mth their red
brethren upon decent terms, any more than white
men can with their brothers of similar hue. The
difference, however, is, that while the bipes inplunm
ruhicundus, or red man of the traveller, goes to the
wall, the feathered animal of two legs and pluniRge

BLACK COCK SHOOTING. 47

of " ricli rouge brown" of the naturalist, is carefully
fostered and "preserved."

That there is a difficulty in associating these
relations — as indeed the case is with relatives gene-
rally— we are assured by many trustworthy authorities.
Mr. Colquhoun obser\^es — "that many gentlemen are
now beginning to shoot the hens, observing the great
increase of black game, and decrease of grouse in
some districts. This," according to Mr. C. (as the
dreadful old women say, who mutilate proper names
under the most aggravated circumstances), " may be
in part attributed to the advance of cultivation," he is
speaking of Scotland; "but I caimot help thinking
the black game have a good share in driving off the
grouse, as I know of one instance where the latter
were killed off, and the former again returned to their
old haunts." In like manner, not to write it pro-
fanely, if the family of Yankee Doodle was "Idlled
off," there is little doubt that the red gentlemen
would return to their old haunts, and the Ojibbeway
be great in the Broadway.

The young sportsman — our especial concern — is
about to engage against black game (not the nigger of
the vulgar tongue, but the tetrao of ornithology), and
is, consequently, fain to learn how the campaig-n
should be entered upon : let him attend. Om* son,
make thyself acquainted with the haunts of the
quariy. Having discovered these, rely upon it they
will be found hard by some clump of rushes on the
fair free moor. When you get a point near cover of

48 BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

that description, and especially if your dogs "road.""
be sure the tetrao is not afar off. The old hen is the
first to rise — down with her. The juveniles will lie
like the eggs they were in before they were hatched ;
they are "the spooniest bnites in nature all to
sticks," not to except nothing.

This, as we have already premised, is in autumn ;
pass the morrow of All Souls and they change their
characters wholly. Then to walk them up to your
gun, and bring them ^o^\n to it, is just the sort of
accomplishment not to be acquired. Then they feed
around the sheaves, in societies of two or three scores,
with sentinels ever on the alert. The best mode
of out-generalling them is, before their feeding time
to ensconse yourself in a sheaf, near the spot they
resort, and there wait their coming. Or place your-
self behind the wall, ^rith which the Highland field is
sure to be fenced, and by poldng a stone out of it you
have a glorious embrasure. But this must be within
range of their feeding quarters, for they are so ex-
quisitely acute of hearing and sight, that a move,
however slight, betrays you.

Where there are but very few corn-fields (by no
means an unusual neighbourhood in the Scottish moor-
lands), the plantations on the sides of the hills may
be beaten with good prospect of black cocks. When
these plantings consist of birch and alder your chance
will be greatly improved. Place yourself above, and
send some one with a steady dog beneath them :
keep in advance of these as they beat. Let the

BLACK COCK SHOOTING. 49

beater keep outside, and beat the bushes, making
a great outciy. You will find a single beater of more
practical use than a dozen : in cover shooting of any
kind, unless where several guns are at work, more
mischief than good comes of a crowd of beaters. One
follower, and one old staunch dog, is all you want.
When you get a point, cause the bush to be well
stioick at the side opposite to you. By adopting this
plan you will kill more game than those who put up
ten times as much

Like everything that flies the aii', or walks the
earth, or swims the deep, or crawls the mud, black
game is obnoxious to the poacher's arts. Touching on
them, Mr. Colquhoun remarks, " I may put gentlemen
on their guard against two ways of poaching grouse and
black game, I believe not generally Iniown: — the first
is, hunting the young packs, before the moors are
open, with a very active terrier, or ' coUey. ' If the
dog understands the business, he will chop a great
many in a day. On a moor, in Roxburgshire, I saw a
sheep dog, accompanied by a young farmer, perform-
ing to admiration. I had the curiosity to watch their
proceedings, until I saw the dog snap up a young
grouse, quick as thought. The other plan is, to set
traps on the peat stacks, or in the green springs
where the birds come to drink and to eat small
insects; this last maybe continued all the season."
Now, like St. Augustine's famous confessions, the pub-
lication of these choice recipes for poaching, seems
of very questionable policy. Peter Pindar's ostler

50

BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

never heard of such a thmg as greasing a horse's teeth,
to cause him leave his com in the manger, until
the question was put by his confessor. Of all human
institutions, the system of game preservmg in this
countiy, is that which is the most opposed to com-
mon sense, and the natural instinct of prudence.
Landed proprietors select their keepers ordinarily
from those men who have been the most notorious
poachers of their neighbourhoods ; yet they never go
to Newgate for their stewards — how is this ?

THE BLACK OROISE.

The Black Grouse, or Black Cock. — This noble
bird inhabits both England and Scotland, although
sparingly spread over the former. It is found on the

BLACK COCK SHOOTING. 51

borders of the two Idngdoms, is plentiful farther
north, and abundant in those frequent haunts of its
favour — the sub-alpine sheep countries. It is found
in most of the wild districts extending to Sutherland ;
also in the islands of Mull and Skye. The counties
of England in which it is kno^vn, are Hampshire in
the New Forest, Somersetshire, Dartmoor and Ex-
moor, in Devonshire, and the wilder portions of
Staffordshire and Lancashire. They are also be-
coming plentiful, it is said, in the forest of Dela-
mere, in Cheshire.

The upper part of the plumage of the adult bird
is of a rich steel blue ; of the lower parts pitch black ;
the wing coverts are also pitch black; with the
secondaries, the greater ones are fringed with white,
thus forming a stripe across thewings visible in flight;
the under tail coverts are white. After the moid ting
process, there is a tinge of brown interspersed with
the full plumage, which again changes at the close of
winter. The peculiar featiu'e in the constmction of
the black grouse, is the singular form of its tail:
the feathers of which curve outwardly, and spread at
its fullest development into the shape of a lyre.
These plumes, thus elongated, would seem to signify
some peculiar sustenance of flight ; but the fact does
not prove so, for their ascent is neither of long dura-
tion, nor applicable to any known habit of the species.
We are told, that it holds analogy, in this forked tail
and silken plumage, to the Drongo Shrikes of Africa
and India. The female is smaller than the male,

52 BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

although the form of its tail is much the same, save
that the cm've scarcely exceeds half an inch in depth.
Its plumage is pale brownish-orange as the ground
colour ; yellow- white at the throat, breast, and belly ;
there is a shot of dark purple on the sides of the
neck. Bars, and undulations of black, cover the
plumage. The centres of the feathers on the wings
and shoulders are black, diverging to a fainter hue ;
and at the tips, similar to those of the partridge.
The bill of both male and female is black, or nearly
so. There is little variety of plumage in this species,
although Jardine speaks of a grey hen that he had,
shot by Sir Sidney Beckwith, whose entire colom' was
a dull whitish grey, and whose cross markings were
of a darker shade.

The black grouse are partial to moist flats, and
meadows of rank and luxuriant herbage. They appear
to care little for heathy pastures, but choose, in pre-
ference, those glens and passes between high lands,
where grow the natm-al biiishwood of the stunt birch
and hazel, the willow or the alder, and where fern is
both deep and tliick. In such favom^ed spots they
are never at a loss for food; ai'e protected from the
night-cold, and from the fervid rays of the midsum-
mer sun. Here, in flocks, they will resort to their
feeding grounds; young and old frequently joining
together amicably : and here they mil sport or rest
during the day's heat on the hill side, and pick up
food morning and evening. The females are left in
charge of their young ; they build their nests on the

BLACK COCK SHOOTING. 58

ground, near water, and the parents convey the
broods, when hatched, to the low, damp, rushy hol-
lows, where the tender seeds of the hill grasses and
rushes form their abundant nourishment. Sir Wil-
liam Jardine's account of the black cock is so graphic,
that we extract it for the amusement of our readers : —
" This bird is polygamous. In the warmer,
sunny days, at the conclusion of winter, and com-
mencement of spring, the males, after feeding, may
be seen arranged on some turf-fence, rail, or sheep-
fold, pluming their wings, expanding their tails, and
practising, as it were, their love-call. If the weather
now continues warm, the flocks soon separate, and
the males select some conspicuous spots, from whence
they endeavour to drive all rivals, and commence to
display their arts to allure the females. The places
selected at such seasons are generally elevations : the
turf-enclosure of a former sheepfold, which has
been disused, and is now grown over; or some of
those beautiful spots of fresh and grassy pasture,
which are well known to the inhabitants of a pastoral
district. Here, after, perhaps, many battles have
been fought and rivals vanquished, the noble, full-
dressed black cock takes his stand, commencing at
the first dawn of day, and, where the game is abun-
dant, the hill on eveiy side repeats the humming
call. They strut around the spots selected, trailing
their wings, inflating the throat and neck, and pufiing
up the plumage of these parts and the now brilliant
wattle above the eyes, raising and expanding their

E 2

54

BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

tails, and displaying the beautifully contrasting white
under tail-covers ; he is soon heard by the females,
who crowd around their lord and master. This
season of admiration does not continue long ; the
females, or grey hens, disperse, to seek proper

THE OREY HEN.

situations for depositing their eggs, wliile the males,
losing their feeling for love and fighting, re-assemble
in small parties, and seek the shelter of the brush
and fern beds to complete a new moult; and are
seldom seen, except early in the morning or at even-
ing, when they exhibit a degree of timidity the very
reverse of their former boldness and vigilance."

The young may be deemed full grown early in
September : but, even then, in districts that have

BLACK COCK SHOOTING. 55

never been disturbed, they will often suffer them-
selves to be mouthed by pointers without rising.
We have spoken of their summer food, as the berries
of Alpine plants and the seeds of rank grasses. In
winter, they eat the young fir-shoots, the catkins of
the hazel and the birch, and fern leaves, which so
frequently disagreeably taint their flesh. Where,
however, the bird frequents the low grounds, they
resort to the rape and turnip-fields, and feed during
frosty weather most gratefully upon the leaves. They
also resort to the stubble, and glean from it, by
hundreds, with great industry, a plentiful repast.
They are sometimes approached while flocking for
this purpose, by means of the fences, and shot at,
although at this season they are most shy and waiy.

This bird has been long extinct in Ireland, al-
though Smith, in his " History of Cork," mentions
it as met with in that locality (1749). It is
found in most European coimtries : France, Ger-
many, and even in Italy ; in Kussia, Siberia, Scan-
dinavia, Norway, Lapland. It is the Tetrao tetrix
of authors ; black grouse or cock, grey hen, of British
authors : Lyrurus tetrix of Swainson, so named from
the form of its tail.

As a conclusion to these notices of the grouse
family, the following extract from the letter of an
American sportsman will not be out of place : —

" There is not one wild bird or beast in America,
unless it be a few ducks, precisely similar to its
European congeners. The woodcock is a distinct

56 BLACK COCK SHOOTING.

variety {Scolopax mhior), rarely exceeding eight, and
never eleven, ounces ; he is red-breasted, and is in
the northern states a summer bird of passage ; com-
ing early in the spring, sometimes before the snow is
off the ground ; laying, rearing its young, and going
off, when the winter sets in, to the rice-fields and
warm wet swamps of Georgia and the Carolinas.
The bird called in the eastern states the partridge,
and everywhere southward and westward of New
Jersey, the pheasant, is in reality a grouse — the
ruffed or tipped grouse (Tetrao umhelliis) — a feather-
legged, pine-hmiting, mountain-loving bird, found in
every state, I believe, of the Union, in the Canadas,
and even up to Labrador. There are many other
grouse in North America, of which none are found
in the States, except the great abundance in Long
Island, New Jersey ; and the pinnated grouse, or
prairie-fowl, formerly found in north-eastern parts of
Pennsylvania, though on Long Island it is now quite
extinct, and nearly so in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. They are still killed on Martha s Vineyard,
a little island off the coast of Massachusetts, where
they are now very vigorously preserved ; and in
Ohio, Illinois, and all the western states, they lite-
rally swarm on the prairies. The spruce grouse, a
small and very rare kind, is found in Maine occasion-
ally, and in a portion of New York, between the
head-waters of the Hudson and Canada frontier.
Four or five other species are found in Labrador
and on the Rocky Mountains ; but none of these,

SHOOTING — SETTEES. 57

though well known to the ornithologist, can be in-
cluded in the sportsman's list of game. The par-
tridge of Virginia is the quail of New York, commonly
known as the Perdix Virginiana, though of late there
has been a stiff controversy as to his name and genus.
It is proved, I believe, beyond cavil, that he is not
exactly a quail, nor a partridge either, but a sort of
half-way link between them : the modem naturalists
call him an 07'tyx, a very silly name, by the way,ieince
it is only the Greek for quail, to which he is, in truth,
the more nearly connected. His habits are far more
like those of the quail than of the partridge, and he
should be called quail in the vernacular."

SETTERS.

Having now disposed of that which, by a slight licence,
may be termed the poetry of shooting, before entering
upon its more household stuff, allusion comes in aptly
to its intellectual agents. Although, as a principle,
we have recommended the use of the pointer, in
especial to the young disciple of the trigger, the first
place among shooting dogs must be awarded to the
Setter. In style and dash of ranging; in courage
and capacity of covering ground; in beauty of form

58 SHOOTING — SETTERS.

and grace of attitude ; in variety of colour and elegance
of clothing ; no animal of his species will at all hear
comparison with him. As the respective merits of
the pointer and the setter, however, have long been a
mooted question among sportsmen, we have much
pleasure in laying before the reader the opinion on
this subject of one of the most experienced authorities
in England. We speak of Mr. Lang, the well-known
gunia^aker of the Haymarket, to whom we are indebted
for the subjoined letter on that interesting inquiry: —
" Having had considerable experience in breeding
from some of the first kennels in England, Ireland,
and Scotland — amongst them those of the late Duke
of Gordon, Captain Ross, Mr. Osbaldeston, and other
celebrated sportsmen; and having also spent many
years, and much money, in the endeavom* to produce
a superior description of pointers and setters; an
account of my progress may be useful. I begin with
my opinions concerning pointers, by stating, where I
consider them superior, and where inferior, to setters.
Pointers are better for partridge shooting, as they are
milder in disposition, more tractable, and closer
rangers ; the latter a property of all others the most
desirable, if you want to kill birds after the first fort-
night in the season. They want also less water than
setters, who often suffer much in hot weather in
districts where it is not to be fomid. True, pointers
require more walking to, to beat their ground properly;
but I am persuaded, that if, instead of racing through
the middle of a field as though they were walking for

SHOOTING SETTEES. 59

a wager, and thus giving their dogs no earthly chance,
young sportsmen were to go slower than they generally
do, they would do more justice to themselves, their
dogs, and their presei^es. Few pointers can stand
work on the moors (where the cream of all shooting is
to he had) unless they have been bred, or have been
regularly worked on them. I know many gentlemen
who greatly prefer them, when so bred, to setters ;
but Scotch pointers are not so highly bred as south-
country dogs, and therefore more calculated for rough
work. Many are crossed with the foxhound, which
gives them speed and courage as well as hardness of
foot; but the produce of the first cross is generally
too high-mettled to be managed with ease, being
difficult to break from running hares, or to dowti
charge ; and, for the most part, very hard-mouthed.
You may reckon on six days out of eveiy twelve being
rainy in the Highlands ; the wet, and injuries from
burnt heather, &c., cause the pointer soon to become
foot-sore, particularly between the toes, as he has no
hair to protect his feet like the setter. High-bred
pointers are also delicate in their appetites, and will
not eat the Scotch meal at first. Gentlemen should
have plenty of greaves sent to their shooting quarters
to mix with it, as meat can seldom be had in the
remote grouse countries. They should give orders
that their dogs should be fed immediately on their
return from the hills, and their feet carefully washed
with salt and water: indeed, if gentlemen saw to
those things themselves, they would find their account

60 SHOOTING — SETTEES.

in it, observing that such dogs as would not feed well
were never taken out the following day. ' A stitch in
time saves nine,' is a good wholesome maxim.

" I now proceed to speak of the setter. The Irish
setters are veiy beautiful both in and out of the field ;
but so hot-headed, that, unless always at work, and
kept under veiy strict discipline, they constantly spoil
sport for the first hour, frequently the best in the
whole day. I have shot to many, and found them all
pretty much alike. I had one, the history of whose
bad and good qualities would fill half a dozen pages.
As long as I kept him to regular hard work, a better
never entered a field : I refused forty guineas for
liim, and shot him a month afterwards for his bad
deeds. I bred from him, out of an English setter
bitch, and some of the produce turned out very good ;
one of them I shot to myself for eight seasons ; my
reasons for parting with him I will presently explain.
Unless to throw more dash into my ]>:ennel, I should
never be tempted again to become master of an Irish
setter. Frequently, partridges are driven into gorse
or low cover, in the middle of the day, which few
pointers will face. I know it is not the fashion to
shoot to dogs in cover; but most true sportsmen
prefer shooting five brace of pheasants to setters or
mute spaniels, to fifty brace to beaters. In the latter
case you stand sometimes an horn' together without
getting a shot ; and then they rise a dozen at a time,
like barn-door fowls, and as many are killed in a few
hours as would serve for weeks of fair shooting.

THE SETTER.

" 111 tlie season of 1839 I was asked for a week's
shooting into Somersetshire, by an old friend, whose
science in eveiythmg connected with sportmg is first-

b'^ SHOOTING — SETTEES.

rate. Then, for the first time for many years, I had
my dogs, English setters, beaten hollow. His breed
was from pure Russian setters, crossed by an English
setter dog, which some years ago made a sensation
in the sporting world, from his extraordinary per-
formances ; he belonged to the late Joseph Manton,
and had been sold for a hundred guineas. Although
I could not but remark the excellence of my friend's
dogs, yet it struck me, as I had shot over my ov/n
old favourite setter (who had himself beat many
good ones, and had never before been beaten) for
eight years, that his nose could not have been right,
for the Russians got three points to his one. I
therefore resolved to try some others against them
the next season ; and having heard a gentleman, well
known as an excellent judge, speak of a brace of ex-
traordinary dogs he had seen in the neighbourhood of
his Yorkshire moors, mtli his recommendation I pur-
chased them. I shot to them in August 1840, and
their beauty and style of performance were spoken of
in terms of praise by a correspondent to a sporting
paper. In September I took them into Somerset-
shire, fully anticipating that I should give the Rus-
sians the go-by; but I was again disappointed. I
found, from the wide ranging of my dogs, and the
noise consequent upon their going so fast through
stubbles and turnips (particularly in the middle of the
day, when the sun was powerful, and there was but
little scent), that they constantly put up their birds out
of distance ; or, if they did get a point, that the game

SHOOTING SETTEES, 63

would rarely lie till we could get to it. The Russians,
on the contrary, being much closer rangers, quarter-
ing their ground steadily — heads and tails up — and
possessing perfection of nose, in extreme heat, wet,
or cold, enabled us to bag double the head of game
that mine did. Nor did they lose one solitaiy
wounded bird; whereas, with my own dogs, I lost
six brace the first two days' partridge shooting, most
of them in standing com.

" My old friend and patron, having met with a
severe accident while hunting, determined to go to
Scotland for the next three years. Seeing that my
dogs were well calculated for grouse shooting, as
they had been broken and shot to on the moors, and
being aware of my anxiety to possess the breed of
his Russians, he very kindly offered to exchange
them for mine, with a promise I would preserve a
brace of Russian puppies for him. Although I had
refused fifty guineas for my brace, I most gladly
closed with his offer. Since then I have hunted
them in company with several dogs of high character,
but nothing that I have yet seen could equal them.
If not taken out for six months, they are perfectly
steady, which is a quality rarely to be met with.
Every sportsman must know, that the fewer dogs he
can do his work with properly, the better ; for if they
are in condition, they cannot be too frequently
hunted; and their tempers, style of working, &c., be-
come more familiar to him. On this the whole com-
fort of shooting depends. Upon these grounds I

64 SHOOTING SETTEES.

contend that, for all kinds of shooting therefore
there is nothing equal to the Russian, or half-bred
Russian setter, in nose, sagacity, and eveiy other
qualification that a dog ought to possess. It may
ajopear an exaggeration, but it is my opinion, in
which I am supported by many of the first sportsmen
in England, that there is not one keeper in fifty that
knows how to manage and break a dog efi&ciently.
It is a common practice for keepers to take their
dogs out for an hour or two, twice or thrice a week,
morning or evening, just before the commencement
of the season — what would be thought of training
a horse in that w^ay, for a race over the flat, or
a steeple-chase? Hard and constant work is as
necessary for a dog, that has to hmit from morning
to night, and frequently for several successive days,
as for a race-horse. He should be taken out two or
three hours daily, in the middle of the day, to use
him to the heat, for three or four weeks before the
season begins ; and let me obsers^e, in conclusion,
that if his master were to adopt a similar course,
he would have good cause to rejoice in the precau-
tion before the end of his first week's shooting."

Another gentleman, a large breeder of sporting
dogs, thus answered our queries as to the kind of
animal best suited to the general purpose of
shooting : —

" I have tried all sorts, and, at last, fixed upon
a well-bred setter as the most useful. I say well-
bred, for not many of the dogs with feathered stems,

SHOOTING — SETTERS. 65

whicli one sees now-a-days, are worthy the name of
setter. Pohiter fanciers object to setters on account
of their requiring more water: but there are gene-
rally sufficient springs and peat-holes on the moors
for them ; and, even in the early part of September, a
horse-pond or ditch is to be met with often enough.
For cover or snipe shooting the setter is far superior,
facing the thorns in the cover, and the wet in the
bogs, without coming to heel shivering, like a pig in
the ague. I have always found, too, that setters,
when well broke, are finer tempered, and not so
easily cowed as pointers. Should they get an un-
lucky, undeserved kick, Don, the setter, wags his tail,
and forgets it much sooner than Carlo, the pointer.
My shooting lying near the moors, takes in eveiy
description of country, and I always find that, after a
good rough day, the setter will out-tire the pointer,
though, perhaps, not start quite so flash in the
morning.

" I always teach one, at least, of my dogs to bring
his game, which saves a world of trouble, both in and
out of cover, but never allow him to stir for the
bird imtil after loading. Should any of these remarks
prove of service, I shall feel most happy in having
assisted a brother sportsman."

A few words on the management of shooting dogs
in kennel. The building should be divided into com-
partments, ha\dng each a court, and communicating
with each other. A brick, or rather tile, pavement is
the best for the floors, as it is easier washed, and dries
p 2

66 SHOOTING — SETTEES.

sooner than the common brick. The court should be
gravelled, and each water-trough never without a piece
of suliohur in it. Twice or thrice give the dogs fresh
straw for their beds. Put salt into their " sop," as it
will prevent your dogs being plagued with worms.
Remember the specific for condition in any animal is,
" plenty of good food, and plenty of exercise." Draft
your dogs to their meals, as it teaches a well im-
pressed lesson of obedience. In summer wash them
frequently with soft soap — the avenging angel of
vermin ; also, if possible, give them a swim every
day in hot weather. Of all things take care ticks do
not get a footing in your kennel ; if they do, it 's long
odds you never get rid of them. Probably the only
radical cure, in such a case, is, to pull it down. After
hunting in wood or cover, examine them, and let every
tick be carefully picked off; this is an absolutely
necessary precaution. When they are numerous, or
very small, rubbing a dog well with sweet oil Anil kill
them. Dogs should be well wiped, and thoroughly
cleansed with a bmsh and i*ubber after hunting, in
the manner horses are. Tliis ■will keep them in a
veiy different condition from those, that are suffered
to lie down with the mud on their bodies, to cake
and harden.

-— 4^^— -

CHAPTER V.

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

Loiterer rise ! the mom hath kept
For thee her orient pearls unwept ;
Haste, and take them, while the light
Hangs on the dew-locks of the night.
See I Aurora thi-ows her fair
Fresh-tinted colours through the air.
Come forth ! come forth ! 'tis very sin
And profanation to keep in !
There's joy and gladness in the skies ;
Loiterer ! from thy couch arise !

Our life is short, our moments run
Swift as the coursers of the sun ;
And, like the vapour or the rain.
Once lost, can ne'er be traced again !
Each flow'r hath wept and eastward bow'd
The skylark, far above the cloud.
To hymn his song of praise, is fled ;
And all the birds their matins said :
There's joy and gladness in the skies ;
Loiterer ! from thy couch arise !

PAETEIDGE SHOOTING.

Haste, 'ere the sun hath drunk the dews,
Boon Nature to her banquet woos ;
Around, the smiling fields no more
Are waving with their golden store ;
Homeward bears the loaded wain,
The golden glories of the plain ;
And nut-brown partridges are seen
Gliding among the stubble screen :
There 's joy and gladness in the skies ;
Loiterer ! from thy couch arise !

Next, in seasonable succession to moor-fowl shooting,
comes the chase of the Partridge — for once to borrow
a sporting term from our friends beyond the Straits
of Dover. Like the red grouse, partridges may be
be called an exclusively national species of game.
We call them " birds," as taking precedence of the
whole feathered family ; and if flavour be any indica-
tion of quality (we did not say condition, as it might
have come within the possibility of a pmi), they are
entitled to this pre-eminence. As we shall show
presently, there are two kinds of partridges : the
grey, our indigenous, if not exclusive sort ; and the
red-legged, a foreigner, of recent introduction (and,
like other foreigners, if we had never seen him it
would have been no great loss).

According to act of parliament, you are entitled
to shoot them from the 1st of September to the
1st of Februaiy ; but (especially on your own manors)
if you begin on the 20th and finish on Old Twelfth
Day, you will find your reward, both in better sport
and a better stock. The amateur of the trigger and

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 0\)

a good crop of game, would do well to remember the
old catch —

" 'T was on the morn of Valentine
The birds began to mate,"

If you feel satisfied your ground will not be
beaten before you reach it, nine o'clock is quite soon
enough to take the field in September. At that hour
the coveys, which are not in the standing com, will be
met with in the stubbles, the cover of old high grass, in
the fallows and potato fields ; as yet, they do not fre-
quent turnips. When you have put up a covey, you
may make sure it will settle in the standing com.
To turn your sport to the best account, have markers
so placed as to ascertain where they alight. When
disturbed they are not likely, at this early period of
the season, to fly far ; but if shot at they will drop,
often close to you, and lie as if they were dead, from
the effect of terror. Birds which thus drop and
cower, are veiy difiicult to find, with the best nosed
dogs ; your markers here will do you good semce.

If not supplied with markers, after having flushed
your birds, beat for them as closely as if you were
looking for a needle in a barrel of hay. Indeed, it
ought to be the shooter's axiom, that a bird which he
has seen is worth a score that he hojjes to see. Be-
sides, nothing tends to make dogs more industrious
and confiding — the latter a great point — than mak-
ing them work on a spot where you are certain they
will find, and where they do find. In such cases,
too, the odds are, you kill your bird or birds, and your

70 PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

four-footed friend looks in your face, as who shall say,
"All's well that ends well."

Towards noon you will miss the partridge from
his ordinaiy haunt, and meet with him beside some
patch of water ; and having drank, he will repair to
some bank or potato ridge, for the purpose of sunning
himself. At this hour betake yourself and your dogs
to some place of shade and repose ; for the heat is
too oppressive peradventure for biped or quadruped,
and the scenting is sure to be bad. About three, the
birds will again begin to run, and if a breeze, too,
should put itself in motion, look for sport ; afternoon
shooting is ten jyer cent, better than morning. If the
range you beat in the morning held a good head of
birds, go back to it; partridges, unless very fre-
quently disturbed, are fomid more generally near
home than elsewhere.

As general rules, the young partridge shooter
may adopt worse than the following: — Dming the
entire season he will find wheat-stubbles and turnips
the best spots for holding partridges. Moreover, at
all times of the year, they lie more on the fallows
than is supposed. Therefore if turnips and stubbles
fail, try the fallows ; the lands which are nearest the
hedgerows in particular. Late in the season, the
fallows are the first places to which the partridge
shooter should direct his steps. If the weather be
fine and open, he is sure to find his game there. It
^vill lie very close, and most probably afford some
choice double shots. Also he should now beat furze-

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 71

covers, the fern of heaths and warrens, and cole-seed
patches, and the long white grass of young planta-
tions. This latter is very attractive, from the seeds
and insects with which it abounds. In storms and
fogs partridges lie veiy close, and in fine days which
follow storms. Heavy rains cause them to lie ex-
tremely close in turnips ; and, therefore, as well as
for many other reasons, it is not favourable for sport.
So much for the prose details of our sport : we will
sum up with a touch of the poetical, from the pen of
Colonel Hawker, the Magnus Apollo of young sports-
men: "If birds are wild, a sportsman who goes out
mth his man, and has no other attendant, will bring
in more game, if he contrives to moimt that man, or
rather a light boy, behind him ; because the moment
the dog stands, he can then dismount (by throwing
the right leg over the horse's neck), and leave the
man in full possession of the Rosinante, instead of
being encumbered with a led horse, wiiich frequently
precludes the possibility of his gallopping on to mark
a covey, or follow up a towering bird. Moreover, it
requires no conjuror to discover that two horses make
more noise than one ; and all noise, after the first few-
weeks, is the iTiin of sport. The gentleman with his
stud, would say — ' Why not have three horses ? '
This, I admit, is a more dignified way of taking the
field, than the subaltern turn-out of the Johnny Trot
behind ; but then we have the clatter of three horses,
with the clatter of two servants' tongues, an increase
of noise that would set the birds on the mn ; and it

72 PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

would be as vain to attempt the suppression of the
one as the other. In short, I would back the double-
mounted gent against the great squire and his stud.
Two on a horse, and the cad to be helmsman, is an
excellent way of giving the shooter the liberty of his
hands, the moment the covey springs imexpected.
Recollect, too, in wood about five feet high, a momited
man can shoot, where one on his legs cannot see ;
and again, if a hare runs straight away, she may be
killed ten jen'ds further, if you are well above her,
and catch her head and pole clear of her high rump.
All these little et cetera are what may be called the
finish ; as to ordinary sporting, in the present day, we
may as well tell a man how to eat his dinner." The
colonel treats the position of his young scholars with
somewhat of a high hand.

The common Partridge, of British authors, is
abundant in Europe; and plentiful in almost all
parts of our own island. It is one of the game
birds that delights in the cultivation that follows the
steps of man. The cunning of this bird can only
be equalled by its laziness. Finding a plentiful
harvest in the grain of the labourer, it will often
make its nest in the young com and grasses, and
by this means perish ; for before the yomig brood is
hatched, the haiwest has sometimes commenced. The
partridge pairs very early in spring, although the
young are frequently not more than half grown by
the beginning of September. Their nests are selected
variously. The wildest birds have been known to

PARTEIDGE SHOOTING

73

make them close to a highway, and within a foot of
a field path ; while some have chosen for concealment
the cavities of old oaks. However, their prevalent

THE PARTRIDGI

mode of nidification is thus :— The first genial days of
a fine Febmary, they have paired and selected their
smnmer abode, long before there is any need for
preparation for the season of incubation. They seek
out a ready-made cavity, which they scoop out into a
deeper and more symmetrical hollow ; and, ^\ithout
furnishing the nest, but contenting themselves with
the bare ground, they deposit from twelve to twenty
eggs. It is sometimes made in a furrow, always
under cover of tufts of grass.

This bird has few means of defence ; but that in-
stinct, which leads her to singular stratagems, is very

74 TAETEIDGE SHOOTING.

remarkable. Let an intruder stumble on a partridge s
nest, and he shall find, in the midst of a sort of
scrambling uproar — the cries of the parents, and the
bustle of the brood — that the mother bird will hop
limping away, as though her wdngs were broken, or
as though, maimed and w^omided, she threw herself
on the mercy of the enemy. Both parents are as-
siduous in the nurture of the young. We find in
Selby's first volume of " Illustrations of British Or-
nithology," an instance of the \dgorous defence this
usually timid bird will make when pushed to ex-
tremity, and actuated by the parental instinct: —
"A person engaged in a field not far from my resi-
dence, had his attention arrested by some objects on
the ground, which, upon approaching, he fomid to be
two partridges, a male and female, engaged in battle
with a carrion crow: so successful and so absorbed
were they in the issue of the contest, that they
actually held the crow till it was seized and taken
from them by the spectator of the scene. Upon
search, the young birds, lately hatched, were found
concealed amongst the grass. It would appear, there-
fore, that the crow, a mortal enemy to all kinds of
young game, in attempting to carry off one of these,
had been attacked by the parent birds, and with the
above singular success." In similar instances, of the
heroism of instinct, may be traced the affinity of all
animal classes in the world's space. Even as the
human parent will overcome the instinct of self-
preservation by the heart's impulse, or the body's

PARTEIDGE SHOOTING. 75

coui^age, so will the bird, the dog, the elephant, at
times, rise above instinct into heroism.

The plumage of the partridge is too well known
to need specification beyond the statement, that at
breeding seasons its colom^s become deeper ; that, in
the male at that period, the skin above the eyes be-
comes of a pmldsh red colour ; while, in the female,
the feather-tips are then more distinctly marked with
pale yellow grey. Its plumage is subject to greater
variation than almost any bird in the list of the
Rasores; cream-coloured markings and pure white
spots often occurring, and umber-brown and pure
black blotches being observed in different specimens
of tliis game. It is not fomid in the moorish dis-
tricts of Scotland. Generic characters : bill short,
rather strong, bending from the base ; nostrils lateral,
uncovered by feathers, but protected by an arched
naked scale ; wings short, romided, fourth and fifth
quills longest; tarsi and feet naked; anterior toes
united at the base by a membrane. Types : Pei^dLv
cinerea, picta, dc. ; Europe, Asia.

Note. — Frequent lower countries, and are partial
to cultivation. Not arboreal, gregarious only to the
amount of their broods.

It is said that a " preponderance in the number
of cock birds occm^s in the breedings of each season;"
in consequence of which the hen partridge is so
tormented by a number of males, " that she drops
one in one place and one in another, until there re-
mains for her but one cock and no nest! " The best

76 PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

mode we are told to destroy the superabundance of
cocks is, during the first weeks of the season, to net
the covey, and destroy all the old cocks, leaving only as
many young ones as hens, or even one less ; for it is
certainly better that the hen should look for the cock
(which she undoubtedly will find), than a number of
cocks for a hen. It should be recollected that, where
old birds are left, they will, at the pairing season,
drive off the yomigsters, and prevent their breeding ;
for let any sportsman declare if ever, on finding a
single brace of partridges in the shooting season that
have not bred, and are termed by the sportsman a
gelt pair, he has found a covey near the same place
where he found them; which can only be accounted
for by the old birds driving the young ones from the
breeding grounds. Indeed, if some of the cocks are
not killed eveiy year, the chances will be, the district
will in time become destitute of game.

When the eggs are hatched, the yomig birds can
run at once ; and so immediate is this, that they have
been seen with parts of the shell still sticldng to
them. When partridges' eggs are introduced under
the common hen, she will hatch them, and rear them
indiscriminately with her own. The favourite and
one of the most necessary sorts of food of the young
partridge, is ants' eggs ; these must be procured for
birds hatched under foster care. The male and
female bird have a different call : the cock has a
sharp and strong call ; the hen partridge a low and
softer one. The jucking noise peculiar to their

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 77

settling themselves to roost, is the most important
one to the sportsman. The male bird is the chief
officer, both in the nidification and rearing of the
yomig until they can faintly fly, when he loses all
the parental solicitude for which both male and
female partridge are so remarkable ; but the hen
still watches over them, conducts them to their
scratching grounds, searches their food for them,
and gathers them, at the least alarm, together ; and
this continues until they are witliin a third as big as
herself. Every sportsman knows the ciy of distress
given by this bird when flushed ; and, perhaps, one
of the most interesting scenes, in the world of the
game fields, occurs, when both parents sitting, covering
the chickens with their wings, are surprised. Off
flies the male, and into the very teeth of the enemy,
perhaps in order to blind him as to the situation of
the nest ; next the female rises, hovering low, in
another direction : and the danger past, they will re-
tmii, silently and by secret ways, to their beloved
charge. Although the partridge may seem indif-
ferent to its own preservation, by roosting upon the
ground, where it might be exposed to the dangers of
ferrets, stoats, wild cats, &c. ; yet it may be seen, that
it chooses its ground always in the midst of culti-
vation, and never trusts itself to coverts, hedges,
and coppices, save in the day time.

The Red-Legged, or French, Partridge {Ferdix
riifa). — A beautiful bird, which, notwithstanding its
name, prefers Southern Europe, Spain, and Portugal,

g2

78

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

to France. In Normandy and Picardy they are so
little known, that the grey partridge is in infinitely
greater abundance. But preferring in all cases a

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.

warm diy soil, these birds Hock pretty plentifully in
the sunny vine provinces of France. They are said to
like momitainous situations, covered with wood ; and,
also, that the partridge spoken of in the Chronicles,
" The king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as one
would hunt a partridge on the momitains," was the
red-legged one. Their mode of perching on trees,
which the grey partridge never does, and their ap-
pearance in j)rtc/c.s, constitute differences from the
latter. This rich-plumaged bird was introduced into
England as early as the reign of Charles the Second.
English landowners, during the last centuiy, have

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 79

also imported many thousands of their eggs, and
have hred them, and turned them out on their
manors. It is said that there are ahundance of these
red birds on Lord Hertford's estate, in Suffolk.
They have lately been killed in the southern and
south-eastern counties. Their flesh is white, and
can never be esteemed as good eating as the common
bird ; but they prove an adorning variety, and pleasant
addition of plumage, in the parks of the game-pre-
servers. They are in plenty in the isles of Jersey
and Guernsey ; and it is supposed, that some birds
have made a flight, and alighted on our coasts from
these islands. They do not appear ever to have been
naturalized in Scotland or Ireland. They are used
in Cyprus as game-cocks, here and elsewhere, for the
amiable purpose of butchering each other. It swarms
in the island of Nansis to such a degree, as to be
a great nuisance to the people of the place, who are
compelled to collect the eggs for destiiiction, in
order to obtain a chance of saving their harvests
from the little creature's rapacity. Imagine a coun-
try where a man leads thousands of partridges about
like sheep ; not, certainly, on the ground, but hover-
ing over his head, and alighting around him to
repose ! Yet such is the account given of the par-
tridge-land round Trebizond. In Provence, this col-
lecting together partridge-flocks, takes place in a
smaller degree. " A certain Sussex man," relates
Willoughby, " had, by his industiy, made a covey of
partridges so tame, that he drove them before him,

80 PARTRIDGE SHOOTING.

upon a wager, out of that county to London, though
they were absolutely free, and had their wmgs
grown." It may he remembered how Lord Orford,
in 1790, made a bet with the eccentric Marquis of
Queensbmy, that a drove of geese would beat an
equal number of turkeys in a race from Norwich to
London. The geese kept steadily jogging on, but
the turkeys flew up to roost in the trees adjoining
the high-road, and the drivers lost time in dis-
lodging them ; thus the geese beat the tui"keys
hollow. Mr Daniel gives this faithful description
of the bird's plumage : — " It is larger than the grey
partridge, and the bill and irides are red ; the fore-
head is grey brown ; the hind head is rufous brown ;
the chin and throat white, encircled with black ;
added to which, is a band of white over each eye
to the hind head : the fore part and sides of the
neck are cinereous, with two spots of black on each
feather ; the hind part of the neck rufous brown ;
the back, wings and rump, greyish brown : the breast
joale ash colour ; belly, sides, thighs, and vent rufous ;
the sides marked with kmular streaks of colour,
white, black, and orange ; quills grey bro^vn, with
the outer edges yellowish ; the tail composed of six-
teen feathers : the four middle ones grey bro^^Tl, the
next on each side the same, but rufous on the out-
side, the five outer ones rufous on both sides ; the
legs are red, and the male only has the blunt knob,
or spur, behind them."

CHAPTEK VI.

PHEASANT SHOOTING

" What can people know about spoiling that never go a hunting
above once a year, and then only on Easter Monday in a hackney-
coach?" — Sir Oliver Ballwinkle,

" Heeds not the jay the insect's painted wings,
Nor hears the hawk when Philomela sings." — Pope.

It is a fact, that more than one writer, upon the
science and mystery of sporting, speaks of the cruelty
of killing the pheasant, because of the beauty of its
plumage. This is cariying consideration for outward
appearance, beyond most modem instances. For our
poor part, we hold such philosophy worthy only those
gentry who " go a hunting on Easter Monday in a
hackney-coach." To the youthful shooter we say, ac-
count fine feathers as little as doth the hawk; indeed,
we go further, and counsel him, should the chance
offer, rather to enrich his game-bag with some espe-
cial dandy of the pheasant tribe, some beau in gold
or silver plum'd brocade, than the mere bird of scarlet

8-2 PHEASANT SHOOTING.

and purple, that, in and out of season, form the fes-
toons of every poultry butcher s show-window.

Pheasant-shooting commences on the 1st of Oc-
tober. It is rarely, however, that the season is so
forward as to give us, so early, nides sufficiently ad-
vanced towards trigger matuiity. Indeed, the sport
may be postponed with great convenience ; as no
cover-shooting is pleasant, or veiy profitable, till the
trees are at least partly stripped of their foliage.
In beating covers for pheasants, if you use dogs at
all, employ low-backed spaniels, with short legs.
Never take your setters with them ; for you cannot
find a dog, any more than a man, master of all
trades. They, the spaniels, ought to be slow, mute,
and fond of " pottering," or hunting close around
you. But the time way to go about this business
is to take cover yourself, with only a single steady
retriever at yom' heels. Some thirty or forty yards
behind you have a coi'ps of boys with sticks, to beat
the bushes, and who will instantly give over when
they hear a shot, until the word is again given
\)j you — " Go on." They should then proceed as
before.

As this process will certainly cause many of the
old birds to run for the cover sides, the boundaries
and adjoining fences should be beaten immediately
after the cover has been drawn. Here you may be
sure of shots, and without the annoyance of boughs
and stems of trees to interrupt your aim. All hedge-
rows in the vicinity of covers are likely to hold

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 83

pheasants, but more especially those which nui from
one to another. Should you design to beat them
without disturbmg the covers, the best time is early
in the morning, after rain, as the dripping of the
trees has the effect of driving pheasants abroad
In beating for pheasants, more particularly early in
the season, don't leave a foot of cover untried : we
have often found a whole nide in a tuft you might
put under your pocket-handkerchief; and that, too,
within a few yards of a spot, where a volley of jokes
had been firing off for half an hour.

Some old sporting writers allude to a practice
that once prevailed, of beating thick underwood for
pheasants with an ancient pointer, ha\dng bells
affixed to his neck; so that when the sportsman
ceased to hear them, he became aware there Avas a
point. Upon this style of shooting a modem writer
observes, " When a man goes out with his pointers
and bells, he ought not to forget the cap for him-
self." In extensive w^oods, pheasants rarely take
very long flights ; but when you flush them in the
open countiy, they will soar up to a great height,
and then skim out of sight, as if bomid^for another
kingdom. Those who are employed to mark phea-
sants, will frequently see them flapping their wings
to end their flight, and settle in, or rather precipitate
themselves into, some thick bush or hedgerow, where
they will perch just above the gromid, and remain
as still as if dead. In like manner, the hen phea-
sant, when sitting, hovers over her nest, and then

84 PHEASANT SHOOTING,

falls, as it were, perpendicularly into it. This, of
course, prevents all scent of their seat.

During the winter, turnip-fields in the neigh-
bourhood of covers, about three in the afternoon, are
good places for pheasants. By beating from the
cover, with a steady dog, you will get fair sporting.
Your dog should quarter from your signal, and drop
at wing or shot on the instant. The pheasant is the
prince of the game birds of our island, to be met
"with in such store as to entitle him to the notice of the
sportsman. It is ti-ue, the capercalzie exists among
our forests, and so does the wild turkey of America
in the woods of a Yorkshire preserver; but, as a
species, the pheasant is the noblest of British game.
Odd enough that we should derive it from China,
which certainly does not furnish us with the best
samples of " the human form divine."

The common Pheasant {Fhasiamis Colchicus). —
Britain cannot boast, among her ornithological beau-
ties, the indigenous possession of this bird. It has
no claim, in common with any of its family, the
Phasiamdce, to a place in European fauna. It is,
notwithstanding, perhaps, the most successful of all
our introductions. It was brought into Britain, in
the reign of Edward the First, according to Echard ;
and into Europe from Colchis (whence it still retains
its name), 1250 years before the Christian era. The
pheasant is found in abundance spread over all the
woods and forests of England, as well as from the
south to the middle of Scotland. In Ireland, from

PHEASANT SHOOTING.

85

the impracticability of the preservation of game, it is
much more unequally distributed. In our English
preserves, the two European birds of different

plumage, the one strikingly marked in the neck with
a white ring, the other without it, have bred toge-
ther; and thus we constantly observe specimens of
either, or with the mark modified. Of all birds this

86 PHEASANT SHOOTING.

is the most easily shot ; for when they rise, they make
a whizzing and flapping noise that instantly betrays
them : besides that, they are heavy on the wing, and
of slow flight. Thus Pope says : —

" Ah ! what avail his glossy varying dyes,
His purpled crest, and scarlet circled eyes,
The vivid green his shining plumes unfold.
His painted wings, and breast that flames with gold."

In the woods, the female makes her nest of dry
grass and leaves, and there she lays from eighteen to
twenty eggs in a season ; but half that number is
above the average, when semi-domesticated in the
pheasantry. They will roost upon the highest trees
of the forest, at night ; by day, the hens will hamit by
dozens the lawns and gardens attached to their pre-
sei-ves, and, hunting for their promiscuous food, do
considerable damage to fruit and flower. When
mth the female, the male bird makes a flapping
noise, that often betrays its retreats. A pheasant,
though so marvellously beautiful, is a dull bird; and
the hen, in its domesticated state, loses all the
patience, vigilance, and care with which, in the
remoter woods, she hatches and rears her brood :
indeed, when kept thus, the common hen is fre-
quently her substitute over the eggs. A full grown
pheasant cares little what food he attacks ; he is
immoderately fond of oats and barley. When young,
ants' eggs, wood-lice, earv\igs, and other insects seem
necessary to the bird. It may be brought, or rather

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 87

it has a tendency, to couple with other gallinaceous
birds ; with the domestic poultry, the common hen,
and even the turkey. It has been known to have
intercoiu'se with the black grouse, notwithstanding
some veiy fine hexameters of Mr. Addison to the
contrary.

In our preserves, we find many varieties of
plumage ; the female sometimes assumes a pure
white, more often than the male bird. The beautiful
variety, called the Bohemian Pheasant, of the rich sil-
very grey, is well known. Jardine says, that the eggs
of the varieties may also be kno-\vn and separated by
the colours of their shells, being of quite different
shades. Where the pheasant is wildest, its flesh
eats the best. At all epochs, the fame of the phea-
sant has been unrivalled, even by the peacock, for
beauty. When Croesus, king of Lydia, desirous to
dazzle others, or be dazzled himself, by the volup-
tuous trappings of his wealth, demanded of the wise
man, what could exceed his magnificence? Solon
answered simply, that the plumage of the pheasant
was finer than all he saw. And, indeed, the artist,
the manufacturer, the dyer, the birth-night beauty,
or the poet, may faintly imitate, but never reach or
surpass the splendours of its vivid hues. That
blending of colours, which yet do not intermingle ;
that shotting or shadhig of gem-like radiances, found
in the plumage of the pheasant, is its characteristic.
Beswick thus describes it : — " The pheasant is about
two feet eleven mches in lencrth. The bill is of a

83 PHEASANT SHOOTING.

pale honi colour; the nostrils are hid under an
arched coveiing; eyes yellow, and surrounded by a
space, in appearance like scarlet cloth finely spotted
with black; immediately under each eye is a small
patch of short feathers, of a dark spotted glossy
purple ; the upper parts of the head and neck are
deep purple, varying to glossy green and blue ; lower
parts of the neck and the breast reddish chesnut, with
black indented edges; the sides and lower parts of
the breast the same, with pretty large tips of black
to each feather, which, in different lights, vary to a
glossy purple ; the belly and vent are dusky ; back
and scapulus beautifully variegated with black and
white, or cream colour, speckled with black, and
mixed with deep orange ; all the feathers edged with
black; on the lower part of the back is a mixtm^e of
green ; the quills are dusky, freckled wdth white ;
wing coverts brown, glossed wdth green, and edged
with white ; rump plain reddish bro^vu ; the two
middle feathers of the tail are about twenty inches
long, the shortest on each side less than five, of a
reddish brown, marked with transverse lines of black ;
legs dusky, with a short blunt spur on each, but in
some old birds the spm'S are as sharp as needles ;
between the toes there is a sharp membrane. The
female is less, and does not exhibit that variety and
brilliancy of plumage which distinguish the male :
the general colours are light and dark brown, mixed
with black; the breast and belly finely freckled with
small black spots on a light gromid ; the tail is short,

PHEASANT SHOOTING. 89

and barred somewhat like that of the male; the
space romid the eye is covered with feathers."
Heliogabalus is recorded to have fed the lions of his
menagerie with the delicious flesh of these birds.
The Greeks, as they ascended the river Phocis, were
early caught by the splendid plumage, and intro-
duced the pheasant among the Romans, as a common
article of luxuiy among the magnificent. Jardine
says, that the pheasant " may be said to be originally
restricted to the Asiatic continent, extending over to
the greater part of it, and reaching to China and the
confines of Tartaiy." It is now known in Siberia, and
has been introduced into North America. The price
pheasants bore in England, in the time of Edward
the First, was fourpence ; at the same time that a
fat mallard was three halfpence, a plover one penny,
a couple of woodcocks three halfpence, and a fat
lamb at Christmas one shilling and fourpence. At
Isola Madre, in the Lago Maggiore, they are in a
beautiful prison-land ; for they cannot fly over the
lake to the continent, their wings are so short, and
so ill-adapted for flight; they are drowned when
they attempt it. The pheasants of the Archipelago,
that go thither from the woods of Thessaly, are
accounted the handsomest in the world, besides
being the largest. The rich Turks of Salonica use
to let fly at them birds of prey, which they carry on
their fist. Sonnini thus describes the method : —
" When the pheasant first takes its flight, the bird
of prey, which they let loose, hovering above, com-

90 PHEASANT SHOOTING.

pels it to perch ou some tree ; he then places liiin
self on another branch over its head, and keeps it in
such terror, that it suffers itself to be approached,
and easily taken alive." This fact sufficiently deve-
lops the mystery of fascination. Mr. Waterton gives
us a most valuable remark on breeding pheasants :
" Notwithstanding," says he, " the proximity of the
pheasant to the natm-e of the bam-door fowl, it baffles
every attempt at complete domestication, from a most
singular innate -timidity, which never fails to shew
itself on the sudden and abrupt appearance of any
object. I spent some months in tiying to overcome
this timorous propensity in the pheasant, but com-
pletely failed in my object." At the commencement
of the season, the birds that he reared under a
common hen, took to the woods: " The more we
look into the habits of the pheasant, the more we are
persuaded that much more attention ought to be paid
to it than it receives, or than is generally paid to
other kinds of game. The never-failing morning
and evening notice which it gives of its place of
retreat, together with its superior size, cause it to be
soon detected, and easily killed. The tax, too,
w^hich government has put upon it, enhances its value
as an indispensable delicacy at the tables of those
who give good cheer."

CHAPTER VIL

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING.

Trained to the chase, his eagle eye

The ptarmigan in snow could spy."— Scott.

Being a member of the grouse family, in a work
merely of natural history, the ptarmigan would have
been entitled to a notice among its race ; but, as
inferior to the pheasant and partridge, as a bird of
game, it must be content to follow them in these
pages. Steam navigation, and the recent micommon
facilities of locomotion, have rendered us familiar
with the presence of this pretty bird in the shops
of the poulterers, without oui' knowing, or probably
caring, " how the devil it got there." Indeed, the
most recondite in sporting reading, would have found
it difficult to expatiate on the habits, pursuit, and
process of sporting after the ptarmigan, till the
publication of Mr. Colquhomi's " Moor and Loch."
Hawker is silent about it; Daniel spoke of it as
somebody had spoken to him ; and Colonel Thornton

93 PTARMIGAN SHOOTING.

says, he shot a batch of them on the top of some
momitain near Loch Ennoch. Mr. Blaine, in his
Encyclopaedia, also deals mth it veiy cavalierly.
Now, there is no doubt but that it is a bird admi-
rably in keeping with the districts in which it is
fomid. Perched among the grey rocks, of which it
seems a broken fragment, its wild look contrasts
strangely T\ith the disregard it manifests of man's
presence. You cannot roam over the savage soli-
tudes it inhabits, and look on the absence of all
knowledge of civilization its demeanour denotes,
mthout being strongly reminded of the stanza in
the stoiy of Alexander Selkirk: —

" Tlie beasts that roam over the plain,
My form with indifference see ;
They are so miacquainted with man —
Their tameness is shocking to me I"

Like deer- stalking, and a visit to Corinth, it
isn't eveiybody who has had a turn mth the white
bird of the mountains. We therefore take the
liberty of borrowing 'Mr. Colqidioun's description of
a day with the ptarmigan ; it is his second day : —

" When we got to the foot of Ben-Voirla, we
found that there were two packs, on what is called
the second top, and were thus saved the trouble of
scaling the highest. So, taking two young farmers
as guides, we reached the ground after a stiff climb.
On ranging one side of the mountain, just as we
were turning round to the other, the dogs ran into

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING. 93

a small pack, which jerked round an angle, and were
out of sight in a moment. I knew their flight would
probably be a short one, so began to look about with
the utmost caution. My friend, quite a novice in
the sport, had no idea of finding the game himself,
and continued to hunt the dogs with great assiduity.
We happened to be pretty near together when they
again poked up a ptarmigan. Neither of us thought
of each other, or the ordinary rules of shooting, but
fired at once, and down came the bird. This was
rather unsatisfactory, as the honour and glory be-
longed to neither : however, we determined it should
not happen again. I described what places the birds
were most likely to haunt, and cautioned against
trusting to the dogs, which are quite unaccustomed
to the gromid ; but finding my companion preferred
his own plan, I left him, and commenced my slow
and waiy search. At last I caught sight of a ptarmi-
gan upon the veiy ridge of the hill, about thirty
yards above me. It was in a crouching attitude, and
had I attempted to put it up, would have dipped out
of sight in an instant. I was therefore obliged to
shoot it sitting ; but the moment I fired, another flew
straight over my head, his hoarse croak proclaiming
the cock of the pack. I had a fair shot, and down he
dropped. The first I killed being a hen, they made
a capital pair for my collection.

" I was now very anxious my brother sportsman
should have a good chance ; so, joining company, we
scrutinized the ground on every side, without success :

94 PTAEMIGAN SHOOTING.

only one bird was put up, out of all distance, wliicli
my friend determined to follow. So, agreeing to
meet at the foot of tlie hill, we took different ranges.
Fortune again declared in my favom', for just as I
was scrambling, with hands and knees, up a steep
precipice, a pack of four rose upon the very top, and
flew into mid air, just giving me time to steady
myself, cock my gun, and get a distant shot, when
one of them dropped into the giilf below. I sent my
guide to fetch it, which he accomplished with some
difficulty; and then dispatched him in quest of my
less successful companion, with the injmiction, that if
he joined in pursuit of my game, the odds would be
three to one in his favour.

" I had scarcely got to the peak, where I thought
it most probable my three fugitives would again take
refuge, when I was overtaken by one of those bitter
hail showers which often fall on the mountains in
early autumn ; so, placing my gim in its waterproof
cover, and my back, Fitzjames like, against a rock, I
impatiently hoped for the cessation of the storm.
Scarcely had it began to abate, when an Alpine hare
came com'tseying past, about eighty yards from my
shelter, and then seated herself mth equal grace — as
tempting a mark for a rifle as could possibly be placed.
It was not to be resisted, even ^vith my small shot ;
so, slowly uncasing my gun, and taking deadly aim,
I fired. Puss gave an active bound at this mflooked-
for attack, and took her leave with far less ceremony
than she made her entree.

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING. 95

" I had just re-loaded, when my guide appeared
with a breathless malediction on my gun. He had
seen my friend going down the mountain, but quite
beyond recall, and, when returning to me, had
stumbled on the ptarmigan, most conspicuously
perched on the top of a rock. He was in the act
of taking his marks, to know the place again, in
the hope of finding me, when my shot abruptly put
an end to his schemes. The birds were equally
dissatisfied with the sound, as their four-footed ally
of the crags, and made the same use of their wings
as she did of her legs. It was now late ; but as the
man had some idea of where they might be, I could
not resist the temptation of giving them one more
trial. We had almost given up hope, when they a
third time rose, veiy wild, fully a hundred yards off,
from a knoll of moss, where they were at feed. My
time was now up, so I descended the mountain, well
pleased with my days sport, notwithstanding the
mishap at the end,"

Ptarmigan shooting may be set down as the
" caviare to the million : " few will think " the play
worth the candle," as the French saw has it; the
bird being, moreover, to the gounnand (following our
experience of its flavour) pretty much like the Irish-
man's horse, — very hard to catch, and not worth
the trouble when overtaken. Ptarmigan change
their plumage about October, when they put on a
double suit of feathers, in anticipation of winter.
They are then white; in spring they are more brown,

96

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING.

grey, or the same colour as the rocks among which
they live.

The common, or White Ptarmigan ; White Grouse
of British authors. — Sir W. Jardine, whose authority,
as a naturalist, is unquestionahly great, speaks of

^HITE GROUSE, UR PriRMlOAN.

frequent so-called specimens of this species, Lagopus
mutus, thus doubtfully: — "This bird, delicately
marked in its summer dress, and of a snowy white-
ness in that of winter, has generally been considered
as a native of both the American and European
continents. The comparison, however, of many spe-
cimens of grouse, which become white in winter, leads
us to believe that the distinction of species is still
undetermined. We have seen, however, what we

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING. 97

consider the L. mutus, from Arctic America, and
also among the packages of birds which are said by
the poulterers to come from Norway (in a frozen
state). But many of the birds mentioned as ptar-
migan, from various localities, cannot always with
certainty be referred to that of Britam."

The common ptarmigan is clothed during winter
with a plimiage of pure white, with the exception of
the black markings of the outer tail feathers and
shafts of quills, and the space between the bill and
the eyes. In summer the markings turn dark grey,
or brown-grey, wattled with black ; thus, in all
seasons, taking, by the beautiful ordination of Pro-
vidence, those hues, that, assimilating with the grey
rock, or snow-covered pinnacle, best assist its con-
cealment from the piercing sight of its feathered
assailants, and preserve it from the more erring aim
of its human enemy. The female, at breeding time,
changes her plmnage towards a fine ochreous yellow,
crossed broadly with black, while the under parts
remain white. It is, as we have heard, unlmown
whether the male- also changes his plumage at the
season of incubation, or whether the change to grey-
ish hues takes place when he moults. Although this
bird now inhabits none but those Alpine solitudes all
but inaccessible to the enterprise of man, it is said,
in some of our oldest writers, to have been fi-equent
enough, at one period, in the hilly parts of England,
such as Westmoreland and Cumberland. We must
climb the peaks of Ben Voirla, Ben Veira, and Ben

98 PTAPiMIGAN SHOOTING.

Lomond in the western highlands, and dwell for a
space in the shepherds hut of the mountains of
Ross and Inverness, ere we can now accomplish the
feat of securing a few hrace of these wild birds. The
Grampian range is the most southerly resort of the
ptarmigan at present. It is often tracked by its call,
a low, wild, wailing note, or by the cluck of the
female. They appear little to dread the sight of
man, but will, amid the mountain mosses, run before
him, or drop from ledge to ledge of the precipitous
rock, as slowly and silently as though practising a
lesson taught by reason. In the spring and summer
they are very tame. Their flight is low and wheeling,
and the whiz of the vdng not to be heard even in
tlie rarefied atmosphere of their chosen dwelling-
place. Their nests are very difiicidt of discover}^
being placed under rocks and stones; and the female,
following the true bird instinct, always leaves the nest
in being alarmed, and wheels away over the rocks,
clucking as she goes. This bird is not indigenous
to Ireland.

The Lagopus rupestris is considered a distinct
species, in the British list of " Ptarmigan," by some
authors; but as Mr. Yarrel is far from satisfied that
the L. rupestris is anything but " a seasonal or sexual
variety" of the L. mutus, we will only give the speci-
fication of the female bird, shot by Sir W. Jardine,
on Ben More, Sutherlandshire. " The rock ptar-
migan.— The entire length is rather more than twelve
inches ; seven and a half inches from the mn^ to the

PTARMIGAN SHOOTING. 99

third qijill ; of the tarsus, one inch five-eighths, equal-
ling that of the centre toe, nail included ; the nail
about five-eighths. On the upper parts, the dark or
ground colour of the feathers is deep brownish, or
pitch black ; but each feather is cut into, or partially
barred, with ochreous-yellow, on the back and tail
coverts, being tipped and edged with a much paler
tint, sometimes approaching to yellowish white ; the
quills, secondaries, and shoulders are pure white;
the shafts of the former black, and having sometimes
a brownish black tint accompanying their length ; the
tail contains sixteen feathers; the outer pair are
edged with whitep^long the outer web ; and, with the
next six, on each side, are dull black, white at the
tips, where they are also slightly worn ; the upper
coverts reach within a quarter of an inch of the end of
the tail. On the cheeks, throat, neck, and breast,
the yellow and pale markings predominate to a
greater extent; and, on the latter, assume more the
form of bars; on the belly, flank, and other lower
parts, the yellow markings still prevail, and assume a
greater space in the form of transverse broken masses,
while, in the lower part of the breast and centre of
the belly, there are many pure white feathers, which
give a paler or more hoary shade to these parts ; the
tarsi and half of the toes only are strongly feathered ;
the nails are brownish black, pale at the base." Now
the size of the common ptarmigan is from fourteen to
sixteen inches in the male bird, and sometimes
larc^er; in the female fourteen inches. Sir W.

100 PTAEMIGAN SHOOTING.

Jardine's specimen of the female of the rock ptarmi-
gan, twelve inches and a half; average length of male
specimen, thirteen and a half. The rich, soft, dark
pencillings of ochreous yellow of the female at breed-
ing season, render it a peculiarly beautiful bird ; its
plumage being much brighter and clearer than that
of the male in the autumnal months. Their food
is supposed to be the mountain plants of their own
inaccessible regions.

The common ptarmigan seems completely inac-
cessible to a sensation of cold. Ever avoiding the
sun s rays, he chooses the pinnacles of the moun-
tains, and its bitino- frosts : and when the snow^ melts
at the sides of the mountains, he still ascends higher
and higher. In Mr. Daniel's account of them he
says, " Ptarmigans are tliinly scattered upon the
lofty hills near Keswick, in Cumberland, and some
few in Wales. . . . They are silly birds, and
so tame as to bear dri\ing like poultry, and to suffer
a stone to be flung at them without rising ; yet, not-
withstanding this gentleness of disj^osition, it is im-
possible to domesticate them; they refuse to eat
wdien caught, and always die soon afterwards. So
heedless are they, that it is not even necessaiy to
have a dog to find them. As an edible, they taste
so like a grouse as to be scarcely distinguishable, and
keep in summer in small packs ; but never, like the
grouse, take shelter in the heath, but beneath loose
stones. In Avinter the white ptarmigans assemble
and fly in flocks, still presendng their stupid tame-

PTAEMIGAN SHOOTING. lOl

ness : at that season, when they perceive any person,
they remain quiet upon the snow, to avoid being
seen ; and are often betrayed by their very white-
ness, which surpasses that of the snow.

The plumage of the ptarmigan not only becomes
of this snow white in winter, but much thicker,
closer, and more downy ; thus proving the beautiful
economy of nature : for as colour is well known to
influence the rate by which bodies acquire, reflect,
or part with heat ; and as white is the colour w^hich
most readily and perfectly reflects it, and which most
difficultly parts with it, so a body clothed with that
colour shall retain heat longest, and, therefore, be
better fitted to exist in the coldest latitudes. It is
the limited expenditm-e of vital heat, therefore,
in the ptarmigan, that is supposed to influence its
choice of situation. Mr. Daniel thus scientifically
puts an example : — " If two animals, one of a black
colour and the other white, be placed in a higher
temperature than that of their own body, the heat
will enter the one that is black Avith the greatest
rapidity, and elevate its temperature considerably
above the other. But when these animals are placed
in a situation, the temperature of which is consider-
ably lower than their own, the black animal will give
out its heat by radiation to every surromiding object
colder than itself, and speedily have its temperature
reduced ; while the white animal will part with its
heat by radiation at a much slower rate."

i2

THE RETRIEVER.

Though not so essential to the suite of the sports-
man in pursuit of game as the water-spaniel to the
wild-fowl shooter, the Retriever is a most useful,
as well as becoming, companion in the field. In
cover, it is not possible to dispense with his semces
without a vast sacrifice of game : for such is the loss
of all badly wounded birds, and, indeed, of nearly
every head of game that is hit. In thick under-
wood, not only will a dog recover nine birds out of
ten that a man would miss, but it disturbs them also
just in an inverse ratio. Pointers and setters are
both trained to retrieve, but it is a bad economy ;
the retriever should be limited to hunting, in or out
of cover, for wounded game, and bringing it to bag.
There are various opinions as to the best cross from
which this valuable sporting servant can be bred.
Perhaps as good as any, is that between a strong,
low-sized setter bitch and a pure Newfoundland dog.
Our own bias leans to a cross with a Newfoundland dog
and a pointer bitch ; animals so bred certainly excel
in nose. The pointer itself can be taught to retrieve ;
but when so used, he must not hunt in company.

A gentleman, of the name of Callender, an in-
habitant of Edinburgh, had not long since a retrieving
pointer, which, when bringing to him in its mouth a
bird he had just shot, hit upon the scent of another,
a wonderful instance of nose. The animal coolly
laid the bird on the ground, and putting his foot

SHOOTING THE KETRTEYEE. 103

uiDon it, to prevent its escape, as it was only wounded,
pointed to that it had found. The same creature also
evinced extraordinaiy sagacity on another occasion,
when his master was shooting in Berwickshire, on
the hanks of the Tweed, which is opposite to Till-
mouth Castle. The birds which he had sprung made
across the river, there being a preserve on the other side ;
hut one of them, which he had shot while crossing, fell
into the w^ater, and was carried down by the stream.
He would not suffer his dog to move until he had re-
loaded, when, on getting the word — " Seek dead," the
observant animal galloped down the bank until he
recovered sight of^the floating pheasant, and then,
plunging into the river, brought it safe to shore.

The author had a retriever, as perfect in its busi-
ness as, perhaps, one of its kind ever was; bred
between the bull-dog and smooth terrier. This rare
creature was as complete in all the duties of a land-
retriever as in those of a water-spaniel. She was
more than amphibious : living, in fact, in the water,
especially the sea, whenever the opportunity was
afforded her. In sagacity and courage, if she ever
had a parallel, she never had a superior. A shoot-
ing party, of which he was one, having returned to
lunch, a keeper reported, that as the woods were
being beaten for pheasants, two or three woodcocks
had been flushed. It was veiy early in the season
for such \isitors, and a sweepstakes of £5 each was
made, to be divided among the subscribers, according
to the number of cocks that each should bring home

104

SHOOTING — THE RETKIEVER.

by dinner-time. In crossing the lawn close to the
house, on their way to the covers intended to be
drawn, a cock was put up from a holly-bush, which one
of the company was fortunate enough to bring down.

A RETRirVtR.

This was a promising beginning, but it brought
Httle luck, as, in spite of the closest beating, not
another could be met with. Just as the word was
given to call the beaters out and to prepare for home,
however, and when it was so dark that it was im-
possible to see objects a dozen paces off, a woodcock

SHOOTING THE RETRIEVER. 105

sprung close to the narrator, and, without being able
to cover it, he fired in the line it was flying, and
thought he heard something fall and flutter among the
undei'T^'ood. It could not, nevertheless, be foimd ;
and after losing his time and his patience, he was
just back soon enough not to lose his dinner to boot.

Now this bird was of no ordinary value, for it
would have entitled him to one half of a sweepstakes
of £35, the whole of which would otherwise go to the
possessor of the first woodcock that was shot. In
due course, the lucky subscriber claimed the money,
which, at the instance of the author, was withheld
for the night, as he urged he had knocked down a
cock, that would most probably be yet brought to bag.
To make one great final eflbrt, he procured the bird
which had been killed, and laying it carefully before
his retriever, with a strong light thrown on it, and
then drawing it repeatedly across her nose, he re-
turned with her to the cover, and cheering her with
the signal — " Seek dead ! " he put her into it. After
waiting till midnight, and using every efl'ort to reclaim
her, he returned, leading her there. In the morning
she made her way into the breakfast-room, dming
the meal, with the dead woodcock in her mouth !

As a proof of her courage, she would leap, at a
signal from his hand, from ofl" the paddle-box of a
steam- vessel of the largest class, when going at full
speed, and in the heaviest weather, with seas rolling as
high as the funnel. Alas, poor Venom ! he may surely
say of thee, he " shall ne'er look upon thy like again."

CHAPTEE VIII.

QUAIL SHOOTING,

This little bird is not a regular object of pursuit with
our sportsmen, for the Lest of reasons — that it is
never found in any numbers in this country. It is a
bird of passage, essentially migratoiy, and, as a na-
tive, can scarcely be claimed by any of the British
islands, except Ireland. Here, to our experience,
it frequently breeds ; not like the woodcock, or any
variety, indeed, of migratory birds — only when it
cannot manage to go elsewhere — but apparently from
choice, and habits of domestication. We have fre-
quently watched bevies of quail, in several of the
Irish comities, from their shells till they have found
their way to our game-bags — and, indeed, to our
stomach ; for obseiwe, your quail is the daintiest of
eating. When the English shooter lights upon
them, it is by chance, among the j^artridges, in
September ; but the Irish amateur of the trigger
falls in with them " all alone bv themselves," amono-

1/ c

QUAIL SHOOTING. 107

the potatoes, in October. We thiiik they may be
classed among Irish game, without fear of a bull.
No doubt they are capricious, and may, some fine
day, desert the shores of the Emerald Isle, as they
are said to have done those of Great Britain ; but
for the present, St. Patrick may safely claim them
for his own.

Pointers and setters are both partial to the scent
of the quail, setting it as readily as the pheasant or
the partridge. It resorts to the stubbles, and occasion-
ally the long after-growth of the meadows : during
the morning it is most readily met with. All the
authorities on shooting leave this specimen of the
craft untouched, or nearly so; indeed, mtli one ex-
ception, no modem sporting book treats of the bird
at all from original materials. This exception is a
paper which appeared, some few years since, in the
"New Sporting Magazine;" the residt of some consi-
derable experience in the English histoiy of the quail.
The author seems to have studied liis lore in the
.Isle of Thanet ; where, he says, this bird is to be
found at all seasons of the year. That locality, he
states, was formerly so famous for it, either from its
vicinity to the French coast, or the quantity of grain
grown there, that people resorted to it from great
distances, for the express purpose of quail shooting.
Latterly, however, he says, their numbers have con-
siderably fallen off; but still the sportsman, in the
beguming of September, may kill from two to three
brace a-day. " Along the banks of the Thames,

108 QUAIL SHOOTING.

below Purfleet," says this writer, " several farmers
and sportsmen have assured me, that, about the be-
ginning of November, a time at which the departm-e
of the main body has taken place, a small number of
quails make their appearance, and continue during
the winter, always a short distance from the liver's
edge. These are evidently the young birds of the
second bevy, who, for some reason, seek that parti-
cular situation after the migration of the rest of their
species."

As most of the migratoiy birds — all those that
may be called game of the second class — are more
scarce with us than they were, it follows that the
quail is in a similar categoiy. For this cause we
find them more plentiful in Ireland than England ;
tlie former island being also infinitely better supplied
with woodcocks and snipe than the latter. The
migratory tribes, no doubt, recede before civilization,
and are found precisely in the inverse ratio to the
cultivation of the district. As they cannot be sub-
jected to the process of presei-ving, the day will
probably come when one of the species will be as
rare as a bustard is now.

It is said, that quails do not pack except when
some strong local cause drives them to associate
together, for an especial purpose. The family of
migratory birds is not certainly gregarious ; but our
own experience of this bird leads us to think it is an
exception to the general rule of the species. We
have never found it in that state of isolation, common

QUAIL SHOOTING. 109

to tlie snipe and woodcock. It is met with singly, no
doubt, but where one is, you may be sure there are
more not far off; while veiy often one woodcock is all
that fifty acres will furnish, with the closest beating
of the cover. With our savoury recollections of this
feathered 'bonne houche, we are unwilling to surrender
it to the calumnies of those fcAv who have thought it
even worthy their ill favour. " Quails," says the author
of " Rural Sports," " seldom form themselves into
coveys, except when their wants unite the feeble
family to their mother ; or some powerful cause urges
at once the whole species to assemble and traverse
together the extent of the ocean, holding their course
to the same distant land : but this forced association
does not subsist after then- alighting, and finding
in their adopted country that they can live at all.
The appetite of love is their only tie, and even this is
momentaiy : so soon as passion has spent its force,
the male abandons his mate to the labour of raising
the family; the young quails are hardly full grown
w^hen they separate, or, if kept together, fight ob-
stinately, and their quarrels are terminated only by
their mutual destruction." It must be confessed
this is no amiable character of om' quariy, and be-
longs to its natural (or rather unnatural) history,
more than its sporting treatment. But the fact is,
quail shooting is not legitimately a branch of English
shooting.

The Common Quail {Tetrao coturnix). — The quail
seems to be a more permanent resident of Ireland

110

QI'AIL SHOOTING.

than of Great Britain : in the latter kingdom, indeed,
it is now but an occasional visitant; although, thirty
years back, it was a pretty regular attendant of the

.«\

•: M

THE QUAIL.

stubble fields near the coasts, at their season, in the
mild south and midland counties of England. This
bird is so wary, that after the first time it is wonder-
fully difiicult to flush. Almost all the birds in our
market, of this species, are those imported alive (to
fatten) by the London poulterers, from France ; where
they are most abundant, and where they are taken by
nets, into which the imitation of their call entraps
them. But in Sicily is the greatest quail harvest.
On its coast, in Italy, and the Greek islands, they
will arrive by hundreds of thousands. Formerly the
principal revenue of the Bishop of Capri was the

QUAIL SHOOTING. Ill

sum produced by the annual visits of these birds :
they have been kno^vn to have been taken, at one
season, to the number of a hundred and fifty thou-
sand.

In Ireland, the farmers on the coast, south of
Strangford Loch, are very successful in the capture
of quails. We have known them to bring in five
and six brace of these delicate birds, the produce
of the day's sport. Jardine says, in 1836 a gentle-
man shot, near Belfast Bay, in one day, ten brace of
quails.

The nest of the quail is made by the female ; its
eggs are deposited on the bare ground : they are
somewhat similar in appearance to those of the snipe,
being deeply marked with olive-green, but are of dif-
ferent shape. We subjoin Jardine 's account of this
bird: — "The geographical range of the quail is of
great extent, reaching northward to Russia and Scan-
dinavia, found in the intermediate countries of tem-
perate heat, and abounding in continental India and
Africa. We possess specimens, which do not mate-
rially differ from each other, from Madeira, Alpine
India, the plains of India, China, Cape of Good
Hope, and Southern Europe. A specimen, shot at
Jardine Hall in autumn, has the crown nearly black,
the feathers edged with pale chesnut; streaks of ochre
yellow run over each eye ; and the centre space
between the eyes, and bill, and auriculars, are ches-
nut. Colour of the upper parts black, having the
shafts and a lanceolate mark in the centre of each

113 QUAIL SHOOTING.

ochreous yellow, palest at the tij), where the mngs
join the body ; the central markings are wanting, and
the black is relieved by grey tips and wavy bars of
Sienna yellow ; throat, pale ochreous yellow, bounded
by a deep, blackish-brown gorget, and on the sides
cut into by a dark stripe of the same colour, rimning
from the gape, and turning inwards near the middle
of the pale space ; breast yellowish wood-brown,
shading into pale ochreous on the lower parts ; on
tlie breast, the feathers are marked with two round
or oval spots, on the exterior of each web ; on the
flanks these patches border each feather irregularly,
bounding a pale open space along the shafts, which
is nearly pure white."

The above was a female quail ; as are all or most
of those that are met with in autumn. The plumage
of the male is darker ; there is more chesnut in the
tints, and the breast is of a reddish brown, pale, and
mthout spots, while the chin and throat are brown-
black, so mmgled as to form, in that part, which is
pale space, in the female, a sort of cross.

-C>=o;>^-<'

CHAPTER n.

BUSTARD SHOOTING.

As tlie reader's acquaintance with this bird, once
the pride of our wild feathered tribes, will most pro-
bably be confined to such specimens as he shall cul-
tivate an acquaintance with in a museum, a very
short allusion to its sporting annals will suffice foi"
his curiosity on that head. According to old Mark-
ham, a stalldng-horse was even in his day essential to
enable the pui'suer to accomplish a shot; and the
shepherds were wont to dress out a hurdle with green
boughs, behind which the sportsman would lie in
wait for his game. From this it will be gathered,
that it is very long since Bustard shooting was com-
mon to our island. In the year 1800, Daniel says,
there was one shot which measured six feet from the
tip of one wing to the tip of the other ; and three
feet from the point of the beak to the extremity of
the tail. Buffon tells us, that one was shot in
France, in his time, which had " no less than ninety

j2

114

BUSTARD SHOOTING.

doubloons in its stomach." If the English bustards
were in the habit of carrying so much money about
them, there can be no difficulty in accounting for
their present scarcity.

THE BrSTAUD.

The Great Bustard [Otis Tarda);— of the family
of the Struthionidse, or Ostriches. — We must speak
of this, our largest land bird, rather in the past than
in the present tense. This is one of the birds that

BUSTAED SHOOTING. 115

have fled before population and agriculture. It
was formerly seen in flocks of fifty, or more, upon
extensive downs or heaths : such as Salisbury Plain,
the heaths of Sussex, the Dorsetshire uplands, New-
market Heath, and the like ; and as far north as
East Lothian, in Scotland : but their appearance has
become almost a tradition. Mr. Yarrel states, that
nineteen were seen together at Westcape, in Norfolk,
so late as 1819 ; and that they are carefully preserved
by the proprietor. Royston Heath, Devonshire and
Wiltshire, Suffolk and Lincolnshire have been men-
tioned as localities, from whence occasional specimens
are procured. In Ireland they seem to have existed,
although now extinct.

The male bustard weighs about twenty-seven
pounds, if a fine bird; the neck a foot long, the
legs a foot and a half, the wings short in proportion
to the body, about four feet from the tip of the one
to the other. The bird is powerful in flight, but
extremely slow in rising ; its preservation was, there-
fore, chiefly maintained by its great range of sight :
living in open plains where it was almost impossible
to approach it without discovery. Without a hedge
or fence to screen them, how could the sports-
man mark his game? — how could the fowler creep
among them? It is recorded, however, that the
bustard was run down by greyhounds. After feeding
voraciously on the large heath- worms of their native
plains, and upon the berries of the plants incident to
their localities, they became so pursed out and fat, as

116 BUSTARD SHOOTING.

to be unable to fly without great difficulty. Thus
flapping its wings, in order to get enough air under-
neath them to permit its rising, it would run before
the enemy, and often be caught. The bustard has a
pouch under the tongue to contain water. There is
little record of them in North Britain. One was
shot m 1803 in Morayshire. The rifle is used to
shoot them, as well as the ordinary fowling-piece.
" The male bustard will stand two feet six or eight
inches in height, and, when the lengthened fea-
thers, which most of them possess on the throat, or
sides of the jaw, are raised, they have a very bold
and commandmg appearance." The back of neck,
shoulders, &c., have reddish-orange feathers, trans-
versed with interrupted bars of black. The head,
neck, and breast are bluish-grey, shading at the
lower part of the breast into pale grey and pure
white. Outer coverts, greyish white, secondaries,
deep browTi-black : very powerful quills, the first
shai-p, the under with their outer web expanding,
and becoming brown or black at their extremities.
The mid-tail feathers, reddish-orange, with white tips,
and a black bar, crossing at about an inch from the
end, and then a narrower one towards the base.
Generic characters : bill almost straight, depressed
slightly at the base ; open nostrils ; long legs ; the
tarsi naked above the knees; toes, three forwards,
bordered with a scutellated membrane; and short
wings, powerful; second, third, and fourth quills
largest, nearly equal ; first narrow towards the point.

BUSTAED SHOOTING.

117

Type : Otis tarda ; Europe, Asia, Africa, New Hol-
land.

Note. — Inhabit open plains and champaign
countries, where vegetation is rankly luxuriant : poly-
gamous ; nm swiftly.

THE LITTLE EUSTAP.D.

The Little Bustard {Otu Miiior). This is an
unfrequent British visitant ; subject to a very great
change of plumage, of which we cannot accurately
speak, since it appears in England only after incubation
is over, and in its more homely garb. One was killed
near Montrose, in Scotland, in the winter of 1833.

CHAPTER X.

HARE SHOOTING.

We trust it is as unnecessary to tell the courteous
reader, that, in walking through an aviaiy, he is not
to knock the gold and silver pheasants on the head
with his cane, as that it is unla^vful for him to shoot
a hare, in a country where harriers are kept, or a dis-
trict favourable for coursing. Still there is ample
space and room enough for this sport ; which, in
some places, absolutely becomes an operation not to
be dispensed with in the morality of sporting, so to
speak. Without going into the question of the con-

HARE SHOOTING. 119

venience of the practice, it is enough for our pui'pose
here to state, that in many parts of England, where
game preserving is very rigorously carried on, hares
so abound as to be a gigantic nuisance. In such
places hare shooting is a virtue ; and that our young
friends may excel in that good work, w^e put before
them the best advice in our power.

We do not treat you as going out to look for
hares, but rather as in some place where they most
do congregate. If we thought you had any difficulty
in the matter of finding this species of game, we
could point out that it keeps to the standing corn, so
long as any is to be met with ; and that when no
more remains, hares resort for shelter to covers and
hedges, to fallows and long wild grass, to the sides
and bottoms of old dry ditches and grips ; and that
after heavy rains, which fill the ditches, and cause
dripping from the trees and hedges, they are to be
found lying out upon close wheat stubbles. When it
is again dry, they return to covert ; there remaining
till the frost has robbed the trees of their leaves ;
and then, no hiding being afforded by the woods,
they betake themselves for good, to the open fields,
and make their forms, wherever enough of rough
vegetation exists to enable them to crouch among
it. Young wheat fields are their favourite localities,
and occasionally, old ploughed fallow^s; in these,
within a range of some thirty or forty yards distance
from the hedges, you will be most likely to light
upon them. This, we say, we should have told you.

120 HAKE SHOOTING.

did we suppose you would ever condescend to look
for hares.

But we see you in the midst of a preserve, where
they are as numerous as the sands upon the sea-
shore. Accept some of our maxims as applicable
to such a case. Should you by any accident espy
a hare on her form, don't fire at her sitting; if
not because it is unbecoming a sportsman, at all
events, because by putting her up, you will have
the best chance of putting her into your bag. A
hare, when running, especially across you, is very
easily shot; whereas an old puss on her form, is very
far from being an easy object to hit. In shooting
them when the lands lie in high ridges, should
a hare run across ridge and fmTow, take care not to
fire till she is rising, and about mid-way between the
furrow and the ridge. If you wait till she has got to
the top of the land, her head, which is the most
vulnerable part, will be covered by her haunches :
for the same reason, when a hare is running straight
from you, on level ground, just aim so that you may
seem to sldm her back with your charge.

When a hare approaches you, wait till she is well
within reach of shot; then whistle, or make some
sign — upon which she will stop for an instant, and
then turn to one side or the other. Take her when
her side is towai'ds you : it 's long odds you miss her
entirely should you fire when she is coming " stem
on," as the sailors say. It is within the letter of the
law to shoot leverets at all times ; but it is unsports-

HAEE SHOOTINO. 121

manlike to shoot tliem until they are pretty well
grown.

The hare being capable of cariying away a great
charge of shot, as well as of turning one that would
deal death to any other sort of game — except the
deer tribe — it may be as well to hint the material, as
well as the method, by which it may most efficiently
be assailed. If possible, let her be within forty yards
for a cross shot, or thirty when going straight from
you. There is no excuse for the sportsman, who
goes out expressly to shoot hares, loading with
smaller shot than No. 4. Large shot does its business
effectively when it does hit. One of its pellets
will kill, should it take effect; while No. 6 or 7,
should it reach the object, can only wound or maim.
If the young shooter, says a veiy practical authority,
discover, as he will, that, in shooting in covert, he
must sometimes fire either at veiy short distances, or
not get a shot at all, it will be essential for him either
to acquire the knack of shooting on one side of his
game, or to let it go free. The latter is the plan I
should recommend, except in the case of a woodcock
likely to fly out of bounds ; which, within forty-eight
hours, may, perhaps, be regaling himself in an Irish
bog. This gentleman says, no one who goes out
to shoot hares should use less than No. 2 or 3 shot.

The instinct of animals is, in almost every case,
superior to the reason of man ; for the one is un-
erring, the other constantly at fault. It is singular
to observe, also, that every power shared by man in

122 HAEE SHOOTING.

common with other animals, is possessed by him in
a far inferior manner. His sight is less piercing,
his nose less penetrating, his motion less swift, than
that of the brute creation. He is more helpless in
his infancy, and less courageous in his death. The
very insect race beat him in geometrical precision.
The bee and the spider were the first, the ori-
ginal inventors of the octagon and arch. The
beaver is a better economist of space ; and many
birds are endowed with organs of hearing, in com-
parison with which man can only deem himself aristo-
cratically deaf. It is well, then, for the vanity of
the human race, that he can boast of bemg divinely
endowed with that faculty of speech, by w^hich we can
take full advantage of our otherwise limited re-
sources ; which enables generation after generation
to act in progressive concert with its species, and
thus renders subsenient to our uses, pleasures,
and adornments, the wonderful gifts and graces of
every known tribe of the animate creation.

Among swift-footed quadrupeds, we may claim
precedence for the hare. The mechanism of its
frame is such, that ever}" joint and muscle tends to
promote the rapidity of its locomotion on the grounds
to wiiich its instinct confines it. Its loins are ex-
tremely nervous and muscular ; and these act upon
the hindermost limbs, whose length and power ren-
der them capable of immensely rapid contraction and
expansion : its fore-legs are in proportion short ; thus
enabhng the creature to form that succession of leaps,

HARE SPIGOTING, T^S

which is its real mode of progression, and by which
it claims affinity with the marsupial tribes. " It
is tliis curtailment of the fore-legs, in comparison
with the hinder, that directs the hare instinctively
to seek a rising ground, when flying from its pur-
suers." The under-surfaces of its feet are, further-
more, provided amply with protecting hair ; it has
five toes to its fore-feet, and only four behind. The
mean length of the hare, when full grown, is about
two feet ; its weight is various : five, six, seven,
eight, nine, some even have been Imov-ii to weigh
twelve, pounds. The colour of the fur of the hare
varies with the climate, and with the season. Even
in England, black and milk-white hares have been
met with ; pied ones have been talked about ; and
every gradation of grey is incident to the animal.
The ordinaiy tint is, however, an iron-grey ; the
chin white ; the throat of a rusty yellow hue ; the
belly white ; the breast reddish ; its facial extremity
black. Thus, in harmony with the tints around her,
is she clothed, in the coldest regions, ever with the
lightest hues. Blaine forcibly remarks, that the
want of the elastic padding, which bomids the soles
of the feet of some animals, as dogs, for instance, is
unfavourable to the progress of hares on fallows,
and also on all wet and deep soils, which, it is well
known, they constantly avoid when they can. When
left to choose their own track, they always take a dry
one for treading on ; and it is plain, that their woolly
sacks admirably adapt their feet to resist the ill effects

1-^4 HARE SHOOTING.

of joressure from tlie rough surfaces they must pass
over by this preference.

The common hare, according to the Levitical
law, was classed among the ruminant animals ; zoo-
logists, however, give it a place among the rodentia,
or gnawing animals. But even at this present time
some naturalists favour the former notion, and in-
stance the singular contraction in the stomach of the
hare as being aldn to the stomachic cavities observable
in the true ruminantia. The cleft of the upper lip,
also, which renders the member so extremely mobile,
and capable of the constant quivering motion obsen^-
able, strengthens the opinion of these writers. The
jaws of the hare, nevertheless, remain stationaiy,
while rumination is brought about by a grinding
action ; the hare moves its jaws only when browsing,
and the excessive mobility of the nose seems rather
to affect the marvellous delicacy of its olfactory
powers, than the qualities of the ruminant. This
creature possesses " sLx prismatic grinders in the
upper, and five in the lower, jaw ; the upper jaw has
likewise subsidiary incisors."

If we examine both the eyes and the ears of the
hare, we shall be at once stmck by their adaptation, as
we have before observed, to the purposes of its exist-
ence and of flight from danger. Its eyes are promi-
nent, the balls half out of the head, and so placed, that
^\'ithout any alteration of position, the circle of ^^sion
is remarkably large ; commanding an extensive field
of view, before' and behind. That she cannot see at

HARE SHOOTING. 3^5

once in both directions, is often the cause of her
capture. Her ears can be thrown back to the verj^
base, at will ; thus enabling her to drink in, as it
were, the very faintest sound of pursuit. The eyelids
of the hare seem to be seldom or never used, as she
does not possess "the accessory organ or nictating
membrane ; " her eyes are always unveiled, even in
sleep, like those of fishes. The tail, or seat of the
hare, is black, and white on the under part, short,
and in the male usually whitest,— a fact which gives
the sportsman a clue to the sex of his game. '' The
anatomy of the ear favours its acceptation of sounds
generally, but particularly for receiving such as come
from behind." Thus the hare lays one ear forward
and one behind, hearing, it is said, more perfectly
the sounds that issue from her back than those that
are straight-forward. The auditive canal is partly
bony and partly soft; " and when the skull of a hare
is j)laced horizontally before a spectator, the long
portion of it is seen to protrude itself nearly half an
inch with a backward inclination." It is believed
that the age of the hare is from nine or ten to twelve
years : it is like the rabbit, of extreme fruitfulness.
Hares have enemies so numberless, that were it not
for their prolific generations they would soon become
extinct. The hare knows the female by the scent,
its organs of every sense being exquisitely sensi-
tive. When the female is about eleven months old,
she begins to breed, and is believed to bring forth
young several times in the course of the year : the

126 HARE SHOOTING.

gestating term is the same as in the rabbit — thirty-
one clays. The yomig are fed by the mother about a
month, or not quite so long. Her fecmidity is pro-
digious. One writer mentioning, that " a brace of
hares (the doe being pregnant when shut up) were
enclosed in a large walled garden, and proper plants
supplied for their subsistence. At the expiration of
twelve months the garden was examined, and the
produce was fifty-seven hares. On the manor of Sir
Thomas Gooch, also, there were six thousand hares
killed in 1806." At Fonthill, during its occupation
by the * eccentric Mr. Beckford, hares swarmed to
such an extent, and had become so tame, in conse-
quence of their never being molested under any
circumstances whatever, that they might be seen
parading the alleys and green avenues of the park,
in files, as the Guards march the streets of
London .

The hare is nocturnal in her habits : upon
her return from her rambles, she retires to her
fonn, where she squats under cover of brushwood,
a hedge, or whatever else may contribute to her
concealment; not that she appears to have any
notion of the sort, for she sits as open on her
form as is well possible. The neutral colours of
her fur much more assist her ambush than any
apparent care of her own. Many diseases, to which
hares are subjected, are Imown. They become drop-
sical with too succulent food. Their fore-teeth occa-
sionally grow out when kept in places where they

HAEE SHOOTING. 1'27

have no wood to gnaw. In the same manner, we
find that bears, and other savage animals, are subject
to the protrusion of homy parts ; such as the inordi-
nate growth of their claws, as well as their teeth or
fangs. To secure hare warrens from the enemies
— such as stoats, weasels, ferrets, polecats, badgers,
foxes, &c. — of these defenceless animals, they should
be walled round. Mr. Beckford's (the sporting
writer's, not the anti- sporting preserver's) directions
for a hare warren are these : — A wood of nearly thirty
acres, cut into many walks, set with traps, and
sown with parsley, which \nll induce the hare to
keep at hom_e. A small warren should have but
one walk in it : and no dog be permitted to enter it.
When, as the seasons close, the hares become shy of
the traps from having often been caught, it will be
necessary to drive them in with spaniels, &c. The
geographical range of the hare is great ; its varieties,
in consequence, are numerous : the Alpine hare ; the
Baikal hare ; the changing hare, that of Brazil ; the
Cape; of North America; are among them, the
minute hare of Chili being the most diminutive, and
said to be little bigger than the mole ; it is reported
to be fine eating, and is called by the Chilians, " cuy."'

CHAPTEPt XL

RABBIT SHOOTING.

This sport, like, indeed, all others, is differently
practised in different places, and by different persons.
The best sample of it we ever enjoyed was in the
woods belonging to the Earl of Winterton, adjoining
his seat, Shillinglee Park, in Sussex, This nobleman
keeps the most perfect pack of rabbit beagles pro-
bably in existence, and goes out with them quite en
prince. Having caused the covers he pm-poses shoot-
ing to be stopped (after the fashion of fox-hunting),
he sallies forth with his Lilliputian pack, cheers them
into cover, turns them with his horn, and, in short,
carries on his rabbiting with all the pomp and circum-
stance of perfect woodcraft. His hounds are about
the size of well-grown kittens, and as full of fire
as lucifer matches. Their ciy is "as tunable as
lark," and quite as shrill, being the completest canine
counter-tenor that may be conceived. This is shoot-
ing "the rabbit in such a style as ought to recon-

BABBIT SHOOTING. I'-iO

cile the defunct to his fate : but it 's not every-
where the coney is demolished as at Shillinglee.

All kinds of rabbits, tame or wild, are in best
flavour from November till the commencement of
February. Some naturalists contend that they prefer a
seat above ground, and only burrow for the sake of
refuge, in case they are in danger. This may be
partly true ; as, also, that they use their burrows as
shelter from inclement weather. Even the hare will
burrow under the snow, when it lies deeply. It is
certain, that w4iere they enjoy quiet and privacy, they
are constantly to be seen above the surface, even
though that be a warren. In their miscellaneous
resorts, they select, as places to lie in, thick hedgerows ;
particularly those having furze or fern growing on
their banks, and old, dry stone, or sand, pits, whose
sides are overgrown with bramble and scrubby un-
derwood.

Early morning, and after sunset, are the most es-
teemed periods of the day for this sport. Still, the best
way of setting about it must depend on local and other
circumstances. If the place, in which you pursue it,
be of some extent, by going round it, walking slowly
and noiselessly, and sometimes creeping, you may get
more shots than by any other means. If, on the
other hand, your range is limited, and the rabbits
have been much disturbed, your plan must be to con-
ceal yourself till a chance offers : do not then fire
too often from the same spot. Where the ground is
undulating, by keeping under cover of the brows of

130 RABBIT SHOOTING.

the hills, rabbits may be approached. In this case
lie down, and make a rest for your gmi. Then push it
gently forward, close to the gromid, without exposing
yourself, until you feel that it is sufficiently far
advanced for the stock to fit your shoulder. Then
raising your head, without your hat, endeavour to
pick out a double shot, if possible. If the ground be
a level, without ambush of any kind, you may mal^e
one with hm^dles twined with furze bushes, or other
bushes, with which the rabbits are familiar. The
subjoined rules for this sport are abbreviated from
an authority already quoted : —

Avoid walking over the burrows, when you can
do so : behig connected Avith each other, not only is
the ground thereby shaken, but the sound is conveyed
to a greater distance than would be easily credited.
Being quick of hearing, rabbits will not stir if they
suspect an enemy is nigh.

As their sense of smelling is even more acute
than that of hearing, never attempt to approach them
with your back to the wind.

The moment you have fired at a rabbit with a
single gim, if he be not quite dead, run up to him :
for rabbits are exceedingly tenacious of life, and how-
ever severely wounded, will instinctively scramble
into a burrow, if possible. But as it will often
happen that a long arm and a screw-ramrod will
recover them, whenever rabbits are supposed to be
hit, the burrow they take should be always examined
at the least, if not probed in this way.

RABBIT SHOOTING. 181

A small, quick, mute retriever, that will crouch
close to jeu, and only stir at your bidding, will save
you the trouble of the run, cause less disturbance,
and will often recover a wounded rabbit which you
would have chased in vain.

When shooting in woods, at all times be extremely
cautious when and where you fire : let no shot, how
ever tempting, induce you to do so unless you are sure
neither man or dog be within range at the time.

Rabbits, in some neighbourhoods, are shot from
trees. This is said to be the poachers' wa}^ of doing
business ; but, though we say it under the rose, a
good many wholesome sporting hints may be had
from that fraternity. Moreover, with the exception
of the style of rabbit shooting spoken of in the outset
of this chapter, it is for the most part a secret,
solitaiy amusement — more akin to angling than the
spirit stirring business of tlie trigger.

THE FEURET.

THE PERRET.-FERRETIKG.

The Ferret has just so much to do with our ordi-
nary sporting recreations, as to entitle it, or rather
its uses, to a place in this volume ; and, grace to
modern improvement, its application is not the bar-
barous contrivance it was in times gone bv. The
practice of " coj)ing," or muzzling, this lithesome
little creature, is scarcely ever had recom'se to now :
the horrid custom of sewing up its mouth is utterly-
abandoned. Indeed, if left unconstrained, it is found
to bolt the rabbit with far more spirit. A cord is
occasionally made fast to its neck; and by means
of knots marked on it, as on sea lead-lines, it is

THE FEEEET. 13:^

known how far he has rim. This, however, shoukl
be carefully handled, where any danger exists of its
becoming entangled with the roots of trees, or any
other substances of a like kind. Ferreting should
not be begun earlier than October, as the young
rabbits are not till then strong or resolute enough to
break ground freely. The ferret should be earthed
to windward ; and the person in charge of him
should be perfectly silent. The shooter should so
place himself, as to have the whole of the burrows,
or as much of them as possible, within command of
his eye and his gun. He will find it add much to
his sport to have some one in attendance with a
reserve gun, who will also load as fast as he fires.
The subjoined hints on ferreting were furnished to a
friend of ours, by a practical hand of the craft in
Essex : —

" The small polecat ferret is decidedly the most
active, eager, and best. The ferret should be handled
frequently when young, that it may be quite familiar
to the touch, otherwise it becomes shy after it has
been used a few times, and is very troublesome to
catch towards evening, or when the least tired. It
should never be fed for eight or ten hours at least,
before hunting. Young rats, birds, or rabbits'
entrails, are at all times good food for the ferret,
and are to be recommended when they can be pro-
cm-ed. The ferret may be used any time during the
day till four o'clock, except in the depth of winter,
when it is advisable never to hunt it after three

134 THE FEEEET,-

oc'lock. Always handle a ferret gently, and place
your hands under its arms. Be veiy careful neyer to
snap at it when taking it out of a rabbit hole, or to a
certainty your fingers will suffer.

"When shooting, a ferret should not be 'coped/
unless it is a very fast hunter, or a sure killer. A
small bell, tied round the neck, mil be found useful,
and in a large burrow very advantageous. If a ferret
is a killer, it is a good plan to blmit the long teeth,
which will enable the rabbit to free himself from his
antagonist. Never turn a ferret, if shy, too often
into the same earth, for, if tired, he is apt to lie up.
A predisposition to do so is sometimes indicated
(after a ferret is blooded), by its running continually
to the mouths of the holes, by a playfulness, and by
scratching. When this is the case, remove him
immediately.

" A box, about four feet long, is the besthabitatioii
for ferrets, having an open front, made of iron.
Great care should be taken to keep them quite clean,
and to give them plenty of air, as they are, when
young particularly, subject to many complaints.

" In some of the southern counties, but more espe-
cially in Essex, rabbits, whether from the nature of
the soil, as some persons suppose — it is matter of
great doubt — remain obstinately sulky for three-
fourths of the year, and cannot be induced to move,
even with a coped ferret ; and will rather have tlieir
skins stripped from their backs than bolt, although
the greatest caution be used not to shake the earth

THE FEERET. lo5

or make the least noise. In Essex, rabbits bolt well
only during the months of October, November, and
December."

The routine of ferret economy, here laid dovm,
savours very strongly of the experience of one who
used the net rather than the gun as his engine of
destruction against the coney. Shooting, in places
where rabbits live, for the most part, under ground,
is the slowest of slow sport: ferreting to nets is
butcheiy, as relates to the smaller animals. To put
the hand into a contrivance such as they boil cab-
bages in, and squeeze to death a soft, inoffensive
little animal, such as one might imagine a kitten in
paradise to be, is certainly not a recreation worthy a
time knight. Rabbit shooting, where it may be had as
a wild sport, even if unaccompanied with the quick dash
and excitement, for which it is distinguished under its
most favourable aspect, is at all events divested of the
fire-side flavour of grimalkinism : is very neat practice
for the young shooter, and certainly not beneath the
dignity of his ambition. But if got up in a warren
for sixpence a blaze, offal in, with a kill (the warrener
always stipulates for the skin), there is something in
it singularly infra dig. A gun is neither a conve-
nient nor a fitting agent in a warren, nor rabbit
shooting the sport of a gentleman anywiiere, save in
wild woodlands, or such rural districts as disencumber
it of all apropos of onion sauce.

^^%^^'

THE RAECIT.

THE RABBIT.-THE OLDEN BRITISH RABBIT
OF ENGLISH AUTHORS.

Rabbit fanciers specify four kinds, or varieties, of
the common rabbit : warreners, parkers, hedgehogs,
and sweethearts ; but the endless diversities, kno\^Ti
to those who take an interest in these busy little
animals, would fill a volume to describe. The
greatest variety is found in the domesticated rabbit,
or sweetheart. It is of this kind from which is
fattened the j)'rize, or monster rabbit, that has been
known to exceed fifteen pomids in weight, on sin-
gular occasions ; and which often weighs ten pounds.

THE RABBIT. 137

Of the warrener we have seen the largest specmiens
in the Isle of Wight, where, in the lonely districts
around Alum Bay and Freshwater, these creatures
appear to enjoy an Eden of their own : their innu-
merable little heads and ears peeping forth from the
close, sw^art herbage, as thickly as kingcups in a
June meadow. The parker, as its name intimates,
frequents parky uplands and open enclosures ; the
hedgehog kind, like the hare, will take shelter under
the hedge-bushes, or short woods and plantations ;
and these two sorts make no burrow subterraneously,
but breed in the most convenient places of their
chosen locality.

Some ancient authors have deemed the hare and
rabbit but varieties of one species, an error quickly
discovered by modern naturalists. In no instance
has a hybrid been discovered to breed : although a
variety of the rabbit has occurred, which at first led
some to suppose that it was a breed betw^een both
animals. The similarities of structure are certainly
great ; but the dissimilarities are equally so. The
variety we speak of was large, of the hare colour ;
bony and lengthy ; the flesh, also, was high-flavoured,
without the usual rabbit insipidity ; and it was said
to be, for we speak not after our own knowledge,
equal, or superior, to that of the leveret.

The comities of England, in w4iich the rabbit
is most plentiful, are. Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Nor-
folk, and Lincolnshire, with the Isle of Wight;
sandy soils, it will be seen, are most favourable to

138 THE EABBIT.

its buiTowing habits. But when we speak of num-
bers, our mind naturally reverts to Spain, the native
country of the rabbit, where its habits are as pecu
liar as its flesh. Without speaking of the prodi-
gious quantity of rabbits killed under the denomination
of bunnies, it is not exaggeration to describe most of
the provinces of the kingdom as swarming with them.
The Balearic Islands are celebrated for the number
of rabbits they contain. In colder climates they are
kept within doors, somewhat like our pet lap-eai-s.
The islands above mentioned were once as infested
with tliese animals, as some German districts
have been with the great water-rat ; and in the
time of the Romans, they petitioned the emperor for
the means of extirpating them. In these hot cli-
mates they are unclean animals, their flesh becoming
so rank and tainted as to preclude its use as an
article of food. We need say nothing more of the
fecundity of an animal so well kno^vn, than that it
Avill breed six or seven times in the year, and produce
four or five young at each successive breeding. This
amazing increase would truly soon over-populate the
district, but that, in the wise ordinations of Provi-
dence, the rabbit is usually molested by enemies that
almost equal its ratio of propagation. When this is
not the case, it is found to do but comparatively little
injury : and in poor countries, becomes invaluable
as an article of food for the lower orders. When
this animal lives above ground, its fur becomes more
haiiy. Lejnis cunicuhis, Linnaeus

THE POINTER.

The Pointer {Cecils avicidaris, Linn.) is of several
types, as the English, SjDanish, Russian, and a small
species, called the French pointer. The best sort,
however, by many degrees, is the English ; his
lineage being by no means indigenous to this coun-
try, but coming of various experimental and scientific
crosses. Some of our best pointers have been bred
from the Spanish race and the British fox-hound.
We have little opinion of the Russian pointer, though
the setters of that breed are excellent ; and still less
value for the French animal, so called. Whatever
its origin, the smooth English pointer is certainly
the most generally useful of all the species of dogs
used for finding, and stopping to, game. Once made,
his education is completed for life ; while the setter
requires breaking, more or less, at the commence-
ment of eveiy season. When age, indeed, has taken
all fire and all pace out of the setter, he will be
found steady enough ; but so he would if he were
dead: and when the dash has left a sporting dog,
the sooner his breath follows it the better. As the
young shooter can hardly be expected to breed his
own dogs for the gun, we will afford him the counsel
of an old gamekeeper in the choice of them : always
entreating him to bear in mind, that the sharpest
practitioner, or thereabouts, under the sun, is the
dog fancier, or merchant.

THE POINTER.

In selecting a pointer, before you test liis quality
or his teaching, see that he has an open muzzle ; that

THE POINTEE. 141

he is flew-jawed, or slioit-headed. His eyes should
be full, his poll rising to a point ; his ears long and
well hung ; that is, falling between his neck and
jaws. His neck and head must be set on straight,
so that, when he points, his nose may turn up rather,
than otherwise. Let his shoulders be deep, and well
let down ; and his elbows well in. He should have
large straight legs ; small feet, a little pointed, stand-
ing fair, and the balls small and open. His withers
should be narrow, his back slightly curved, his loins
broad. He should be deep in the fillets and gaskins ;
short from the hock to the postern joint ; with flat
sides ; fine, marked veins ; his croup straight ; and
a fine stem, or tail, set on high, and straight.

Having chosen a dog according to these sugges-
tions, take him into the field, and observe how he
behaves. Mai*k if he be a gallant beater : ranging
high, going -^dthin himself, his head well up, and to
the wind, as endeavouring to catch a flying scent;
maldng his casts, tmiis, and offers, dasliingly ; neither
hanging on the haunt, nor puzzling for a ground
scent. See that he quarters his ground regularly
and independently of any other dog hunting in com-
pany, without leaving the comers of his fields un-
tried. He must neither skulk, shirk, break-field,
follow, watch, blink, nor pomt at sight. He shall
not be hard nosed, nor near scented, but wind liis
birds at long distances ; keep his point stanchly ;
back mthout jealousy ; crouch to bird, dog, or gun,
at a signal from the hand, or the word " To-ho 1 ''

142 THE POINTER.

without caprice, or standing when you call. If he
chap his point, it is a good symptom ; if he mouth
and hug his game, it shews he relishes his business.
If a pointer has not been well trained, when he
comes upon the haunt, or run of birds, he will dash,
flourish, jump, itqi at shot, and the like. These,
however, are merely the effects of high coui'age, and
may be cured by work and good teaching.

Never beat a dog after he has done wrong, but as
nearly in the act as possible. Wlien you punish,
have him upon a training- cord, and do not loose liim
till he has become reconciled to you. Should you
let him go before, he will very likely skulk ; coil the
line round your hand, and keep him at heel for some
time, and give him his liberty by degrees. If you
observe any signs of skulking, fasten the line to a
stake, and leave him beliind you for a field or two.
Then return, and if he seems cheerful, give him a
piece of buiscuit, and caress him. Let him then off,
but still fast to the cord ; as soon as he beats freely,
you may remove it altogether. When dogs are
callous to the whip, holding them up by a cord, ^\Tth
a slip-noose, till they become alarmed, will often
succeed ; use the whip at the same time.

There are some dogs of such veiy timid disposi-
tions, that they vdW not bear any punishment. These
must be made to pmiish themselves, by means of
check-collars and cross-puzzles. Not knowing, in
this case, whence the chastisement comes, they do
not take offence from, or dislike to, those with whom

THE POINTER. 143

they are liimting. Animals of all sorts are wonder-
fully quick in comprehending signals : ^^dtness .the
learned pigs, and so forth, that perform such in-
credible feats, as telling the hour by a watch, and
the like ; which is done by their observing signals
from the shoT\T.iian, that none of the audience can
detect. In like manner, dogs come to read aright
every expression of their master's face ; but not till
they have long experience of it. Have patience, then,
with your team of pointers, and you ^ill be repaid
with interest. They will not understand your looks
by intuition ; nor probably till they have seen the
frown repeated a hmidred times, mth which you
greeted them, when they soiled your first pair of
white trowsers by leaping on them.

CHAPTER X[I.

PIGEON SHOOTING.

This volume professes to treat of the various descrip-
tions of shooting, which offer themselves to the notice,
and for the adoption, of the young amateur of the
trigger. For this reason, although we hold the prac-
tice of trap-shooting at the dove tribe as far from a
sporting exploit, it must be allowed a place in the
present chapter. We have in no part of this work
entered upon the question of the comparative cruelty
of rural sports, because the theory of the lawfulness
of man's treatment of the lower animals would be
involved in it ; a subject too subtle for philosophy,
and far too grave for flippant casuistiy.

Tame pigeon shooting is, in point of fact, but one
of the many forms of gambling ; it is never, pro-
bably, attempted, except to decide a wager, or to
bring off a sweepstakes. Colonel Hawker says of
the practice, "It is simply this — if you miss, you
are disgraced ; and if you kill, you get no credit."" A

PIGEON SHOOTING. 145

crack hand at this household species of gunneiy
may be the worst of general sportsmen ; though it
must be admitted he will be a good marksman.
The first fashionable place of resort for pigeon-
matches was the Old Hats; a public-house on the
Uxbridge road, that took its name from the shoot-
ing carried on in the gromids attached to it, where
the pigeon was placed in a hole covered with an old
hat, which constituted the original, or primitive, trap.
Of late years, the Red House, at Battersea, has su-
perseded the Old Hats, and is now the great metro-
politan mart for wager- shooting at pigeons.

The ordinary distance at which the shooter stands
from the trap, is one-and- twenty yards ; the bounds
within which the pigeon must fall, to score, vary from
a circumference of sixty to one hundred yards from
the trap, as a centre. This trap is a shallow box,
twelve inches long, and eight or ten wide ; sunk into
the ground, so as to be level with it. To this is
affixed a sliding lid, with a string to it, held by a
person standing near to the shooter. From him he
takes his directions to draw back the lid when his
aim is taken ; and at the moment that he is shootintr,
another bird is placed in the trap by the purveyor
of pigeons. Thus the match goes on with astonish-
ing rapidity— birds and guns being fm'nished even
with more expedition than they can be used. As a
rule, the pigeon-match shooter should use more
powder and less shot than in ordinary sporting.
The larger the gim and the charge, the wider the

146 PIGEON SHOOTING.

range of the shot. Gun-locks for these matches
should have fine, quick action, and very powerful
springs. The most killing shot will be found No. 4.

So much for the tame shooting of pigeons ; now
for the fashion of the wild sport. As with the whole
species of wild birds, this sport is not a pursuit, but
an ambush. You must wait for wild fowl, and not
follow them.

The tme season for woodpigeon shooting is mid-
wmter, when the snow lies on the ground. Then
they resort to the tuniip-fields, and may be turned to
good account. Should it be frost, and you cannot
approach them, even under cover of a hedge, in con-
sequence of the noise made by the ice breaking as
you walk, you will do well to lie in wait for their
return from feeding — of course, to leeward of their
flight. The favourite food of the woodpigeon in
cover, is beech-mast ; it will, therefore, be most
frequently met with where beech trees abomid.
Having taken your station in the vicinity of them,
be in no huriy to fire till 3^our bird has settled on
his perch, and taken his preliminaiy survey. Be
but patient till he has done this, and he may be shot
at as easily as a barn-door fowl ; but if you move the
least before he has settled, he will be off like a
rocket.

In September, Captain Lacy says, whilst the
leaves are yet green, the cushat, or woodpigeon, is
very fond of perching in hedge-rows, particularly of
oak and ash ; but when the leaves fall, they corifine

PIGEON SHOOTINa. 147

themselves more to the hollies, and such trees as are
mantled with the creeping ivy (for the timid ring-
dove ever courts concealment), and where it is next
to impossible to spy it out. As it is then certain to
fly out the wrong side, if left to itself, the best way is,
ha^dng first stationed yourself at a favoui'able point,
to whistle to your attendant, who must then face you,
and throw a clod, or stick, into the tree.

Autumn is certainly the season, in a gastrono-
mical point of view, for circumventing the wood-
pigeon ; for then, from the nature of its food, its
flavour is far more delicious than at any other time.
This is a migratory bird, and far less plentiful than
it was, like all of its tribe. It, however, leaves us in
the winter, and returns, to breed and rear its young,
in the spring. Mr. Blaine speaks favourably, as,
indeed, do all having experience of it, of the excellent
eating it is, except when it feeds on turnips, and be-
comes somewhat rancid of taste. By filling its inside
with bread, he says, much of this disagreeable flavour
is got rid of. Moreover, he enumerates among the
many virtues of the cushat, the property it has of
assisting the gamekeeper in his duty. Where they
exist in any quantity, he states, that the cabal they
make at night when miwelcome visitors intrude into
their woody haunts, prevents poachers from using
their air-guns, the instmments they usually employ
for the destruction of pheasants, on mndy nights,
when there is strong moonlight. Need we here
make intercession for the turtle-dove? No sports-

148

PIGEON SHOOTING.

man, of any age, sure, would go about to do it
violence ; its injuiy, to the youthful disciple of wood-
craft, should seem as murder —

" Murder most foul, as in the best it is ;
But this most foul, strange, and vmnatural."

Let the fate of the " Ancient Mariner" warn him who
would draw trigger on the bird of love ; ere you fire
upon the turtle, think, oh think ! of him who shot
the albatross !

THE WOODnOEJN

The Woodpigeon (Columha jmlnmhus, Linn,).
Woodpigeon, or PJngdove, of British authors ; the
Quest, or Cushat (provincial). — This beautiful bird,

PIGEON SHOOTING. 149

whose exterior plumage is of a bluish grey tint,
shading into darker and diverse hues, like a quaker's
robe, enlivened by the more mundane colours chosen
by a lady of quality to set off its sobriety, is indi-
genous to our islands. It is remarkable for the
downy softness and exquisite shading of its breast-
feathers, as well as for its graceful form. It is found
in wooded districts of England, in the southern
and midland counties of Scotland, and in Ireland.
The shyness of the bird is extreme before pairing,
after which it becomes almost sociable, resorting to
young plantations and shrubberies in great numbers,
where it may be observed mightily busy, engaged in
the different duties of incubation. As the food of
woodpigeons is very various, so the depredations they
commit on the green crops of the husbandman are
very extensive. They delight in grain and pulse ;
they eat the roots of several grasses, one of which,
Potentilla anserina, is picked up on the fallows. The
turnip crop of the farmer has frequently been well
nigh destroyed by them ; they attack beech-masts in
quantities, and reject few means of distending their
capacious craws. The wild note of the cushat is the
harbinger of mild weather, and forms, as it w^ere,
the indigenous melody of om' groves. It is not easily
domesticated, and requires infinite attention to rear.
A pair in the Zoological Gardens built a nest, which
happened to be dest]-03^ed ; and they have been fomid
to breed in the aviary at Knowsley ; but it w^ould
possibly require the passage of generations to enable

M 2

150 PIGEON SHOOTING.

them to forget tlieir independence. The wing
feathers of pigeons, which are very strong, cause
that flapping and tumultuous noise so often heard
in our forests, and so often the cause of their dis-
covery. They are veiy gregarious, and retire, in
large flocks, at times, to a common roosting place.

The name ringdove has been bestowed on the
bird from the conspicuous marking of dullish white
that intervenes, in the neck, between the rich green
and pui-ple rays of the neck and breast ; the webs of
these feathers are there unconnected.

Generic character : bill of medium strength, cen-
treiorly deflected ; maxilla with a slight angle ;
nostrils nearly linear, widest anteriorly, and covered
with a soft protuberant cartilage ; tarsi short, partly
feathered in front ; toes entirely divided, hind toe of
considerable length ; wings powerful, rather pointed,
second quill longest.

Types : C. i^alumhus, troiads, &c. Cosmopolite.

Note. Breed on trees ; gregarious in mnter ;
incessorial, but breed with facility.

The Rock-pigeon is a variety to which our
ornithologists refer the domestic pigeon of our cotes.
The "blue-rock" is the decoy of the pigeon-shooter
of the present day. This species inhabits the hollow
caves and bare rocks of the sea-shore. In the printer
they feed on the grains and seeds of the region,
and on the laud mollusca. They are gregarious,
and adhere pretty closely to the coast, where their
murmuring notes may be frequently distinguished

PIGEON SHOOTING.

151

between the dashings of the wave, and the roarings of
the blast. The rock-dove is found on all the desolate
shores of the north of Scotland, and the rocks and

THE DLCE IIUCI

caverns of Orkney and Shetland are the breeding
and roosting resorts of innumerable birds of this
species. Selby mentions, that they are found in the
cliffy regions of Caldy Island, in South Wales ; and
they are said to breed on some parts of the Devon-
shire and Cornwall shores.

Of the woodpigeon generally w'e may say, that
the species has greatly decreased of late years, both

152 PIGEON SHOOTING.

with the mcrease of population and the increasing per-
secution to which they are subjected. Xot a third of the
numbers, that formerly flocked our woods and forests,
are now seen. But incalculable as their ao-areaate

CO O

amount seemed to be with us some sixty years since,
it is small, indeed, to that spoken of in America, —
the passenger pigeon of that country darkening the
air for miles, when the flocks are on the wing ; and
when they settle, breaking do^Yn., from their num-
bers, the very forests on which they rest. The Rock-
dove, or White-rumped pigeon, is the staple that has
supplied so much theme for the poet and the histo-
rian, as the messenger of the lover and the politician.
The "Tumbler" and the "Carrier" pigeons are two of
the fancy breeds of this species, remarkable for a
deviation of structure from the original type. Their
heads and bills are in proportion, the former shorter,
and the latter longer, than in their original.

The Turtle-dove {Turtur migratorhis). — This
pigeon is smaller and more slender than the true
pigeon, and its tail is not nearly so ample, but gra-
duated. It occm's in Kent and Hertfordshire, in
some of the northern counties, and in Scotland and
Ireland : it appears to be more frequent in the
wooded parts of Kent than elsewhere in England,
but its visitation \^-ith us is altogether rare. Sir W.
Jardine speaks of a specimen shot in the garden at
Jardine Hall : — " The bird had frequented a break
of peas, nearly- ripe, for several days, and at last
attracted the notice of the gardener, as one not pre-

PIGEON SHOOTING.

153

viously known to him. When it was afterwards
sought for it was discovered in the same place, rose
with considerable noise, and alighted on a neighbour-
ing tree, whence it was shot. The plumage was that
of an immature bird." Thus we see it is only a
straggler that occasionally exceeds the ordinary bounds
of its migrations. It is, however, regular in its visits,
reaching the British coast between the end of April
and the commencement of May ; again to depart in
the latter days of August, or early in September.
The fidelity of these birds is said to be as singular
as the attachment of the Carrier pigeon to its native
locality. The flight of the whole pigeon family is won-
derfully rapid.

E bT iCKDOVE

The Stockdove. — This species seems almost con-
fined to some of the southern shires of England

154 PIGEON SHOOTING.

(speaking of it only as a British bird). It is found
in the open parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, where it
sometimes constructs its nests in rabbit holes and
burrows: elsewhere it will seek for pollards and
decayed trees wherein to breed ; and sometimes it is
found in the entangled furze-bushes that are weather-
tight. It is known to mix with the woodpigeon ; it
is also gregarious at the same season, and its food is
alike. The young stockdove is veiy good eating, but
not comparable to the flesh of the ringdove when it
has abstained from the turnip or cabbage field. The
l^lumage of this species is remarkable for the sort of
mmeral lustre of its breast feathers. In conclusion,
we may remark, that the woodpigeon is distributed
over our islands ; that the stockdove selects the
southern districts, and the rock-pigeon is most nu-
merous towards the north.

In Jamaica, there are many varieties of tliis tribe:
some of whom have great beauty of phimage, as
the Blue pigeon and Mountain mtch ; and others, as
the Ring-tail pigeon, extraordinary delicacy of flavour.
The latter is found only in the woods of Jamaica
interior, and when in season, in the autumnal months,
is extremely fat, and of most exalted savour. Of the
doves, too, there is one species, called the Ground dove,
from its frequenting the roads and pathways for food,
the size of a lark, and of most delicate plumage. We
doubt, however, whether in delicacy of plumage any of
the dove species excels our cushat, that favoiurite of
our woods, where she threads her leafy way, or sits

TEEEIEES. 155

crooning in loving note on the darksome tree, im-
pemoiis to eveiy eye. For vividness of coloui's the
palm must, in most cases, be conceded to the smaller
birds of the American woods : —

" Just as fond Nature lovelier colours brings
To deck the insect's than the eagle's wings.'

-^-^H-4||W-^^-^

TERRIERS.

Although his sporting claims are by no means of a
prominent character, the terrier is entitled to a slight
notice, at all events, seeing that he is an occasional
agent of the shooter, and does him good service, in-
directly, on occasion. He may be veiy usefully
employed by those who follow rabbit shooting in
cover, for Ms perseverance is indomitable ; and, when
of the rough or mr}^-haired species, thorns and bram-
bles have no account with him. The family of the
terrier is the most domestic of all the canine race,
and one that has lately made, and is still making,
gi'eat progress in the higher branches of science
known to its genus. The species called bull-terrier
is capable of training to almost any purpose for which
the dog is required. We have already shewn that
one of that breed was of extraordinary excellence as a

THE TfcRRIEB.

retriever ; while many of the common
smooth sort, that accompany the itine-
rant showman of our fairs, exhibit rare
intelligence. As a companion to the
wonderful feats related of the poodle,
we offer the follo\^ang instance of saga-
city, or second sight, or whatever it
was, in a terrier ; which, should the
reader say he would not have believed
had he seen, we can only say we did see, and did
not know whether to credit what we saw or not.

TEERIEES. 157

A Frenchman, who resided in the town of Oswes-
try, had a little black and tan terrier, that he had
taught to dance (of course) ; to smoke a pipe ; to make
a low bow on the mention of Napoleon ; and to cut a
caper of admiration at the words, ''Jeune France.'' This
animal would fetch and carry anything, anywhere.
Only point to a wig that passed you in the street,
and it was in your hand the next moment ; and afj
for picking pockets, handkerchiefs seemed to jump

spontaneously into his mouth It so

happened that on a market-day we were walking
with the Frenchman and his dog, on the road lead-
ing to Llangollen. It was summer weather, and
the dust lay very thick. We had walked about a
mile out, and were returning into the town, when sud-
denly he stopped, and said, " At the point where we
turned to come back, I dropped a franc among the
dust; we will wait till Moustache fetches it — Allez,
Moustache, cherchez,'" — and off went the four-footed
Mercuiy. An h(jur elapsed, and no Moustache
appeared, and we ' grew tired of waiting ; and the
Frenchman, thinking he had lost his cui' as well as
his coin, returned disconsolate to his lodging.

The following morning we had occasion to see
him early, and while in his room, there was a
scratching at the door. He opened it, and, sorely
travel- worn, in rushed Moustache, with an old leathern
bag in his mouth, which, together with some bank
notes and other money, contained a franc piece. This
bag was subsequently claimed by a Welsh drover, who,

158 TERRIERS.

in riding to Llangollen fair, picked up a silver coin
that his pony kicked out of the dust. This he had put
into his bag; and it was not till long after he missed
it, he remembered that, while transacting his busi-
ness in the fair, a strange dog had stuck closely to
his heels, and followed him to his bedroom, when he
retired for the nidit. What occasion Moustache had

o

'taken for abstracting his bag, or by what necromancy
of nose he knew it contained his master's money, was
alike mysteiious ; all that ever transpired was, — that
the drover had his treasure, and the reader has the
tale, to deal with it according to his pleasure.

The latest fashion introduced in terriers is the
variety kno^\Tl as the Isle of Skye breed. Its pecu-
liarities are, eyes covered with impenetrable curtains
of hair which hang over them, and a back that, if
cut into quarters, would be enough for four terriers
of ordinaiy symmetry. The direct origin of the
terrier, according to Blaine (who of course follows
somebody else), like that of many other well marked
varieties of the dog, is involved in much obscurity.
Some consider his antiquity questionable ; while, on
the other hand, it is not easy to mistake the dog so
minutely described by Oppian, for any other than the
terrier. Buffon's synopsis classes him with the
hound, nor is it at all improbable that he is thus
derived; and that, by frequent intermixtures and
crossings, he at length exhibits all the varieties we
now meet with as to size, colour, and qualities. Our
friend. Colonel Hamilton Smith, places the terrier

TERRIERS. 159

at the head of the race of our dogs ; at the same time
asserting, that if there be an indigenous canme genus
in Great Britain, it is that to which he belongs. Nor
is the arrangement, of so placing the race, to be re"
jected, he says, because we are accustomed to con-
sider that appellation as applicable only to mongrels.
He then goes on to establish his position, by learned
references to Greek words ; and having done so,
states, that among them — the curs — are constantly
found indi\dduals endowed with the keenest faculties
and discernment. One of them, related in Mon-
taigne's Essays — the quaint old essayist himself
having witnessed the fact — was the guide of a blind
man, who, when his road lay along a braok, would
draw his master to the farther side from the water's
edge, although it was there much more rugged and
unfit to walk on. This was veiy intellectual, but not
equal to our own sample.

■~^^%'*''*'^^^^^'''''***^>^

CHAPTER Xlir.

WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

Here is, indeed, a stirring subject — the pursuit of
at once the daintiest and most sporting of all our
feathered quarry. Elsewhere we shall deal, at some
length, with its natm'al history and social details
— here we confine om'selves to the most approved
methods of finding and bagging this manna and fat-
ness of the woods. These savouiy strangers — the
woodcocks — wherever they come from, arrive gene-
rally in the British Islands about the middle of
October. They then lodge principally abroad ; but
the first fall of snow drives them into the woods, and
in November they are to be met with m cover, what-
ever the nature of the weather.

In covers not too high or thick, or where rides
have been cut through the well-grown timber, cock-
shooting with a team of small spaniels or cockers, is
the most picturesque and inspiriting of all trigger-
sporting. The precaution of having markers eligibly

Si^-'{iJl» JklS/.-LS

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 161

posted before beating a cover is begun, is very es-
sential ; for when a cock is flushed, he should never
be left, if possible, while in the land of the living.
The most favourite spots, both in and out of cover,
with the woodcock, are clumps of hollies. There
or thereabouts, you may be sure of him, if the beat
has not lately been disturbed. Early in the season,
however, his creeps are among the hedgerows, on the
margin of ponds, in springy, marshy bottoms, and
subsequently in young woods, and the skirts of plan-
tations. At times, he is very sluggish, and will lie till
the veiy bush he is in is struck ; at other times^ he
is as much on the ale}'t. Sometimes, he will not fly
a hundred yards after being fired at, and will afford
half-a-dozen shots, should he survive long enough;
then again he is on the Vving before you are half
within range, and do n't alight till he has put miles
between himself and you. To-day he flies straight
and slow, so that it is hard to miss him ; to-morrow
his flight is twisted like a corkscrew, and rapid as a
falcon's stoop.

Colonel Hawker, who has bestowed upon this
sport the name of " the foxhmiting of shooting," is
extremely concise in his remarks upon it. He says,
indeed, that a real good sj)ortsman feels more gratified
by lulling a woodcock, or even a few snipes, than
bags full of game, that have been reared upon his own
or neighbour's estate ; but he dismisses very abruptly
the means of so gratifying himself. In a countiy where
cocks are scarce, he tells you to be sure to put a

n2

162 WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

marker in a tree, before you attempt to flusli one a
second time ; and, when you have marked do^ai a cock,
to remember, how veiy apt he is to run instead of
rising from the spot in which you may have seen him
drop. If a cock flies away, he observes, and continues
to rise wild, you may go safely beyond where he may
have last dropped, and then back again to beat for him
(having some one to make a noise on the side where
you had before advanced on him) ; and he \nll then
most likely either lie close, or fly towards you. If this
will not do, take your station quietly to windward (as
cocks generally fly against the wind), give a whistle
when you are ready, and let the other person then
draw on and flush him. His cry of "mark" will
assist in frightening and driving the cock forward,
and be a signal for your preparation.

Infinitely the best cock-shooting we have ever
had, was in Ireland — on the coast of Donegal and
Leitrim. In the neighbourhood of Ballyshannon,
these counties unite, and there, in the woods of
Oakfield, belonging to a connexion of om' own, we
have met woodcocks in flocks or " wisps," an occur-
rence without parallel in our sportmg career. The
manner of pursuing them is by two-legged beaters, a
company of boys, or gossoons, as natural and naked as
any four-footed cockers, and going to work with a zeal
and instinct that would shame the best bred spaniels
of Blenheim, or anj^vhere else. These " spalpeens "
are as well broken to the sport as any crack train of
dogs, and take a delight in it that shews they are to

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 163

the matter born. Indeed, a love of sport is the
ruling passion of the Irish peasant — strong, even in

his starvation, God help him ! The gossoons,

having taken in hand their shillelaghs, proceed in line
through the woods, giving tongue, when they flush a
cock, with "Mark cock," and waiting breathlessly
for the sound of his funeral oration. If no shot is
fired, or, if fired, a cry of " Down dead " does not
follow the report, they resume their beating, as before.
In these woods, their late proprietor has shot fifty and
sixty couples frequently in a day ; and the late Duke
of Richmond, we believe, when Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland, received a pie as a present which contained
twenty score of woodcocks !

We have no right to suppose our young friends
will ever set up their (cocking) staff in this land of
promise, and therefore it is our duty to instruct them
how to hope for a supply of this their game in less
densely inhabited neighbourhoods. When in places
likely to hold a cock, let them towards evening try
the mosses, banks of rivulets, and boggy bottoms ; at
that time the birds are on the " road," or feed, and
consequently, are more easily met with than when
laid up in the snug harbour of some old osier bed, or
beneath the root of some monarch of the wood in the
deepest recesses of some wide cover. When flushed,
he will do well to bear in mind that the woodcock
seldom, if ever, pitches on feeding ground.

The Woodcock [Scolopax riisticola). — The wood-
cock is the largest species in the genus Scolojmci/hr,

164

WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

or, familiarly speaking, iii that family of snipes and
woodcocks common to our British marshes and
woodland covers. These birds are winter visitants of

THE WOODCOCI

our coasts, and their migration is nocturnal. Upon
their first arrival they are to be fomid in whin covers
on the sea shore, or on heathy moors. When ex-
hausted by the length of their flight, they are some-
times so little shy, that they can hardly be raised, and
may be killed in great numbers, while more fre-
quently they are timid to excess. They will, per-
haps, rest a day or so in the localities we have men-
tioned, and then are off to settle, as it were, for the
winter. They will then choose far-spreading woods,
interspersed with holly, spruce, and other evergreens,

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 165

and where there is low cover to be met with near
marshy and sheltered bottoms. They visit us for
the most part about the end of October, and migrate
again in February. Numerous instances of their
breeding have been made known, season after season,
in this country; but still the cases when this occurs
are isolated : a pair or two, here and there, discover
a favourable situation, and are found; but there
is no indiscriminate breeding in chosen places, as
in the case of its near neighbour, the Jack Snipe.
The woodcock appears to be known in all parts of the
world. We have it in most parts of Great Britain
and Ireland that are suited to its existence : it is
found in Orkney and Shetland for a short space of
the winter. It breeds in Austria, Silesia, and even
in Siberia; and its range extends beyond the Arctic
Circle. They have been found in Italy and the East,
at Madeira, and on the African coasts. With some
varieties of plumage, they are to be met with amid
the Himalayas, and in the Alpine districts of India
generally, as well as at Japan.

The woodcock, when it breeds in this country,
selects a dry spot, generally at a small distance from
water : here dry leaves, a little fem, perchance some
moss, may form its careless nest : and here the hen
will lay four or five eggs of the size of those of a
pigeon ; in colour of a pale purple brown, or dirty
yellow white, with brown markings. One writer
speaks thus of nests that were found : " the soil was
dry and gravelly, the grass tolerably long, without

199 WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

underwood, and the trees oak, birch, and larch, not
exceeding thirty years' growth." Another says: that
" they are placed amongst dead grass and leaves, with-
out any attempt at concealment." In Norway, the
eggs are found merely placed on the bare ground,
under brushwood, or where the young spruce fir was
again springing from a space only just cleared of the
old trees. The most remarkable peculiarity in the
formation of the woodcock, is the stnicture of its bill :
an adaptation to the pui-poses of its existence, no
less curious than interesting. The upper mandible
measures about three inches, and is furrowed nearly
its whole length, basally compressed, and cui-ved at
the tip, which projects, and forms a kind of Itnob,
which is very sensitive, and capable of discrimination
of its food (principally worms), which it extracts from
moist grounds by means of its sharp and pointed
tongue. The bill is intersected by numerous veins.
The eye is large, and so constructed as to catch the
faintest rays of light, — a necessity, since it is a noc-
turnal wanderer. The digestion of woodcocks is
singularly rapid, and their feeding propensities quite
out of proportion with other birds : they thiTist their
bills, endowed, as we have seen, with a wonderful
delicacy of feeling, into the soft mud of the marsh or
shore, in search of the aquatic lai-vse of insects and
small worms ; and thus they bore miceasingly during
the greatest part of the night for the food, that is no
sooner taken than it is in process of digestion. The
woodcock measures about fourteen inches in length,

WOODCOCK SHOOTING, 167

about twenty- six iii breadth, and weighs from nine to
eleven ounces. The plumage is coloured in all this
genus with subdued and quaker-like tints. These
in their turn varying from a brick-dust light brown
to a sort of yellowish grey, to which last hue the fore-
head assimilates. Across the crown and nape there
are four bars of black brown, of a rich colour, the two
first the most marked ; a narrow band of yellowish or
reddish white separates them : on the fore part of the
neck, and from the corners, there are patches of
Sienna browai, of a pale colour. The wings are
darkish brown, with black intermixed, and white, or
pale yellow, tips, marked triangularly outside with
chesnut brown, on the inner side with a sort of red
brown ; the outer web of the first quill is usually the
palest, verging to a faint yellow, while the dark colours
are the triangular spots upon it. The tail has twelve
feathers; it is black, cut into with brown; the upper
tips grey, the under white : a redder hue on the
breast, and marked with bro^vn of various shades in
various birds. The back is an admixture of brown,
yellow, and grej, with darker markings of brown and
black ; the whole plumage of a light sand brown
effect, with shadings of grey and darker browns and
black. The legs and base of the bill are pale brown-
ish pink: at the tip of the bill it becomes nearly
black. Tliis bird suff'ers severely in the hard frosts
of the winter, from its peculiar habits of turning
over the sand and dried leaves in search of food. In
this countiy, the number of woodcocks known to visit

168 WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

US, of late seasons, is on the decline. In Ireland they
are veiy abundant, — the boggy districts and natural
copse-woods, of ceitain of its counties, absolutely
swanning with them. There is much animal oil in
woodcocks ; and their time of incubation is short : the
yomig birds run alone as soon as out of the shell. It is
said, that, in common with their tribe, they are quarrel-
some during the season of comtship. Blaine men-
tions, that the sex of the woodcock is undiscoverable
from external marks ; although in Pennant we find,
tliat the hen of the woodcock " presents a narrow
stripe of white along the lower part of the exterior
veil of the feather, while in the cock bird, the same
feather at the same part is beautifully and regularly
spotted with black and reddish- white." We are not
ourself a competent judge, not ha^dng a taste in
feathers, but have no doubt that Blaine is right in
his experience, that the distinction is not, in many
birds, clearly marked. Some say the hen is the
larger bird. The small, pointed feather, at the base
of the bastard v^ing of this bird, is well known among
artists as the most delicate binish used by them,
especially in miniatm-e painting. It is now greatly
superseded by brushes almost as finely haired, manu-
factured by the brushmakers. The woodcock, on its
first arrival, is usually lean and fatigued : it is often
picked up, under such circimistances, in the most
open thoroughfares near sea coasts, and is so difficult
to raise, at such times, that it is killed in numbers.
Mr. Daniel tells us " that when the cocks first take

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 1G9

to the coverts, which they sometimes do in flights or
iimnbers, the}^ choose the j^ear-okl slopes, or they
betake themselves to the edges of the woods ; after-
wards they lie up in ordinary, as it were, in coverts
of from seven to ten years' growth."

The woodcock is often supposed to make a flight
to Ireland from our shores, in seasons of severe frost,
the ]3revailing moisture of that clime being genial to
the conformation of the bird. It is well known they
leave us in numbers when a long, hard frost may have
prevailed. It seems to be an axiom in nature,
that the voracious animal is a solitary one. The
beasts of prey, for the most part, roam singly the
pathless wilderness in quest of victims ; the carni-
vorous birds, who make their eyries on the moun-
tain-top, live and pair singly ; the huge monsters of
the deep, who feast on carrion, approve of no compe-
tition in blood; and thus, too, these smaller birds
and animals, who are greedy, or rapid of digestion,
appear averse to flocking together. This holds good
of the species we are describing ; and, indeed, it is a
fact, that one plashy brake, such as the bird loves,
will not contain more food than will support one of
these birds. Colonel Montague says : " The enor-
mous quantity these birds eat is scarcely credible :
indeed, it would be the constant labour of one person
to procure food (worms or the laiwee of insects) for

two or three woodcocks The difficulty

of collecting a sufficiency of such precarious aliment

determined us to try if bread and milk would not be

o

170 WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

a good substitute ; and we found tliat, by putting
clean-washed worms into the mess, the bird soon
acquired a taste for this new food, and will now eat a
basin of bread and milk in twenty-four hours, besides
the worms it can procure."

Woodcocks are seldom seen to fly in the day-
time, they do not like stormy weather, and shift their
quarters very much according to the climate. Thus
they breed on the mountain-heights of Jura, and
remain among the Alps throughout the year, visiting
the moist places of the vallies according to the season :
in the summer amid the hills ; in the winter descend-
ing to the plains. They breed also in the mountains
of Sweden, Poland, Prussia, Norway, and Lapland ;
indeed, eveiywhere that Nature teaches them their
delicately nerved bills can pick from the marshes
and plashes the necessary supply of food. Here
they remain until the sun and the frost, alike their
enemies, shall have dried up the springs and water-
courses ; till the ground shall have become too arid
for their support ; till the vermicular insects are
upon the wing ; or till the frost shall have congealed
the earth into one solid mass, impenetrable to their
bills. When this occurs, these cold-loving birds must
either wing their flight to other regions, or perish.

It is said, that the arrival of the woodcock is more
or less influenced by certain winds blowing from
their locations : these are taken advantage of as they
occur ; thus sparing them that fatigue the conforma-
tion of their wings, though large, does not enable

WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 171

them to support. Numbers, nevertheless, perish at
sea; numbers are picked up dead on the coast; num-
bers alight on vessels during the passage.

Varieties occur in this bird. Dr. Latham speci-
fies three : — " In the first, the head is of a pale red,
body white, and the wings brown ; the second is of a
dun, or rather cream colour ; and the third of a pure
white." One writer describes having met with a
variety, the colour of which was a fine pale ash, with
frequent bars of a very delicate mfous ; tail brown,
tipped with white ; and the bill and legs flesh colour.
Mr. Daniel speaks of the different sizes of woodcocks:
that those found first in the season are the largest,
fly heavily, and their heads, especially the under
parts, appear to be encircled with short feathers;
that these large birds are not so numerous with
us as a smaller size, which arrive in November and
December, with shorter bills and smoother feathers.
*' Woodcocks that come about Candlemas," he says,
" are also small, and differ in their manner of flying;
are quicker of wing, take long flights, and are well
known to be difficult to be shot, from their not rising
above the spray, like the larger muffled woodcock,
but make their way for some distance, as it were,
among the boughs." Baillon mentions a grey-legged
woodcock, and a blue-legged one ; a pure white bird
has been seen. We find, indeed, that varieties of
climate among animals, of whatever class, generate,
almost invariably, varieties of plumage.

Generic characters, according to Jardine : bill

17-2 WOODCOCK SHOOTING.

lengthened and sensitive, straight (upper mandible
curved, and projecting over into a knob in the wood-
cock), basally compressed, slightly curved at the tip,
and there dilated ; the tip of the maxilla fitting into
that of the mandible in the whole tribe ; leos and feet
slim ; tarsi of moderate length ; tibiiE only for a short
space naked, or altogether clothed with feathers ;
wings moderate, tips of the quills somewhat romided,
but the first or second longest.

Types : Scolopax nisticola, galUnago, Sabuiii, &c.
Habits of several, to a limited extent, sylvan; all
migratory, or partially so ; squat on the approach of
danger. Breeding and winter plumage similar.

CHAPTER XIV.

SNIPE SHOOTING,

Like the woodcock, the Snipe is a migratoiy bird,
also ; visiting us in autumn, and taking its leave in
spring. Like the woodcock, too, it abounds infinitely
more in Ireland than England : and, indeed, in many-
districts of the former, is the only bird the shooter has
to count upon, with the exception of the grouse and
the cock. The snipe, according to the old saw, " is
a good bird whenever you can get it ; " but it is not
correct, nevertheless, to shoot it before the grouse is
in season. In August a few are met on the moors —
they are always to be found in the bogs and on the
upland moors of Ireland ; but they are not fit to eat
before November. It is stated, and truly, that these
birds have retreated in this country before the march
of agricultural improvement, whose jjre?/ri€r jxis is
draining ; and the sport, which forms our present
subject, is to be had, in any perfection, in but veiy
few counties in England. Moreover, the snipe is
o 2

174 SNIPE SHOOTING.

a most capiicious resident, chauging liis abode at
almost every accident of wind or weather, or both.
Sometimes not one sohtaiy individual is to be met
with in their most accustomed haunts ; sometimes a
sportsman falls in with a colony, where he never
before knew an individual of the species to resort.

Many good game-shots contend, that shooting
snipes is a " knack" (which, no doubt, they them-
selves have not learned) ; and, certainly, some emi-
nent hands, at pheasants and partridges, give it up in
disgust, and despair of ever succeeding at it. Taken
in all its bearings, this sport is a very true general
test of a marksman's quality. The flight of the bird
is utterly altered by the state of the weather. In
warm, cloudy, or boisterous days, he is as tame, and
as easily covered, as a yomig grouse in August ; the
next morning, mth a brisk hoar-frost, and a still,
clear atmosphere, he flashes away like a bolt from a
cross-bow — gyrating like a swallow in the twilight.

An old stanch pointer, familiar with the scent of
the snipe, is the only dog to shoot him to with any
satisfaction. This dog should be taught to retrieve
also, for in some grounds which the bird likes best to
frequent, it is not competent for " too, too solid flesh"
to venture. " Snipes," says Captain Lacy, whom
we hold in esteem as an authority on the subject of
shooting birds which are not game, " snipes lie best
in windy weather, when the shooter should always be
down wind, as the birds, when sprung, generally face
it, and thus present finer, and often cross, shots.

SNIPE SHOOTING. 175

But in boisterous weather, though their flight be
slower, it is more iiTegular, and, therefore, the aim is
more difficult to take. Some recommend hunting up
wind, and heading the dog wide at a point, instead of
walking up in the usual way. But the birds rarely
allow of such a liberty being taken with them, to say
nothing of fresh birds being thus disturbed. With a
scientific snipe dog — that is, one who, on your walk-
ing doAvn wind, quarters his gromid regularly before
you, with his nose in the wind, making short turns
from right to left, at thirty or forty yards on each side
of you — there is no plan like walking with the wind.
But with a dog not so highly accomplished, I always
prefer taking the contrary direction ; but then I use
Eley's cartridge. No. 7."

As the flight of snipes is so rapid, and, at the same
time, often so tortuous, if the shooter mean to get
doublets, he must fire the first barrel extremely quick,
unless, indeed, the birds lie unusually well ; but, at a
single bird, he can, if he please, afford himself a little
more time, unless it rises wild. The ciitical crisis at
which you should, in this latter instance, endeavour
to fire, is just when the bird is reaching that distance
when the shot will have the widest spread, consistent
with the proper degree of closeness for pelting down
a bird so small as a snipe. This will, of course, vary
exceedingly accordmg as you may use loose shot or
cartridges.

The vulgar notion, that the shghtest touch of
shot will bring down the snipe, is wholly mitnie.

176 SNIPE SHOOTING.

It has often been seen to fly beyond sight after more
than one pellet has passed through it. If you have
reason to suppose you have hit your bird, and it is
marked down, beat very close for it ; you may very
probably find it dead, though it has fled from the shot
apparently as strong as ever. Try your snipe ground
very patiently, and don't be afraid to beat it after
noon, though you may have tried it blank in the
morning : snipes often return as regularly as they
leave their feeding places. Neither must you take it
for granted they feed in spots apparently suited to
that purpose. Constantly, haunts, the most favour-
able for them to the eye, do not hold a snipe ; very
probably there is something disagreeing with their
taste, for your snipe is formed by nature for an
epicure — his bill is exquisitely fashioned to give him
a keen perception of flavour.

In weather when snipes rise wild, as soon as
they flush, throw your eye well forward, and fire the
moment they top the cover in which you raise them ;
observing to suit your elevation to the distance. A
wild springing snipe, like a pigeon from a trap,
always takes a straight course in the first of his
flight. If he offers an oblique, or a cross, shot, you
must regulate your aim accordingly, and shoot well
forward.

The Common Snipe {Scolopax gallinago, Linn.). —
The plumage of the common British snipe of English
authors is of veiy sober tinting, and yet so distinctly
marked as to be very beautiful. The upper ground-

SNIPE SHOOTING,

177

colour is a dark brown black, the feathers bemg re-
lieved by a lighter brown, so arranged in parts as to
fall in lines. There are two broad lines, on the

THE SNIPE.

cro^Mi and over the eyes, of pale colours ; while from
the gape to the eye there is an uninternipted line of
blackish brown. The back of the neck is of varied
and irregular colour and markings. The back,
scapulars, and long tartials have feathers edged with
a border of lioht brown, fallincv in lines. At the
back there is much black, while the feathers are
tipped with white. The breast is dark wood brown,
shading into white, as they advance lower on the
breast and belly. The chin is wliite ; the throat
brown. There are fourteen tail feathers : the middle
two are black, largely dipped in bright yellow red,

178 SNIPE SHOOTINa.

and sometimes mottled with black ; a deep and nar-
row band crosses the tip. The exteriors of the tail
are greyish black, and a reddish orange, shaded by the
dark ground colour of the feathers ; the outer feather
is white at the tip.

This bird is common all over Great Britain and
Ireland. It breeds with us in partial numbers, and
regularly ; but by far the greater quantity arrive in
this country with other early winter visitants, again to
migrate towards the spring. Formerly, these birds
were most abundant in Cambridgeshire, and would
sell from fourpence each ; of late years they are in-
finitely more plentiful towards the north ; yet wher-
ever the surface character of our comities permit their
resort, there will the snipe be found. Of course, as
we advance northward, among moors and marshes,
we shall find them increase in plenty, even to the
western isles of Scotland, and to the remotest of them.
They appear to breed in every suitable locality of
North Britain and Ireland. In the breeding season
they locate themselves on the edges of marshy grounds ;
or, should these be too swampy and extensive for their
purposes, they resort to the lowland moors, or to the
shores of the northern lakes. The ground nest is
merely a scooped-out cavity, lined with such materials
as are at hand: the position, a dry tuft, on raised
ground. In the southern districts, the fenny gromids
of commons, or the low moist grounds in forest tracks,
are selected. The young remain long after incuba-
tion, and as long as the weather permits, near their

SNIPE SHOOTING. 179

breeding places; but, under unfavourable seasonal
circumstances, they will speedily change their quarters.
The frost of very severe weather, however, will some-
times keep them from removal till it is broken up
again. We have known snipes where you would
little calculate upon them, — in low willow grounds^
among alders and scattered brushwood ; and we have
seen them perch close to the habitations of man, in
bound up weather, in search of that moisture necessary
to their existence. The loud drumming noise of the
common snipe, heard in his descending flight, made
by the concussion of its wings with the air, was at
one time thought to come from his throat. Its pipe,
as it sits among the herbage, is well known to the
moor and marsh frequenter, and even to the mere
woodland frequenter ; for it is often popped upon in
localities but little suited to its ordinary habits. Its
geographical range is undetermined. Jardine says it
breeds in Scona and Lapland; Mr. Yarrell, in ex-
tensive swamps and morasses in the alpine districts
of Norway and Sweden ; Pennant ascribes Russia
and Siberia as breeding countries ; and the east is
given it by various authorities, while others restrict it
to Europe. Jardine says, "the birds of America are
distinct."

The Common Snipe is provincially called the snite,
or heather-bleater. Its length is about, or near,
twelve inches ; the bill a good three inches : it weighs
about four ounces. The snipe has many enemies;
among them, the most destructive is, perhaps, the

180 SNIPE SHOOTING.

blue hawk. This bird, in running, has a peculiar
motion, or jerk, with the tail, which it outspreads at
the time in a fan-like manner. Its flight is rapid,
but tortuous. It is thin in August, and not then
very good eating ; about November it is as full and
fat as the epicure can desire. It is not a shy bird,
except where it congregates together, when it becomes
much more wary and timid. There are often-occur-
ring varieties of this, as w^ell as all the other species
of the feathered tribes. There is the Red-breasted
Snipe {Scolopax novahorencis) : — "In 1803, a small
flock of these was seen in Devonshire." Bewick
speaks of a singular field snipe, that was shot near
Offbrd : — " Its throat, breast, back, and wings, were
beautifully covered or streaked with w^hite ; and on
its forehead was a star of the natural colour : it had
also a ring round the neck and tail, with the tips of
the wings of the same colour." We have ourselves
seen an odd brick or orange legged snipe. The Red-
breasted Snipe is indifferently named by British
authors, the Brown Longbeak, Brown Snipe, Red-
breasted Snipe, Grey Snipe, from the varieties of its
winter and summer plumage : it is of the genus
Macrorhamjms, and not one of the true snipes ; is
know^i as far north as the Arctic Sea, and is speci-
fically a native of North America.

The Great Snipe [Scolopax major). — In the
southern districts of our island we find this snipe as
an occasional bird of passage. It is of unusual occur-
rence both in Ireland and Scotland. Jardine men-

SNIPE SHOOTING. 181

tions the fact, that the great snipe is nearly always
met with in autumn, comparatively few being found
in the spring, or on their re-migration.

This is the Great Double, or Solitary Snipe, of
British authors ; so named from its habits of skulking
alone or in pairs. Its flight is heavy and peculiar,
and its tail spread out fan-like. Its plumage is very
similar to that of the common snipe, with some differ-
ences : it has sixteen tail feathers, the five outermost
beautifully-marked, black bars on white, and triangular
markings on belly, sides, and thighs. From the tip
of the bill to the toes, it might measm-e rather more
than fourteen inches ; its weight about eight ounces ;
bill about four inches long. The internal structure
of the great snipe is said to be remarkably similar to
that of the woodcock. The bird has been not unfre-
quently met with in Kent, and in various parts of
Lancashire. Its most usual breeding continental
range appears to be Norway and Sweden, and in
Holland more rarely.

Jardine specifies, that in comparison with the
common snipe, "the bill and legs are short; the
tibicB bare for only a short distance above the tarsal
joint." Bewick mentions three specimens of a large
snipe, but which could not clearly be ascertained as
'' a distinct species, or whether it acquires its bulk
and change of plumage from age, and its solitaiy habits
from ceasing to breed."

There is a species of snipe, infinitely more rare
than the solitaiy heather-bleater ; it appears an

182 SNIPE SHOOTING.

intermediary between that and the woodcock. The
known specimens of this bird in England are few in
number: one was procured from Queen's County,
Ireland, w^here it was shot ; and another was killed
ni the neighbourhood of Morpeth, in Northumberland.
As we have not ourself examined these specimens,
or others, in the Zoological Museum, it will be more
satisfactoiy to the reader to introduce that eminent
naturalist, Sir W. Jardine's description of this species : —
''Scolopax Sahinii: Sabine's Snipe" — first premising
that its call is described as differing from that of
other snipes, and its habits said to be similar. An
Irish specimen, produced by Mr. Thompson, was shot
at thrice ; without exhibiting fear or shyness, it
alighted, after being fired at, but a short distance
from the same spot — " The upper parts are nearly
of a dusky brown, varied by narrow bands of pale
yellowish brown ; the under parts are also rufous
dusky brown, alternately barred with pale yellow
])rown. The tail, containing twelve feathers, has
the basal half black, the terminal half chesnut brown.,
barred with black or blackish brown. Tibia? plumed
entirely to the Imees. The entire length of the bird
is from ten to twelve inches, of which the bill will
measure from two to three.'

-^-$>i^<5M^3*^'^

SHOOTING THE JACK SNIPE.

This little specimen of bis species, like his great
type, the Solitary Snipe, is much more easily shot
than the common. It lies closer, flies slower, and
presents a much easier mark. Still, inanimate, as it
undoubtedly is, as a general rule, the Jack Snipe.

TKJC JACK SNIPE.

like the woodcock, after affording, perhaps, half ;i
dozen shots, as if he were but half awake, will take
to his wings, and make use of them in good earnest.
Moreover, in windy weather he is as wild as the com-
mon snipe is tame. When you have flushed, and
marked him down, you must take care he does not

184 JACK SNIPE SHOOTING.

rise secretly, take a second flight, or a long run, and
afterwards get up behind you. The Jack comes to
us later, and leaves earlier, than the common snipe,
and has rarely been known to breed in this country.
Though a short flier, he knows how to take care of
himself, and will often set the best dogs and men at
defiance.

The Jack Snipe (Scolopax gallinula): Linn. —
This is the pet of the snipe genus, both for its
plumage and its flesh. As to the latter, let people
say what they will of the ortolan, we will back the
jack, half-snipe, or judcock, for a tit-bit, against any
ortolan in the world. It does not flock together like
the common snipe, but chooses in pairs, or singly,
its low woodland or marshy abode. If the jack comes
to us rather later than the larger snipe, it remains
with us longer than others, always stapng through
March, when its feathers are approaching towards
their full beauty. At this time, indeed, it is far the
handsomest in dress of any species of the bird, either
known in Great Britain or foreign : its glossy back
so richly dyed in pui-ples and greens, its delicately
distinct markings of wood brown, and the clearest
ochreous yellow, and the pure white midemeath,
which so charmingly contrast these brighter hues, its
green grey legs, and dusky bill, and its plump but
elegant form, combining to render it one of our
prettiest visitants. When five or sLx are seen toge-
ther, they look like animated gems or jewels, as they
rise from covert, — their wings quivering in rapid,

JACK SNIPE SHOOTING. 1H5

whizzing motion, and glistening with brightness.
Although these birds lie close enough, they are far
from being shy, but will remain, at times protruding
their heads and bills from the ground, as children
hide their faces in the mother's lap, when they think
to conceal themselves. It is very uncertain whether
they breed in these islands, even in solitaiy instances,
for all attempts to find the nest have hitherto signally
failed. The bird has been shot during summer, and
this is the only datum for the supposition that they
do so. Sir W. Jardine says, " In an excursion to
Sutherlandshire, some years since, we thought we had
found a breeding station for this bird near Tongue.
The gamekeeper there, an intelligent man, said, that
he frequently met with them, and their young, in
August, while shooting ; and every cross-questioning
that could be put, would not allow him to think that
he was mistaken by the young of the common snipe.
He mentioned the breeding-places frequented by
them, and w-hich, when visited, were exactly the
spots we should have expected, or looked for a
'jack.' Our search, how^ever, w^as fruitless; and,
so far as this point is concerned, we have been unable
to fill it up in Scotland."

The " gid," '"jetcock," or "judcock," as it is
termed provincially, weighs about two ounces ; is from
seven and a-half to eight and a-half inches long ; bill,
nearly two inches ; the tail cruciform, and consists of
twelve feathers, lance-like in shape; the wings are
greyish black, secondaries tipped with white, the

p 3

186 JACK SNIPE SHOOTING.

coverts edged with white, and shot "with ochreous,
the under j^arts white ; the flanks tinted with a grey-
black and brown ; the feet and legs greenish ; and
patches, or broad bars, of rich blackish brown about
the head, an ochreous yellow separating them. The
eggs of the jack snipe are the size of a lark's ; its
haunts the same as those of the common snipe. Its
geographical range seems to be the mountainous
parts of Europe during the process of incubation, and
it is a winter visitant in France and central countries.
Temminck says, that it breeds in the neighbourhood
of Petersburg. Some writers have considered it iden-
tical with the Indian species fomid in the Dukheeu.
Fermin describes, in his " Histoiy of Surinam," a bird
he calls the jack snipe, " as seen by thousands on the
sea-shore ; that it must be a bad marksman who does
not kill sixty at once with fine shot ; and that he killed
eighty-five at a single discharge ; that the flesh is
excellent, but the bird so small, that he could eat
twenty at a meal." From all we know of this bird,
it would never be found congregating in numbers
according with this description. Blaine says, Fermin
has probably mistaken the ox-birds, which fly in vast
flocks, for this sportsman's and epicure's delight.
This is the Becassine Soiirde of French writers.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

Having now brought to a termination our notices of
those birds which come properly under the denomina-
tion of game, as also our outlines of the natural his-
tory and characteristic properties of the dogs used in
their pursuit, we will proceed to the second portion of
our work ; prefacing it, and closing the first part with
a brief sketch of an animal, not absolutely connected
with either, but whose eminent sagacity, and peculiar
aptitude for the service of man, render him a most
useful agent, both to the game and the wild-fowl
shooter.

Of all dogs, take him in the aggregate, the New-
foundland {Canis terra fiovce) is, perhaps, the most
generally sagacious. We have found him, beyond others
of the sub genus canis, gentle, teachable, and useful.
It is our opinion, that, in most cases, he might
be made the most valuable of sporting dogs, — his
intelligence, or instinct, if such, indeed, it merely
be, appearing to be called into action in a greater
variety of instances than in any other dog, except
the original mountain, or shepherd, dog. As a re-
triever, he possesses a quality of unquestionable
value, — that of mouthing his game without breaking
it ; and, as we have before said, he may be brought
into the field mth pointers, without inteifering with
their pro\ince. As a watch- dog, his fidelity is pro-
verbial. We, ourselves, possessed a dog of this species.

FVNIEL AND NE WFODNDLiXD DOGs

that, upon a mglit attack of burglars,

broke his chain, scoured through a

long yard, in which he was kept, and, taking an

enormous leap upwards, caught hold of a fellow by

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 189

the tail of Ms coat, who was entering the window
of a conservatory on the first floor, and brought
down the flaps between liis teeth. Nor did this
trophy content him; for utterly disdaining a bit of
poisoned meat thrown at him, he pointed and yelped
at the thief, till the alarm was given and the fellow
discovered. The same dog permitted a robin, through
a whole winter, to take shelter in his den. It was
a most singular spectacle to witness; for so much
familiarity, and, as it seemed, affection, grew up be-
tween them, that, while Robin hopped and chirped
about between his shaggy paws, or upon his head
and body, our Newfoundland would stand or lie per-
fectly still, his small, brown eyes winldng and blink-
ing, and his well-clothed tail gently wagging to and
fro with satisfaction. A feat of this dog deserves com-
memoration. A boy, belonging to the house, had not
returned home at the usual hour, to the great alarm
of his mother. The dog above mentioned, seem-
ing to share in the general disturbance, followed the
servant, sent in one direction, to seek out the truant ;
but soon distanced and lost sight of him, and was the
first to discover the boy's apparel on the water's edge,
and, a few minutes after, the boy himself in the river,
who was then sinldng. The noble animal plunged
in, and rescued the child, who, it appeared, had run
off with his elder brother's corks, and, being of a
determined and independent character, had ventured
to swim by himself. At the moment of time of the
dog's approach, he had got embarrassed and en-

190 THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOfx.

tangled in his machinery, and must certainly have
been drowned but for this timely assistance.

The fine animal, now so common in Britaui, is
usually a cross between the original Newfoundland or
Labrador dog, and others of the canine race ; and is,
therefore, found somewhat diversified, both in form and
colour. Jardine says, that the hound seems to have
crossed in with the present breed ; for, even in New-
foundland, some of these dogs are, in size and fulness of
body, superior even to the Irish greyhound, although
the latter is higher in the shoulder. He speaks of one,
tliat when desired to show himself, would place his fore-
paws on the lintels of any door. These large dogs
are usually white in colour, with black spots, while
tlie original breed is smaller, and totally black, except
portions of the tail and legs ; their muzzle is shai'per,
the forehead more arched, and their expression
wilder ; their bodies, too, are usually more slim ;
and the black coloui' of the head is interrupted by
the rust-coloured patches betw^een the nose and the
eye. The Labrador dogs are almost semi-palmated,
and seem to be as familiar -with the water as an otter,
— swimming, and diving, and keeping in it, with as-
tonishing facility. He is very large, rougher-haired
than the Newfoundland, and carries his tail high. At
St. John's, a dog is reckoned to maintain his master
during the winter, dramng sledges, fish, wood, and so
forth ; in the summer, they are left, in great numbers,
to maintain themselves, and, consequently, not only
suffer great privation, but contract various diseases.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 191

This species of dog, although he may be deemed
inferior to the shepherd dog in steadiness and stub-
bornness of adherence to watching, holds the highest
place for intellectual qualities. We know of one,
whose usual station was the open hall-door of a gen-
tleman's countiy mansion ; who appeared to think his
peculiar usefulness consisted in guarding the solitary
pedestrians of the family. He would view, unmoved,
the exit of e\erj party; but a lady, a child, or his
master, at all times brought him to his feet, and sent
him scampering over the forest or park, by way of
pioneer, although but a second returned, perhaps,
from a day's hard work in the woods. So remarkably
was this dog affected by individuals, that in despite
of his antipathy to beggars, by twos and threes, he
was never known to bark at a woman-beggar, but
would solicit the attention of his master to her case,
in a variety of ways, and always attend her to the
lodge-gates on departure. A small, common white
owl was the pet of the children ; it used to roost, the
day long, under a dark bush, where the trees overhead
formed an almost impenetrable shade. Our New-
foundland had a particular dislike to the species, but
always took great notice of this little creature, who
would fasten her big, brown, round eyes upon him
with great perturbation ; but he knew perfectly well
it was not to be molested, and, on the contrary, would
lead the youngest child, who could just run alone, by
his gambols, to the dark bush. In Youatt's " Hu-
manity of Brutes," he tells us thus : — " A vessel was

192 THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

driven on the beach of Lycld, in Kent : the surf
was rolhng furiously ; eight poor fellows were ciying
loudly for help, but not a boat could be got off to
their assistance. At length a gentleman came on
the beach, accompanied by his Ne^N'foundland dog.
He directed the attention of the animal to the vessel,
and put a short stick to his mouth. The intelligent
and courageous fellow at once understood his meaning,
and sprang into the sea, and fought his way tln'ough
the waves. He coidd not, however, get close enough
to the vessel to deliver that with which he was
charged; but the crew joyfully made fast a rope to
another piece of w^ood, and threw it towards him.
He saw the whole business in an instant ; he dropped
his own piece, and immediately seized that which had
been cast to him, and then, with a degree of strength
and determination almost incredible, he dragged it
through the surf, and delivered it to his master. A
line of communication was thus formed, and every
man on board was rescued from a watery grave."

In truth, the instances of coumge and benevo-
lence recorded of this species, are so numerous, that
they would fill a volume. We may speak of the
cleverness of the French poodle, w^ho has been made
an excellent actor ; as in the case of the company of
poodles brought to London, about fifty years ago, by
a Frenchman, that had been educated to play their
parts in pantomimic sieges; counterfeit admu-ably
fine ladies and gentlemen ; and dance minuets, bow,
and look demure and frisky, accordmg to book.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 193

We may remember M. Leonard's pointers, Brague
and Philax, who could certainly understand language,
and play at dominoes ; and commend Walter Scott's
dog, Dandie, who found his boot-jack; and James
Hogg's dog, Hector, who overreached his master ; and
marvel at the poodle who would never permit a false
note in singing to pass unobserved by a howl and a
growl ; or the shoe-black's mongrel, who brought cus-
tomers to his master, by dirtying the boots of the
passengers who passed the door of the shop ; — but we
must still assert, that, in benevolence and sagacity,
the dog of the Newfoundland species is superior to
any other. A gentleman put a marked shilling under
a stone by the roadside, first shewing it to his New-
foundland dog. The gentleman then, with his friend,
rode forward three miles ; and then the dog received
his signal from the master to return back for the
shilling. The dog turned back : the gentlemen rod^
home ; but, to their disappointment and surprise, the
hitherto faithful messenger did not return during the
day. It appeared he had gone to the spot where the
shilling was deposited ; but the atone being too large
for his strength to remove, he had stayed howling at
the place, till two horsemen riding by, and attracted
by his seeming distress, stopped to look at him ;
when one of them alighting, removed the stone, and
seeing the shilling, put it into his pocket, not con-
cei\4ng it to be the object of the dog's search. The
dog followed their horses for twenty miles, remained
undisturbed in the room where they supped, followed

194 THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

the chambermaid mto the bedchamber, and secreted
himself under one of the beds. The possessor of the
shiUing hung his trowsers upon a nail by the bedside ;
but, when both travellers were asleep, the dog took
them in his mouth, and, leaping out of the window,
left open on account of the sultiy heat, reached his
master's home with his prize ; when, from memoranda
in the pocket, everything but the shilling was enabled
to be returned to the owner, and the singular circum-
stance elucidated.

This anecdote very strongly resembles that before
related of the Frenchman's terrier. For this stoiy,
we do not personally vouch : the terrier's feat came
actually mider our o"^ti observation.

The Newfoundland Dog [Canis terrce novcB),
differs from the Esquimaux race in many respects ;
having greater freedom of joint and muscle, being
longer in the back, of a more flomng and straighter
fui', a thicker muzzle, and more pendent ears. The
St. John's breed is preferred by sportsmen, as being
the more intelligent, with remarkable powers of scent,
and teachable to an almost unlimited extent. The
fact of the superiority of the Newfomidland is, we
presume, to be traced to their vicinity to the capital
of the state ; everything animate being found more
intelligent and sagacious within a reasonable distance
of a metropolis. Blaine mentions, that, some years
ago, these dogs could be readily procured at Poole;
and, when well broken, were very valuable : that
some gentlemen who purchased them, found them so

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 195

capable of general instruction, that they have given
up most other sporting varieties, and contented them-
selves with these; and, indeed, found the places of
the others perfectly well filled up. Tliis he supposes
to occur, however, principally in fenny and aquatic
districts. He speaks of a valuable dog of this sort,
the property of a gentleman who resided near New-
haven : — " Whenever it was likely wild-fowl would
come in shore, and that, consequently, gunners would
go along the levels to intercept them, then she was
sure to be found, waiting for and attending on them
as long as they stayed; fetching, either out of the
sea or the river, spite of ice or snow, any that were
shot. She had been known to stay two entire days
and nights, and, as was supposed, without food, wait-
ing at the shore-side to assist any shooting parties
that might go out ; for, at the time we allude to, an
intense frost of two or three weeks, had frozen up
every river and stream. Here, indeed, was self-
devotion ; and she truly had a sporting mania."

Colonel Hawker recommends the purchasers of
these dogs to buy them ready broken; as, by the
time they are trained (by the process of half-starving),
the chances are that they will have got over the dis-
temper, a disease particularly virulent in the New-
foundland Idnd. He also gives us a hint, of which
our own experience has proved the wisdom, never to
use violent means to make him do what you want,
which will generate sulkiness ; "but to deter him
from any fault, you may rate and beat him

196 THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

The St. John's breed of these dogs, is chiefly used on
their native coast by fishermen : their sense of smell-
ing is scarcely to be credited." They will scent a
wounded pheasant through a whole covert of game,
or a pinioned wild-fowl through a fui'ze brake, or
warren of rabbits.

It will, therefore, be seen that we have not placed
the biography of this remarkable dog out of place.
To the game-shooter, he is capable of rendering the
most essential services ; some of the very best re-
trievers we have known having directly descended
from him ; — indeed, a friend of ours had a pure New-
foundland bitch, which was perfect at the business.
For this reason, we have associated, as will be seen,
with this Newfoundland race, the Pheasant Spaniel,
or Springer, as the alpha and omega of that sport.
No mid-fowl shooter — none of the hardy race of
sportsmen, who go down to the sea in punts, and oc-
cupy themselves in the dreadful trade of navigating
canoes in search of water-fowl — should ever be with-
out one of these amphibious friends at his side.

CHAPTER XV.

BIRDS WHICH ARE NOT "GAME."

Although mention has been made of the quail and
the bustard, among the game birds of the British
islands, neither of them, in fact, belong to that class.
Still the quail, when it is found, is so constantly met
Avith among partridges, that it seemed most conve-
nient to associate its history with theirs ; and as the
bustard is now rarely seen at all, it appeared immate-
rial where its reminiscences might be given. In
strict sporting classification, indeed, several others,
set down in the list of game birds, do not belong to
that tribe; but as they were necessary to preserve
the seasonable routine of shooting, we thought it best
to preserve the chronology of our sport, rather than
the teclmical order of the quariy. Acting still further
upon that principle, we purpose now treating of those
land and fen birds, not bemg game, that are sought
after by sportsmen; and concluding with wild- fowl
shooting, as well on the coasts as on inland waters,
— the latter, as followed on the Highland lochs,
q2

198 SHOOTING THE HERON.

one of the most exciting winter sports to be had in
Great Britain.

Foremost among fen birds stands the Bittern, —
a frequenter of lonesome places" and wild regions,
whose race seems fast wearing away, as far as relates
to these islands. His chief abode now is in the
bogs and mountain swamps of Ireland. To find him
is the difficult point for the shooter ; when met with»
he is, generally, an easy prey. His flight is heavy
and slow, save when very suddenly flushed, when he
will soar pei'pendicularly, and with considerable rapi-
dity. When shooting with a double gun, on raising
a bittern which thus towers, we would recommend
one barrel being given to him on the instant; the
second may be sent after him when he has begun to
gyrate. If you bring down a bittern, and he is only
■uinged, or slightly hit, bear in mind, that he is at
such times veiy dangerous to approach : you will,
therefore, take such precautions to destroy it as may
least injure its plumage; for we count upon your
intention to preserve it, stuffed, as a memorial of no
very common exploit.

SHOOTING THE HERON.

As the days of hawking are now over — or, at least,
on their very last legs — it may be lawful to draw
trigger upon this bird ; a practice long, among sports-

SHOOTING THE HEEON. 199

men, " more honoured in the breach than in the
observance." The keen angler and strict preserver
of water will, indeed, make no bones about knock-
ing a heron on the head whenever he has the oppor-
tunity— for he is a sad poacher of the scaly family ;
and, like poachers in general, he is wary to a proverb :
perhaps there is no bird that flies or swims more
difficult to get near, on the land. In passing from
the heronry to their fishing quarters, herons fly alto-
gether beyond range of shot ; and, as far as our
experience of their habits went, during a faithful
observance of them in one of the greatest heronries
in Suffolk, to circumvent them at home is out of the
question. To contrive even the chance of a shot, the
only method seems to be to wait for them — of course
in ambush — in the twilight, or when there is a moon
abroad, near the waters which they frequent for the
purpose of feeding. The sportsman will conceal him-
self under a bank, or in some close shade ashore ; or,
hiding in his punt mider some liigh bank, he may float
down with the stream (close to the lee shore) till he
comes upon them. Hitting them, from their size, is,
of course, not difficult ; and when hit, they are generally
done for, as they will carry very little shot. It will
be well to remember, the heron, when only wounded,
makes a very fierce and dangerous resistance. It is
said that the best plan to out-general him is to teaze
him for some time, "with a stick, or a ramrod, and
after he has seized hold of it with his bill, to watch
an opportunity of putting a foot on his neck, and

200

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BITTERN.

then either to despatch him outright, or if he be
merely winged, and it is desired to bring him home
alive, to tie liis bill and legs, and cover up his head
with a handkerchief.

Herons are to be met with constantly on the coasts,
and in those situations they are more readily ap-
proached. They resort to small ponds, and where
the banks are steep, are come upon before they can
see the shooter.

THE BITTEKN.

The Common Bittern {Butor Stellaris, Ardea Stel-
laris). This fen-bird is of singular habits, active

NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE BITTEEN. 201

during tlie night, and at rest in its marshy coverts
during the day. Mornings, evenings, and twilight,
are the periods at which its ill-famed cry is heard
booming afar at regular intervals, like the warning
gun of the sentinel, the hoot of the screech-owl, or
the hellowings, as some have it, of the wild hull. At
these times he is flying across the swamps in search
of his food ; but it does not appear accurately known
whether this peculiar and solemnly mournful call be
a general appeal to his species, or whether it be
merely incident, or antecedent to the period of incu-
bation. In days of old, when the bittern was a
frequent bird of our islands, and its flesh esteemed a
choice delicacy of the epicure's table, the cry of the
night raven (as the common people were wont to call
it, indiscriminately with the true night heron or
mire drum) was deemed significant of death, a comet,
or an earthquake. In the fens and marshes, indeed, its
favourite resorts, nothing can well sound more solemnly
ominous of evil than its hollow and direful call. It
appears late in autumn, or in winter, in very varying
and miequal numbers. In one year it is tolerably
plentiful; in another there shall be fomid few
specimens of the species. Bitterns were unusually
plentiful in the winter of 1830-31, both in England
and in South Scotland.

This bird has been known to breed in our marshes.
Its ground nest is made on the very edges of marshy
swamps, amid the reeds and rushes. A few leaves of
water-plants, and some dry rushes, will serve to line

•202 THE LITTLE BITTERN.

the cavity. It lays from seven to eight eggs, of an ash-
green colour. It lives upon frogs, aquatic reptiles,
and vegetables. Though it claims affinity of form
mth the heron, in many respects it is its exact oppo-
site. It is not so voracious ; it is fleshy, instead of
lean and consumptive-looking ; and its brood, instead
of being fed by the mother for many days, are in
tliree days led out to supply themselves. The young
of the heron are veiy unsightly creatures, all legs
and neck, while the bittern's brood have a comfort-
able look shortly after breaking the shell. Jardine
sunnises that the food of the common bittern is
seized by watching, after the manner of the true
heron, and that fish and aquatic reptiles are its
seasonal food. He says, a land rail has been found
in this bird's stomach. The general appearance of
its plumage is that of a predominant brown-yellow%
with brow^i or black patches, or markings, fine shad-
ings of green and pui'ple at the sides and neck.

The Little Bittern (Ardeola Minuta). This bird
is also occasionally found, and supposed to breed in
this country. In form it is somewhat analagous to
the small egret tribe. Its particular resorts are
marshes, the shores of rivers, and water bmsh wood
districts. Its nests are made on the ground, and its
habits are skulking, stalking with the head drawn
closely in, so as to conceal the neck. These birds
have been killed as far north as Orkney, and also in
Ireland, although not often. The plumage is veiy
rich ; blackly glazed, with green about the head and

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HERON.

^OS

neck, and yellow and brown tints, dotted with darker
ones at the sides and flanks. The Latins named the
bittern, stellaris, or the " star-reaching," while the
Greeks, taldng its character from its more constant
habits, have given it the title of the okios, or the
"lazy."

THE HERON.

The Common Heron {Ardea Cinerea). — When
heron hawldng was a favourite sport of the British
nobility, great pains were taken for the preservation
of the species. The heavy penalty of ten shillings
was enforced upon every person who destroyed its
eggs ; twenty shillings upon him that killed the bird

204 THE HERON.

The plume of the heron was a chivahic badge ; the
flesh of the heron was sent to table. The fat of the
heron, made into a paste with other ingredients, was
the favourite bait of those versed in the mysteries of
angling. It is a shy bird, but gregarious diuring the
breeding season. Its great beauty has made it a
choice ornament of park and forest ; although its
natural abode lies in districts, broken by vast pools
and marshes. In such situations, and dming that
large portion of the year in which it is a wading, ter-
restrial bird, its attitudes are natural and graceful.
Its dark j)ui'ple and bluish grey plumage, beautifully
intermingled with white and light shades; its plumed
crest ; its outstretched neck ; the bright-gamboge-
yellow irides, and deep yellow bill; the two broad
tufts of lengthened black feathers, that relieve the
pm^e white of the breast at the centre ; and its size,
which will exceed three feet, — render it a striking
object, as it is seen, now elevating, now depressing,
its crest, its long legs midway in the water, vora-
ciously feeding upon, and indiscriminately attacking,
eveiy tribe of fish within its capacity.

An old writer thus describes its rapacious maw : —
" I have seen a heron that had been shot, that had
seventeen carp in his belly at once, which he will
digest in six or seven hours, and then to fishing
again, I have seen a carp taken out of a heron's
belly nine inches and a half long. Several gentlemen,
who kept tame herons, to try what quantity one of
them would eat in a day, have put several smaller

THE HEEON. 205

roach and dace in a tub ; and they have found him
eat fifty in a day, one day with another. In this
manner, a single heron will destroy fifteen thousand
carp in six months." The heron takes his prey
either wading in the water, or hovering over it in
shallow places. With that bird's-eye accuracy of his
species, he penetrates the element with his visual
organ, and darts down upon his prey with unerring
certainty; his long neck a second under water, and
the next rising on the wing, the eel or trout yet alive
in his bill, he flies to the shore, quickly to dispatch
it, and again returning to the waters for more. It
has been said, that he destroys more fish in a week
than an otter in three months. In the winter season,
however, he fares but ill ; for the fish have retreated
into the deep waters, and even aquatic reptiles, water
rats, or mice, are scarce. At such times, his indolent
patience seems to serve him instead of food ; and he
will even take up with the sea-weeds or lake reeds of
his locality.

In forests, its long wings and legs give it an
awkward and constrained appearance. Perched on
branches of trees, or flying along, its legs and claws
outstretched, its ungainly attitudes might sometimes
excite risibility. The heron builds its nest on tops
of the highest trees, or on cliffs that overhang the
sea-shore. In cultivated districts, it will select the
oldest timber to build upon : generally, in despite, as
it were, of its timidity, it chooses situations close to a
thorouo-hfare. The nests are made of sticks, and

206 THE HERON.

lined with wool; and, in building, herons flock together.
Sometimes they choose a solitary glen, by the side of
a loch or moimtain stream ; and sometimes, it is said,
though not avouched, they will breed upon the ground.
Their laziness, produced by their habits of overgorging,
is so excessive, that they will not be at the trouble of
building a uest, if they happen to find one ready made
for their purpose. These birds inhabit Great Britain
and Ireland. They are said to be plentiful in Orkney
and Shetland ; indeed, they are generally spread over
our islands. Where this bird is presented in a
heronry, it has been known to do incalculable mis-
chief to the freshly-stocked fish-ponds of domains.
Willoughby thus quaintly describes a method for
ensnaiing them: — "Having first discovered the
haunt of the heron, get three or four small roach, or
dace ; and having provided a strong hook, with a wire
to it, this is drawn just within-side the skin of the
fish, begimiing without-side the gills, and running it
to the tail ; by which the fish will not be killed, but
continue for four or five days alive. Then, having a
strong line, made of silk and wire, about two yards
and a-half long, it is tied to a stone at one end, the
fish with the hook being suffered to swim about at
the other. Tliis being properly disposed in shallow
water, the heron will seize upon the fish, to its own
destruction." We cannot but here close our notices
with an extract from Christopher North s sublimi-
ties. His love of sport is expressed too enthusiasti-
cally not to interest the young, that are addicted to

THE HERON. 507

pastimes pursued on "flood, field," and fell : — " Slow-
sailing heron, that, cloud-like, seekest thy nest on
yonder mass of pines ; to us thy flight seems the very
symbol of a long, lone, life of peace ! As thou foldest
thy wide wings on the topmost bough, beneath thee
tower the unregarded ruins, where many generations
sleep ! Onwards thou floatest, like a dream ; nor
changest thy gradually-descending course for the
eagle, that, far above thy line of travel, comes rush-
ing unwearied, from his prey, in distant isles of the
sea." And, again, where he speaks of the pastimes
of Craig Hall : — " Hush ! stoop — Imeel — crawl ; for,
by all om- hopes of mercy, a heron — a heron ! An
eel dangling across his bill ! And now the water-
sei-pent has disappeared ! From morning dawn hath
the fowl been fishing here — perhaps on that very
stone ; for it is one of those days, when eels are
a-roaming in the shallows, and the heron knows that
they are as likely to pass by that stone as any other
— from morning dawn, and 'tis now past meridian.
Be propitious, oh, ye Fates ! and never — never — shall
he again fold his wings on the edge of his gaping
nest, on the trees that overtop the only tower left of
the castle. Another eel ! And we, too, can crawl
silent as the sinuous serpent. Flash ! Bang I over
he goes, dead ! — no, not dead ; but how unlike that
unavailing flapping, as head over heels he goes spin-
ning over the tarn, to the serene unsettling of him-
self from sod or stone, when, his hunger sated, and
his craw filled with fish for his far-off brood, he used

208 THE HERON.

to lift his blue bulk into the air, and, Tvith long-
depending legs, at first floated away like a wearied
thing, but soon, as his plumes felt the current of air
homewards flowing, urged swifter and swifter his
easy course, — laggard and lazy no more, leaving
leagues behind him, ere you had shifted your mo-
tion in watching his cloud-lil^e career, soon invi-
sible among the w^oods." " Into the silent twilight of
many a wdld rock-and-river scene, beautiful and be-
wildering as the faiiy w^ork of sleep, will he find him-
self brought, who knows where to seek the heron in
all his solitar}^ haunts. Often, when the moors are
storm-swept, and the heron's bill would be baffled by
the waves of tarn and loch, he sails away from his
s\ringing-tree, and through some open glade dipping
down to the secluded stream, alights within the calm
chasm, and folds his wings in the breezeless air. A
better day, a better hour, a better minute, for fish-
ing, could not have been chosen by Mr. Heron,
who is already swallowing a par. Another — and
another ! — but something falls from the rock into
the water; and suspicious, though unalarmed, he
leisurely addresses himself to a short flight up the
channel, round that tower-like cliff, standing strangely
by itself, with a crest of self-so^^'n flowering shrubs.
Thou believest thyself to be alone, for the otter, thou
knowest, loves not such very rocky rivers ; and fish,
with bitten shoulder, seldom lies here — that epicure's
tasted prey ! "

CHAPTER XVI

SHOOTmO THE KNOT, THE LAND AND WATER
RAILS, THE GODWIT, THE GOLDEN PLOVER,
THE GREY PLOVER, AND THE LAPWING.

The first of these little birds is a fen bird ; and, in
in point of rank and ancient name, the most distin-
guished. He is said to derive his name from King
Canute, or "Knoute," whose palate he suited so
exactly, that the monarch was never happy but when
he was devouring one. The Knot is more generally
netted than shot ; though, when the fens are frozen,
it repairs to the sea-side, where the coast-shooters
often bag a whole flock at one discharge. Where,
however, the young gunner has an opportunity of
meeting it in any tolerable plenty, he will find it
afford him excellent practice.

THE LAND RAIL.

In searching after the Land Rail (or Com Crake,
of many districts) — which, indeed, is about as profit-

2 R

210 SHOOTING THE WATEK RAIL, THE

able as looldng for a needle in a hay-stack — go, if go
you will, into clover-fields, and bean and potato
pieces. The young meadows in Ireland are voci-
ferous with them ; but, of all the feathered family,
they are the most impossible to deal with. To do it
with even the shadow of a chance, take into the
range you purpose beating two or three close-working,
steady spaniels, and be always in the centre of them.
Never forget the rail always keeps moving ; therefore,
whenever and wherever he gets up — should he ever
rise — incontinently blaze aw^ay, taking the most re-
mote possibility of overtaking him with a single
pellet. The only excuse a sportsman can offer him-
self for being found looking after rails is, that a shot
in hay-harvest time is worth something, for the
piu'pose of keeping the hand in.

IHE W^ATER RAIL.

As tliis bird is really an amphibious ortolan, the
epicure mil not begrudge the trouble of bringing one
— to table. A patient shot will bag one, perhaps, in
twelve hours — but that only by remembering to press
him without an instant's inten^al, should he happen
to be found. As the creature, however, is very
poorly supplied with the resources of safety, no doubt
nature has given it discretion, which is the best pre-
servative from danger. If the water rail has taken
refuge in a hedge or cover, go in advance of your
dogs, which it will most probably be watching, and

GODWIT, AND GOLDEN PLOVER. 211

flush it yourself. Of course, always fire at it, when
within sight. A good water spaniel is indispensable
in shooting the water rail.

THE GODWIT.

The Godwit is another fen bird, but found,
during their winter shooting, by the fowlers of our
coasts. Here it is met with singly; but in the
northern regions of America, it goes in flocks of great
numbers, as many as seventy- two having been killed
at one shot by a Mr. Atkinson, a resident at Hud-
son s Bay. It is also a boime hoiwhe, as rare to our
bills of fare as its savoury compatriot, the knot. As
the chances of falling in with this bird are " few and far
between," the sportsman, who has the luck to meet
it, must take such advantage of his good fortune as
circumstances make most advisable.

THE GOLDEN PLOVER.

Among gourmands, the Golden Plover ranks next
to the woodcock — some esteem them equally ; there-
fore it is good to shoot this feathered beau on all
occasions, seeing that he is especial delicate eating.
It is resident among us all the year round, aud
resorts chiefly to the most secluded marshes and water-
meadows, keeping more than a gmi-shot, generally,
clear of all danger, or places of ambush for the

•2\-2 SHOOTING GEEY PLOVER AND LAPWING.

sportsman. Colonel Hawker says, golden plovers
were formerly killed in great nmnbers by means of
stalking-horses. We never saw the contrivance put
in practice, but bear testimony to the tiiith of the
second plan he mentions : — " If you fire at these
birds, as they fly over you, they will dart down for
a moment, and spread in every direction : so that, by
taldng a random shot with your first barrel, you may
often bring down the birds to a fair one for your
second." Golden plovers may be looked for in all
places where their favourite food, worms, are likely to
be found.

THE GREY PLOVER.

Ireland seems the chosen land of the Grey
Plover, which is there met with in strong flocks ;
but almost invariably associated with the Lapmng,
or Green Plover, the most wary sentinel that ever
bore feathers. The most probable method of bagging
this bird is to wait till he is on the wing. This he
commences by towering at first in close order, and
then descending, and sweeping, within a few feet of
the ground, in circles and gyrations. It is when
engaged in these manoeuvres he is most readily shot.

THE LAPWING.

According to the French proverb, " he who has
not eaten the Lapwing, does not know what game

NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE KNOT.

213

is." This may be all very tnie, for there is no standard
of taste ; for our part, we think there is more virtue
in the thigh of a woodcock, and the bosom of a hen-
pheasant, than in a whole \\ilderness of peemts.
" Old peewits," says Colonel Hawker, a great authority
in feathered amphibia, "fly round a dog, in order to
mislead him." With a dog, therefore, one may be
able to kill several of these birds in the marshes,
which they frequent. The afternoon is the best
time, as peemts prefer the uplands during the morn-
ing. This is the plover whose eggs are so popular.

THE KNOT

The Knot (Tringa Canutus, Linn.). — This is the
second bird in rank of the species Tringa, or Mari-
time Sandpipers ; the most beautiful and abundant

214 THE KNOT.

of which, along our coasts, is the Purre, or Dunlin,
or Stint, of British authors.

The Knot, or Red and Ash-coloured Sandpiper,
does not, as far as is known, breed in England ; nor
is it so regular an attendant upon our maritime coasts
as the beautiful purre : but at times it visits us in
great numbers. The seasons for its accustomed
appearance are autumn and winter. Its summer
and winter plumage, of respective red and ashy hues,
has assisted in its various nomenclature ; and its
primeval estimation as a tit-bit for the palate of our
northern invader and conqueror, Canute, procured for
it its present familiar name of knot, as before stated.
It is a fen bird, frequenting saline marshes, where it
follows the retiring tides, and delighting in the soft,
oozy mud of such localities, where it feeds almost
regardless of danger, although, at times shy and
difi&dent of approach. Knots stay on our shores
sufficiently long to change their summer dress. The
tops of the rocks, in the different bays and estuaries
in Scotland and Ireland, are sometimes, at fullest
tide, covered with them. Here they will sit, and
rest the live-long day, or until the waves recede
sufficiently for them to pursue their search for food.
Jardine says, he procured many specimens of them
in Holy Island, on the coast of Northumberland,
with stones merely; as they will, shortly after their
migration, allow themselves to be approached within
the distance of a few yards. He also states, •' that
the nests are placed under, or by the side of, some

THE KNOT. 215

tuft or bush of grass, or herbage : often ingeniously
concealed, but exhibiting little workmanship, except
a little hollowing and pressing of the dried grass to
the bottom." The entire length of these birds is
about seven inches and a half ; their breasts are fat
and fleshy, and where they pick up abundance of
food, they become an edible almost as appetising as
the reeve.

After incubation, we find the plumage of a
prevalent reddish orange ; the sides of the head
are slightly spotted with a brownish black, while the
crown and back of the head have the feathers broadly
streaked with the same tints. The middle of the
back, scapulars, and long tertials are of a dark
brown, save where broadly margined with a buff
orange colour, or irregularly notched with yellow
white. The under parts are pure white, with small
dark markings in centre ; the quills dark brown,
paler on the inside ; the shafts white and broad.
The tail is brown, tinted with green and brown.

Generic characters of Tringcc : bill of the same
length, or slightly longer than the head, often gently
curved, soft and pliable ; wings rather long, shai'p
pointed, the first quill longest ; tarsi and feet of
middle length ; toes slightly joined at the base, and
narrowly fringed on the edges with a membrane ;
hallux small, articulated on the tarsus. Types : T.
Caniitus, variahilis, maritima, &c. Gregarious in
winter. Cosmopolite.

x\s we have said, the Purre, or Dunlin, is the most

216 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LAND RAIL.

numerous, as well as the most beautiful species of the
maritime sandpipers. It is distributed along almost
all our sea-coasts, from north to south. In winter,
the birds congregate in almost innumerable packs, on
the shores and estuaries, where they follow the tide,
in their feeding parties, with great assiduity. They
have the most picturesque effect possible, thus
crowded together, after, or before, their repasts,
either perching on the rocks, or inactively strewing
the beach. They are from seven to eight inches
long. Wherever, in Scotland, or om' own country,
the sea forms estuaries, or the country is studded
with lochs, there be sure, this beautifully-coated
little creature may be seen in flocks, in its gayest
attire, hmiting for the softest food. Pro\dncially, the
ox-bird, or stint.

The Land Rail, or Corn Crake [Rallus Crex:
Linn.). — We cannot write of the land rail, before
dinner, without a certain exudation from the palate.
This fat little bird must not be confounded with the
water rail : besides that its bill is much shorter,
it is much more timorous — indeed, so much so as
to be almost invisible but to the most persevering
pointer and sportsman ; and it is made so strong
in the lower limbs, by the length of the leg, shank,
and toes, that its rapidity of motion appears next
to miraculous. What need of wings at all to a
creature, considering its proportions, with such an
enormous capacity of stretch. Talk of seven-league
boots, indeed ! You must drop the simile, and think

OR CORN CRAKE.

217

of the railroad car. It is named com crake, from
its noise, or call, " Creke, creke, creke," — which may
be heard " now here, now there, now everywhere, and

THE LiND RAIL.

now nowhere ; " and wherefore ? Simply, that the
bird is an uneducated ventriloquist, and deceives
you into the belief, that he is at any spot the farthest
from the actual one. In many respects, its habits
are similar to those of the water rail ; for though the
first seeks the thick grass meadows, and moist and
sheltered vales, yet are its preferences chiefly aquatic,
— taking to osier-beds, young grass, or grain in moist
places, and low-lying districts, before any others.
Here he will choose his position, uttering his "creke"
from a clod of earth, and you shall be running on
one side and the other, and ever so far away after his

218 THE LAND RAIL,

call, which possesses all the modulations of distance.
The nest is made as carelessly as the partridge's,
with some soft, dry leaves, or grass ; there it lays
from ten to twelve eggs. Moss is sometimes intro-
duced into the architecture of the nest; and some
natural hollow of the ground is always selected. Its
eggs are of a dull white ; its food, in summer, insects,
worms, and slugs. Jardine once took a mouse from
the stomach of a corn crake. This bird will some-
times dive and swim in a singular manner. We have
read of a Mr. Jervis, who possessed a young bird of
this sj)ecies, that was immoderately fond of the water.
It would dart to the bottom, and swim, and splash
about, with the superabundant activity of a creature
unused to any other element. The com crake is
found generally all over the British islands, but we
wish it were in more plenty. It extends north to
Shetland and Orkney. It has, however, almost dis-
appeared in several localities where it was frequent.
In the south of Scotland, ten years ago, it was plenti
ful ; it is now very rare in the same vales. The
" creke" is only uttered during the season of incuba-
tion. We give Jardine 's description of the feathers
and generic characters : — " Over the eyes, behind the
auriculars, and extending beyond the neck, is a streak
of grey, blending into the colours on either side ; on
the crown, back of the upper j)arts and tertials, the
ground colour, or centre, of the feathers, is hair
brown, each being very broadly edged with yellow-
ochre brown, or a yellow tint of oil green ; the wing

OR CORN CRAKE. 219

coverts, and axillary feathers, orange brown ; the
quills a dull, reddish hair brown, darkest on the inner
webs ; the region of the eyes, auriculars, and sides of
the neck, are reddish wood brown, shaded into the
throat and breast, — the former of which is white,
tinted with grey, the latter yellowish brown ; the
centre of the belly is nearly white, shading gradually
to the sides and flanks, which are embellished with a
red orange, barred with hair brown, pink towards the
base ; legs and feet yellowish brown. This bird
migrates to Madeira and to Africa. Its varieties are
the Spotted Crake, or Spotted Gallinule, which is
also a summer visiter to the British shores : the
Little Crake, which is called Baillon's Crake, or
Gallinule, of British authors ; the upper parts of
which are delicately and most beautifully spotted with
pure white. This has been taken as far north as
Derbyshire."

The last crake we have to enumerate, is the
Little Crake, spoken of above by Jardine {Gallinula
minuta). This bird is of plainer plumage than the
rest of the family, but in nidification and habits it is
very similar.

Generic characters of Crex: bill short, strong at
the base ; culmen entering the plumage of the fore-
head, its outline slightly deflected to the tip ; maxilla
angulated ; nasal fossa broad ; nostrils pierced in the
membrane ; wings, at the carpal angle, armed with a
knob, or rudimentary spine, rather short, concave,
second or third quills longest; legs strong, naked for

220

NATUEAL HISTOKY OF THE WATER EAIL.

a short space above the tarsal joint : anterior toes
long, slender, cleft to the base ; hallux short, articu-
culated nearly on the plane of the others. Types :
C. pratensis, porrana, gularis, &c. Cosmopolite.
Habits, skulldng ; chiefly aquatic ; breed on the
ground ; lay numerous eggs ; noisy, and often noc-
turnal.

THE ■VVATER RAIL.

The Water Rail of British authors. — This is a
bird of skulking habits, that inhabits or frequents flat
and oozy levels, fens, and marshes. It is of the
family Hallidce, the most aquatic of the Grallatores.
It is abundant neither in our own country, nor in
Scotland : perhaps, however, it will be more coiTect
to say, that the shy and waiy habits of the bird
render its haunts little pervious to the perseverance

THE WATER RAIL. 221

of man. Its powers of flight are very limited, for its
wings are short and concave, and ill-adapted for
rapidity of motion ; thus, instead of trusting to this
mode of safety, it conceals itself amid the thick-
matted vegetation of a low-lying country. To com-
pensate for its awkward and fluttering flight, we find
it has been given a structure of feet and legs admi-
rably adapted for swiftness ; while the shape of its
bill, head, and form is slender, to enable it, with
facility, to pierce through the maze of aquatic plants
and grasses of its localities.

Specimens of the water rail are often procured in
the winter; when it is driven, by the severity of the
season, to haunts nearer the reach of man, into some
cavity, or covered place, where it is sometimes even
taken by the hand. Sir W. Jardine mentions, that,
in his own vicinity, the bird will be met with, in
winter, in the wet ditches that do not easily freeze ;
where, no doubt, it can still procure food. The same
naturalist thus describes an adult male, shot in his
neighbourhood. The accuracy of Jardine 's specifica-
tions makes them especially valuable to young natu-
ralists : —

" This male bird has the crown and all the upper
parts yellowish brown, tinted with oil green, the
centre of each feather black; on the centre of the
back occupying nearly the whole feather, but on the
lower part and scapulars being in the centre only, and
there on the wings and tail, allowing the pale colour
to be the prevailing one ; quills nearly clove brown ;

s 2

25-2 THE WATER RAIL.

on the forehead, until beyond the line of the eyes, the
shafts of each feather are strong, and protrude in a
homy point ; the chin greyish white ; the region of
the eyes, cheeks, sides of the neck, and under parts,
until in a line with the legs, bluish grey ; the flanks
black, barred mth white ; tips of the feathers reddish
wood brown, forming a line of that colour along the
centre of the vent, joining mth the under tail coverts,
which are similar, their basal half being black, which
sometimes appears mixed with them ; axillaiy feathers
barred with black and white ; the bill is blackish
bro\Mi at the tip, at the base tile red, becoming
brighter and orange red upon the edges of the gape ;
legs greenish brown. White varieties sometimes
occm'."

Ealliis aquaticus. — Generic characters are : long,
compressed, and slender bills ; nasal furrow long and
wide ; liney nostrils, pierced near the middle of the
length ; rounded, short, and concave wings, the third
and fourth quills of which are longest ; carpal angle
often armed with a spine ; legs of medium length,
bare above the tarsal joint; long and slender feet,
toes cleft to the base ; hallux short, articulated near
the plane of the others. Type : R. aquaticus, &c.
Cosmopolite. Habits, aquatic ; skulking ; ciy, of a
ventriloquist power ; lay numerous eggs ; perch on
rails, fences, or low trunks of trees ; feathers of the
forehead, with the shafts, prolonged into homy points.

Black-tailed Godmt {Limosa melanura ; Scoloimx
limosa, Linn.). This is a handsome bird, breeding

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GODWIT. 223

in the English feus, and delighting in oozy marshes
and moist low grounds, common to our coasts and
the Scottish ; it is also known in Ireland. In the
breeding season, the plumage of the godmt is veiy
fine, being red, of different shades, vaiying from
dusky to orange. The head, neck, and breasts are
usually of the paler tints, faintest at the eyes and
throat; each feather of the cro^m being marked
lengthwise with a bro^^al black ; the breast and sides
are also marked irregularly with black, the flank bars
being wide and distinct. There is a great deal of
white underneath, but barred and marked with dusky
brown. The ground upper colour is of a fine, black,
glossy brown, with a pui'ple hue, and crossed by bars
of pale orange-coloured brown. The rump and tail
coverts are white, and the rest of the tail black, of
a rich hue : the extremity of the tail slightly diverges
into forks when shut. The quills of the mngs are a
deep greyish black on the outer webs and edges,
graduating to white inside ; the shafts of all orange-
white. The bill is orange, shading into black-brown
at the extremity ; the legs and feet are greenish grey.
In winter, the chaster hues predominate. The whole
has a tea-green and black effect ; but the plumage is
really greenish brown, darker along the centres, the
black and white of the tail pretty much the same as
its summer dress. Intermediate to these peiiods
there are many variations of hue. The eye is large
and full. The geographical range of the godwit is
extensive : in the summer, as far as Greenland ; in

224 THE GODWIT

the winter, it is known in Africa, in the Japan
Islands, and many other parts In exterior form it
resembles the heron and several of the crane kind,
from the length of its hill, neck, and legs, and its mi-
feathered joints, which, Jardine remarks, "remove it
from the more squat or lowly figure of the plovers and
true Tringce.'' It was formerly held in high esti-
mation as a table delicacy; and, well fattened, is
not now altogether despised. The godwit seldom
skulks in sheltered places, its whole structm^e appear-
ing adapted to an aquatic life in the open marshes
and coasts ; being, like most of the crane kind, veiy
clamorous and noisy ; and in this, as well as in the
harder construction of the bill, unlike the tiTie snipe.
We give, as the most correct of all naturalists, the
generic character of the godwit from Sir W. Jardine :
" Bill veiy long, strong at the base, compressed,
bending upwards ; mandible smooth, rounded, slightly
dilated at the tip, projecting beyond the maxilla;
wings long, quills with the shafts very strong, flat-
tened, first longest; legs long; tibiae naked for the
greater part of their length ; outer toes connected by
a membrane more than half the length of the basal
joint; hind toe articulated on the tarsus."

Habits maritime , gregarious in Tvinter, clamorous
in breeding season. Europe, Asia, America. Types :
L. melanura, rufa, dc. dc.

The Common or Red Godwit (Limosa rufa). Grey
Godwit. Common or Red Godwit of British authors.
Red-breasted Snipe.

THE GODWIT.

S25

This is a variety of the black-tailed godwit, more
generally abundant than it, and yet far from common.
Colonel Montague describes the red godwit as larger
than the last species, weighing about twelve ounces,
and measuring about eighteen inches. It appears

THE GODWIT.

early in August, and remains with us through the
winter. It is more noisy than the former species ;
and the peculiar shrillness of its cry, as it flies,
uttering a sort of whelp, whelp, betrays it at once.
It chooses a locality close to the shore or beach,
where it can make use of its long bill in the soft
sand or mud. Here it congregates in small parties ;
and here it associates with many of the other birds
to whom its habits or form bear affiiuity. It is
most known northward in our islands, and is said

226 THE GODWIT.

to be a punctual attendant of autumn in the sister
kingdom. The plumage changes from the rufous of
the summer tintings, to the grey of the winter hues.
Sir W. Jardine relates, that " he has never missed
parties of them in the end of August and in Septem-
ber, mingling with others of the Totani and Tringce
which are considered of less common occurrence on
the border." He is speaking of the river Merse (at
Skinbuniness), and banks of the Wimpoole on the
Solway. He also mentions the "low shores between
Holy Island and the Northumbrian coast," as a fre-
quent locality for these birds. Their habits are
greatly similar to those of the black- tailed species.
The general range of the bird is not considered so
extensive as the last-mentioned variety, being chiefly
confined to some portions of Europe not so far north,
a few frequenting portions of India and its islands.
It has a larger bill, with longer legs, than the black-
tailed species. For the rest, its manner of raising
food, breeding, &c., is the same as that of the black
godwit.

The Common Lapwing {Vanellus cristatus ; Tringa
vanellus, Linn.). The common Green or Crested
Lapwing of British authors (provincial). Bastard
Plover. — This may be termed the head of the plover
family, and is the most noble in appearance; its
brightly varied and pencilled plumage, and its inte-
resting habits, combining to make it a great favourite
with every ornithologist. This bird breeds inland;
but, as may be seen from the structure of its feet,

NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE LAPWING.

227

has an affinity with the Tringce and Totani tribes,
and its habits are, therefore, partly maritime. It
also, like these, changes its seasonal plumage ; it is,
however, larger in size, and though distinguished (in
one or two species) by its graceful and adorning crest,
its affinities are almost all plover-like.

THE GREEN PLOVER.

The whole of the British empire may boast the
possession of the Peewit ; yet is it far from being the
numerous family it was once in our country. Agri-
culture has greatly trended on its resorts, and locali-
ties once echoing with the clamorous cry of the
parent birds, and absolutely thronged with their
lively plumage, are now but thinly scattered over
with their lessened numbers. The lapwing likes
wet and boggy pastures, low moist meadows, fenny

228 THE LAPWING.

grounds, and sub-alpine moors. Wherever these are
situated, either on the shore or inland, may be found
the haunt of the peemts. They congregate at first
early in the spring, then separate into pairs as they
proceed to breed. At the season of incubation the
inland moors are covered with them, huddling and
tumbling about in their anxiety to deter the wayfarer
from approaching their nests, and performing the
while those beautiful evolutions of flight for which
the tribe is remarkable, and which exhibit to such
advantage the peculiar beauty, variety, and glossiness
of the lapwings' feather tints, as they are seen by
myriads dancing and darting to and fro in the sum-
mer sunsets. They cliiefly feed noctumally, or at
dusk. Plovers' eggs so named, are those of the pee-
wit ; and the young birds' flesh is by no means to be
despised as a table delicacy. The nests of this bird are
found by dogs trained for the purpose ; their instinct of
scent is made use of, and they will point as at game
till the eggs are taken. In the full plumage of the
peewit, the crown, &c., is black, finely glossed with
purple ; the feathers, springing from the occiput in a
waving plume or crest, are narrow, long, and black,
curving gracefully upwards, and to be raised at will
erect ; round the throat a yellow white is encircled,
a sort of oval patch on either side below the eye is
pm-e white ; the nape of neck is pale brown, beyond
the most glossy black and purple ; the back and
wings a splendid olive green, having rainbow reflec-
tions of deeper tmts of blue and steel colom', and

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 2^9

beautifully variegated, while the belly is white ; the
wings are steel-blue, or ash with white and chestnut
red in parts; the tail short, black, with white at
extremity ; legs a dusky pui^le red ; the young have
a little more yellow in the tinting ; the colours of the
female are slightly subdued.

THE GOLDEN FLOVEK.

The Golden Plover (Squatarola pluvialis ; Chara-
drius jjliwialis, Linn.). — The presence or want of
a hind toe seems to have decided our naturalists
upon their generic distribution of the plover family.
There are two species of plover so called, the Great

230 THE GOLDEN PLOVEE.

Plover (also entitled Stone Cui'lew and Norfolk Plo-
ver, also the Grey), and the Golden Plover ; the last
of which, as being the most interesting of the family,
we take as the head of the list, although the smallest
of the species. It is scarcely above ten inches long,
and its weight is no more than from seven to eight
ounces. This bird is common in Britain on sedgy
islands where there are few or no inhabitants, where
they can strew the ground with their nests, and,
as it were, claim its inherent possession. It occurs
abundantly on our coasts in winter, and, contrary to
the habits of the grey species, is seen in vast flocks.
It is thus known far and wide among the sub-
alpine moorlands of Scotland, the sedgy moors of
Ireland, and in our ow^i country in eveiy suitable
locality. In such resorts, when

" The wheeling plover ceased
Her plaint, 't was silence all."

Nothing can well be more noisy than this family
Let an intruder but approach the brood, and ofi" she
flies, wailing and whelping out her singular cry, in
very advance of the enemy; then, after con\incing
herself of the absence of danger, she will whisk away
through the sylvan coverts loved by the cushat, ere
she again retmns to her young. The breeding
plumage begins to change as soon as the bird settles
in her location ; the nest is made with great careless-
ness, and lined very indifferently with mere grasses
or materials close at hand. The nest is a mere

THE GOLDEN PLOVER 231

ground cavity, or scratched hollow. Towards autumn
the young grown birds descend in flocks to the fallows,
or wet meadows ; and towards winter they are again
on the coasts, and become excessively shy. Just
before that period they are killed in great numbers,
while describing those flight-circles which bring them
so near to the gun of the sportsman. They resort
greatly to Orlmey and Shetland.

Nothing can be more pleasing to the eye than the
summer plumage of this beautiful bird; the deep,
soft, rich velvety black about its head and throat, the
white and yellow immediately contrasting with that
hue on the sides and under tail coverts ; the fine, pale
bro^vn of the back and other parts ; the forehead
streak of white ; the shot purple glossings of its neck,
and the triangles of yellow on each feather ; marking
their contrast on this part from the nape of the neck,
where the feathers are dark in the centres, and
broadly edged with gold colour ; and so on through
the whole brightly tintly plumage. The winter dress,
though not very dissimilar, brings more ash colour
and grey to the feathers, and a paler yellow; while
the intermediate hues between winter and summer
are always richly varied. The bill is black ; the legs
grey : the female differs in the distinctness and depth
of the colours. Sir W. Jardine specifies, that the
correct limits of the species have not been ascertained,
and that the Arctic and American birds are specifi-
cally distinct. He is inclined to believe that the
foreign golden plover is the C. Virginianus, a smaller

232 NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE GEEY PLOVEE.

bird; but he possesses specimens from America, as it
is said, agreeing with om^ bird in every particular.
This is the Pluvier dore of French authors.

The third species of the true plover is a foreign
.one, — the C. i^luvialis and Virginianus ; a most beau-
tiful creature, according to die specimens we have
seen of it.

The Grey Plover {Squatarola cinerea. Tringa
squatarola, Linn.). The Grey or Bustard Plover of
British authors. — This bird is at least twelve inches
long, and twenty-four broad ; its weight rather more
than that of the golden plover. We have no reason to
conclude it to be a summer visitant in England ; but in
other parts of the year, and after the breeding season,
it is often found assembled together in small packs,
although never in the same flocks as the more abun-
dant kind, the beautiful golden plover. Thus, we see
it on our north-eastern coasts, in the Fern Islands,
in the south, and generally on the borders of Scot-
land. Its geographicaf range is greatly more exten-
sive. According to different authors, we may place
it in the Feroe Islands, Iceland, and Northern Europe,
as a summer and winter guest. Dr. Fleming believes
that it breeds in Algoa Bay, Egypt, Japan, and Java,
and on the highest Kincardine hills. Selby has seen,
in June, some birds on the Fern Islands. The poul-
terers' shops, in London, exhibit them early in the
season : but, in the latter case, they may have already
put on their nuptial attire ; in the former, some few
birds may have been wounded, and unable to migrate.

THE GEEY PLOVER. 233

The winter dress of the grey kind is brown, of
different shades, in each feather marked angularly
with grey, ash, or whitish yellow ; while the summer
plumage contains a great deal of the richest black,
and the underneath parts much interspersed with
white, such as the vent, tail-coverts, thighs, &c. The
upper portions of back, scapulars, &c., finely varie-
gated in browns, each feather edged with white.
Upper tail white, barred with brown part of the dis-
tance; central feathers coming to a point, axillary
feathers black.

The plover shares in the quarrelsome nature of
the mff, and other birds of similar habits ; but in an
inferior degree. As soon as the brood leaves the egg,
the parent bird leads them about; for as they are
thickly covered with down, they require less care than
birds of the poultiy kind.

The generic characters of the Squatarola are thus
described by the accurate pen of Jardine : — " Bill
rather strong, tumid, flattened on the culmen ; cylin-
drical towards the tip, which is hard ; nasal groove
wide, more than half the length of the bill ; nostrils
linear, pierced in the nasal membrane; wings long,
pointed, first quill longest; legs rather short, bare
for a short space only above the tarsal joint ; toes con-
nected by a small basal membrane, slightly fringed
on their edges ; hallux rudimentaiy, or wanting.
Types : S. Unarea jjluviauiis. Virginianus. Cosmo-
polite. Breed inland ; gregarious, except during in-
cubation : imdergo a seasonal change "

t2

234

OTHER VARIETIES OF THE PLOVER.

The bird described by Blaine and others as the
Great Plover, is the Common Thick-knee {CEdicnemus
crepitans) ; a diminutive variety of which is mentioned by
Bewick and White mider the name of the Ijong-legged
Plover, whose alliance to the bustard family is demon-

THE LOXGLEOGEI

strated as well by its length of legs, as its resorting to
the same open and extensive plains as the latter, and
depositing not more than two eggs at a time. One
of its names being the Norfolk Plover, it is scai'cely
needful to state, that it is found in that county rather

OTHEE VARIETIES OF THE PLOVER. 235

abundantly, and in many other of the eastern and
southern shires, as well as in Lincolnshire, but not
far north. It is found in Ireland, as also is the true
plover; the latter in the greatest abundance.

This bird, also indifferently termed Stone Curlew,
is of nocturnal habits, — the large, round, prominent
ball of the eye, proving its capacity for night prowl-
ing. It breeds occasionally in the fallows, makes a
nest in shingly hollows, on the bare ground, and picks
up its food somewhat promiscuously from the ground,
the water, and the marsh, — worms, reptiles, and even
small mammalia. It is a finely marked bird, of rich
greenish brown and yellow, with white and cream
yellows underneath ; base of bill bright yellow, ex-
tremity black ; legs very long, and greenish yeUow ;
pure white under the throat; mider quills of wings
with much white ; round the bare space of the eyes
bright yellow.

^"=^^^^=^

CHAPTEH XVII.

SHOOTING THE DOTTEREL, THE RUFF AND

REEVE, THE GREBE, THE CURLEW, THE

COOT, THE OXBIRD, THE REDWING, THE
FIELDFARE, AND THE LARK.

THE DOTTEREL. .

Tliis is one of the few British birds with which
fable has been busy. It is tal^en, runs the story,
by means of an unhappy propensity — that of mimick-
ing the spectator, be his attitude what it may ; and
thus it remains till the net of the fowler is thrown
over it. At present it is shot as its congeners are ;
and this is not a dijB&cult matter when it can be met
with. The chief resorts of the dotterel are the fens
of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

THE EUFF AND REEVE.

These eccentrics are natives of our fens, but
partially confining themselves to the districts of Cam-

SHOOTING THE GKEBE, THE CUELEW. 237

bridgeshire, and thence nortliward. So soon as they
see a Reeve, the Ruffs begin to fight ; and desperate
little fellows they are. " The sporting histoiy of these
birds," Blaine tells us, " was formerly a veiy interest-
ing subject, and collected together numbers of gentry :
some to watch their habits, some to shoot them,
more to see them netted, and many more to eat
them" (by all accounts, the best fun of any). Their
price was somewhere about two guineas a dozen — by
Apicius costly feeding ? but that was after they had
been stuffed with milk, hempseed, boiled wheat,
sugar, and all sorts of dainties. Shooting them is
veiy dull sport ; they flush lazily, and a tailor might
bring them down with his goose.

THE GBEBE.

This is a scion of the diver family, and ducks
more adi^oitly than any of his seed or generation.
It seems to anticipate the flash of a gun ; so that
shooting at them will be conceived a nice operation.
The large grebes Colonel Hawker thinks worth shoot-
ing for sake of their skins, "which make excellent
tippets and travelling caps."

THE CURLEW.

The time system of shooting this bird, is always to
have a second gun in reserve — if double, so much the
better ; because, if you wing him, he makes a great
disturbance, and brings all his mates about you. You
will get much nearer them than you did to the indi-

238 SHOOTING THE COOT, THE OXBIRD, &C.

vidual you womided. In working up to curlews,
contrive to keep close to the land, and well under
cover of it.

THE COOT.

As this bird is not worth having when dead, it
will not be required that we give instructions for
shooting it. His cliief value is on ponds, where he
is veiy attractive to all kinds of wild fowl. The
reason is said to be, that he acts as a centinel while
the other birds sleep — their custom in mid-day.

THE OXBIRD.

The Oxbirds frequent many of the coasts of
England in perfect clouds at certain seasons of the
winter, so to speak, particularly during w^hite
frosts. In August, when it is stormy, they are very
tame, not at all taldng offence if you kill a dozen or
so of their company. These, the gallant colonel
already quoted says, are no doubt young birds. This
is capital sport for a schoolboy, he adds ; because, if
one or tw^o are " stopped," the rest are sure to pitch
do^ai with or near them, as thick as they can possibly
stow together. Then is your time, oh ingenuous
youth ! " have at the browi^i of 'em."

THE REDWING.

This bird only comes among us in winter ; and,
unless the weather be hard, he is a particularly shy
guest. When a flock of redwings alight, they have

NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE DOTTEEEL. 239

their regular scouts posted ; and, mtliout great care,
getting near the main body is out of the question.

THE FIELDFARE.

Fieldfares also arrive as heralds of foul weather,
and are rather more accessible than the redwing.
They are to be shot both singly, among copses and in
hedgerows, and also in flocks on the gromid, where
they pitch to feed on the grain shed during the
harvest. They feed also in meadows, and, like the
domestic thrush and blackbird, on almost all kinds of
berries.

THE LARK.

This least of the tribes that come under the
shooter's notice, in snow and severe weather assem-
bling in vast flocks, and now and then affords him
a large return for his powder and shot. With a
long gmi and lots' of dust shot, he shall put a dish
upon his table that will enable him to understand
the value the luxurious Romans set upon singing
birds. The larks of our South Downs are very pretty
imitations of the Theban heccaficos.

The Dotterel. — The genus Charadrius, while
presenting some generic similarities of plumage with
the plover family, diff"ers in its maritime habits,
shorter structm^e, and in that it has no spotted
markings of feathers.

The Dotterel Plover of British authors (Chara-
drius marinellus) is a breeding visitant of Great Bri-

240

THE DOTTEEEL.

tain. It is rare in Ireland, nor have we near so
many of these birds on the mountains of Cumberland
and Westmoreland that ^\e formerly could boast.
However, there they still breed, as also in parts of

TH£ DOTTEREL.

Scotland. We extract from a careful observer of
these birds, Mr. Heysham of Carlisle, the pith of an
interesting account of their habits. He says, they
congregate in their various resorts about the middle
or end of May, where they remain together some days,
and then retreat to the momitains to breed ; always
in the vicinity of the lakes ; choosing the more inac-
cessible summits, and those, in especial, covered with
the " woolly frieze moss,'' Trichostomum lanuginosum.
In these high places they make no nests, but choose

THE DOTTEREL. '^41

a well-covered ground ca\dty, where it is sheltered by
some rocky fragment.

The hills of Scotland are also favourite resorts of
the dotterel. Although it is kno^^■n with us in some
numbers as a spring and summer visitant, we knov>'
nothing of its winter quarters. It lays three eggs,
and feeds upon insects, and lucky the mortal of epi-
curean gusto who sees before him a dish of these
dotterel. A propos of the bird as a table delicacy, and
in conjunction with our remark that its winter habits
are unknown, and its migration never noticed, we
give Captain Lacy's spicy anecdote : — " The sudden
departure of the dotterel tribe, alike remarkable for
rarity, beauty of plumage, and excellent flavour, may
sometimes be most satisfacto]ily accounted for, witliout
the interposition of a Yarrell or a Waterton. Some
years ago, a friend of mine had the good fortune to
fall in with a small ' trip ' of these birds, of which he
secured two couples, and sent them as a present to
his Grace the Archbishop of York, from whom he
received that urbane reply for which his grace is so
I'emarkable. At the period of their arrival at Bishop-
tliorpe, his grace v>-as from home, but sent strict
orders for them to be kept in their feathers, — the
dotterel being a bird whose plumage he had never
seen. It so happened that his grace was then about
to hold an ordination, and, therefore, resolved that
these choice morceaux should appear at his table on
the occasion. The candidates were numerous, and
amono" them was one who had been educated at

242 THE DOTTEREL.

St. Bees, where, it is said, the vernacular and the
polish differ a shade or two from those same at Oxford.
At table it fell to St. Bees' lot to sit opposite these
two couple of dots, and as a stiff examination under
Wrangham was never known to improve the appetite
for dinner, St. Bees did not feel disposed to jjeck.
At length, however, a savoury exhalation, from the
well frothed up quartet, having assailed his olfactories,
he commenced operations in good earnest. Very
shortly afterwards a gentleman on his right, with a
look but few could have misinterpreted, politely in-
vited St. Bees to partake of the dish he was carving.
'■No, no ! " replied our new made x\urora Borealis, as
he forked the fourth dotterel on his plate, "no, thank
ye, I'll stick to t' little burds ! "

Dotterel occasionally visit Tees Bay, and rather
more frequently the shores of the Humber. Their
note is a piping whistle. They are excessively
cautious, and fond of their young in the manner of
the lapwing : meeting the intruder, which, if a dog,
they will flutter before, like the partridge, feigning to
be lame, and returning by that sweeping circling
flight common to their tribe.

The Ringed Dotterel (Charadrius il'iaticula.
Linn.). — Ringed Plover, or Dotterel, or Sea Lark of
British authors.

This chiefly maritime bird may, by good luck, be
found by the sportsman on the sandy and gravelly
shores of our islands. It resides the whole year in
our climates ; and is a lively little creature, with

THE DOTTEREL.

243

plumage, remarkably shaded, of chaste and delicate
tintings. It deposits its eggs among the shingles
in some natm^ally-formed cavity, out of the reach
of the tide. The food of this bird, it may be seen,
is thus always within reach at the recess of the waves.

THE RINGED DOTTEREL.

The whistle of dotterel is a shrill and sad note ; that,
being almost incessant, betrays their presence long
before they are seen. Indeed, their sober plumage so
harmonizes with rock and stone, sea, and sky, and
sea-weed, by which they are surrounded, that it is
difficult to distinguish the animate from the inani-
mate portions of the creation. In such situations
they pursue an active and bustling career, either at
work pursuing their food, or sitting perched on the
rocks, or squatting on the coast in innumerable quan-

•-244 THE DOTTEREL.

titles. i\ltliouoli, however, we mention their mari-
time resorts, as the most usual stations of these birds,
they are, by no means, their only ones. Along the
shores of rivers they are occasionally found to breed ;
choosing tlie loose pebbly gromid for that purj^ose, or
the sand-beds of the water-courses. They often occur
inland — ten, fifteen, or twenty miles distance from
the sea-coasts ; more especially in several of the
eastern counties of England. Ijike the common dot-
terel, they often exhibit extreme fear at the approach
of strangers, using every bird-like artifice to relieve
their broods from the unw^elcome intruder. Their
eggs are few, of a greenish ash colour. ^Ye subjoin a
description of the plumage of this noisy, numerous,
and pretty class of the genus Charadrius. The chief
peculiarity is a chin and collar of pure white encir-
cling the neck, followed by one of black, passing into
the brown of the upper parts of the plumage. The
lower parts are a clean white ; some portions of the
wings are grey brown ; others, clove brown ; and tips
of quills and secondaries white ; the tail brown, with
a clouded band ; the bill yellow, with a black tip ; the
legs yellow. We have remarked many slight varieties
of tintings, especially during the gayer season of
incubation .

The Little Ringed Dotterel {Charadrius viinor).
The Little Ringed Plover of British authors.

Mr. Yarrell describes this rare bird as an occa-
sional guest in our island, although we cannot but
ieem it is often shot without remark. Jardine says :

THE DOTTEREL. 245

"As a British bird, this interesting species rests on a
single specimen procured by Mr. Henry Doubleday ;
it was taken at Shoreham, in Sussex. The habits of
this dotterel become interesting to the ornithologist,
as being somewhat at variance with the others, fre-
quenting the banks of rivers in preference to the
coast ; but, like the others, it lays its eggs upon the
sand, without any attempt at a nest. From the veiy
young state of Mr. Doubleday 's specimen, it is con-
jectured that it may have been bred in England, and,
if so, we may yet find the species as an occasional
visitant ; though, perhaps, the character of. the banks
of the rivers is not such as will suit its habits."

Charadrius Cantianus. — The Kentish Dotterel,
or Plover of British authors.

This species is closely linked with our ringed
dotterel, and distinguished only by its inferior bulk,
and by its feathered markings. Its habits appear to
be the same with the larger dotterel, and it associates
with it when thrown into the same localities. It
breeds with us ; is known in Sussex, Kent, Norfolk,
Essex, in the marshy districts, and on the sandy and
gravel beaches of the coasts. Its geographical range
is somewhat extensive, although not common over
Europe, and not known, that we are aware, either in
Scotland or Ireland. In the plumage of this bird
the collar round its neck is interrupted; there is a
great deal of yellow brown in the plumage ; the back
and wings are hair brown ; shafts of feathers deeper
in tint; the crown yellow brown; nape the same ; and

u2

MrO NATURAL HISTORY OF THE KUFF AND EEEVE.

much wlii'ie about the wmgs and tail ; while German
!!eciin'jiis of this bird have been marked with a less
yollovv r rown, black bill, legs black also. Its man-
ner of 1 imning along the sands or shingles, vith its
head draw^n dovra close on the shoulders, is very
peculiar : but is similar to that of the sanderling.

The Ruff and llee^ e [Machetes pugnax, Cuvier).

This little bird, surnamed the Fighter, takes after
the Grallatores, both in pugnacity, and the remarkable
natural wattle and exuberant plumage of its throat
and neck.

These birds are found in England in the fenny
districts, where they breed ; and are met with, in the
spring and autumn, in other parts of Britain ; about
I lie end of August most frequently in Scotland, in

THE KUFF AND EEEVE.

247

the mosses and salt marshes, as stragglers passing
onwards to the moors. On the Frith of Forth, on
the Northumberland coast, and on the shores of the
Solway, they are occasionally frequent. The vast
numbers that formerly thronged our own country are
no more to be seen. Population, and the necessity of

t:ie ui-.E

drained civilised abodes, have compelled this singular
tribe to forsake their olden haunts ; and it is to be
feared the time will come when the ruff shall be but
a tradition of our sportsmen, and an adornment of
our museums. A writer of the last century thus
describes their amount in some islands surrounded
with sedgy moors, where men seldom resort: — "I
have often seen the ground so strewed with eggs and
nests (ruffs and plovers) that one could scarce take a
step without treading upon one of them." The males

248 THE EUFF AND REEVE.

lose their sexual appendage when the breeding season
is over. The raff and the reeve are taken in nets
about thirty or forty yards in length. In the Isle of
Ely and the Lincolnshire fens they were formerly
prodigiously abundant. They would arrive about the
end of April, and continue till the latter days of
August. These nets are supported by sticks, " at an
angle of forty-five degrees," placed upon dry grounds,
or very low watered ones, not far from reeds. Here
the fowler conceals himself, and the birds are enticed
by stale or stuffed birds to come under the nets. As
soon as he perceives the success of his artifice, he
pulls a string, they are enclosed ; and often godwits,
grebes, knots, and plovers, share the fate of the ruff
and reeve. The mode of fattening the latter for the
table is by stuffing with boiled wheat, hemp-seed,
sugar, or bread and milk. During the process they
are kept in a dark room, where the very acme of their
fatness is to be observed, or they are apt to fall away
in a day or two. If ever so little light is let into
their dark prisons, these little creatures immediately
do battle with each other ; nor will they leave off
while life is left. " This died for love, and that for
gloiy," may the disconsolate fattener say, as he picks
up the dead bodies, and retires with the slain.

Colonel Montague thus describes their combats in
a wild state : — "In the spring the ruffs hill, as it is
termed, that is, they assemble upon a rising spot of
ground, contiguous to where the species prepare to
deposit their eggs ; then they take their stand at a

THE RUFF AND REEVE. 249

small distance from each other, and contend for tlie
females. This hill, or place of resort for love and
battle, is sought for by the fowler, "who, from habit,
discovers it by the birds having trodden the turf
somewhat bare ; tliough not in a circle, as usually
described."

We had occasion to remark, that although the
pugnacious disposition of the ruff never ceased in
confinement, it increased with the growth of the
long feathers of the neck in spring, when the least
movement of either from their usual stand, provoked
a battle. Their actions in fighting are similar to
those of the game-cock, — the head is lowered, and the
bill is held in a horizontal direction ; the niff, indeed
every feather, more or less distended; the former
sweeping the ground as a shield, to defend the more
tender parts, the auricles erected, and the tail partly
spread ; upon the whole, assuming a most ferocious
aspect. When either could obtain a firm hold with
the bill, a leap succeeded, accompanied with a stroke
of the wdng, but they rarely injured each other.

Where gregariously assembled among other spe-
cies, the ruff is known by the greater length of the
legs. The breeding plumage is scarcely ever similar
in any two of these birds. Eeddish oranges and
yellow whites, clove brown and black, deeply shaded
in glossy purple, are the chief tintings of their beau-
tiful and varying plumage ; for the rest, too well
knoTMi by the fen sportsman to be specifically de-
scribed. They are from nine to eleven inches high

250

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GREBE

when erect. The reeve is often of more rufous tints,
with more black and brown in the shadings. The
feathers are strikingly indented with dark markings.
The reeve is considerably less than her mate in size.
After the warty excrescence has left the ruff, its hues
become very similar to some of tlie true snipes and
sandpipers.

THE GHEBE.

The Grebe, or Greve. — As this bird is frequently
brought down by the gunner, it is not misplaced in
our pages. It is a link between the web-footed tribe
and the GaUinules and Coots. It is much larger than

THE GREBE. 951

either of the latter. Its legs appear formed only for
swimming ; like those of the former class, they are
almost hid in the mider parts of the bird : the toes are
short, fringed, and finny. The wings have somewhat
the appearance of being clipped sideways ; and thus
it seems as little formed for rising in the air as for
walking on land. Its habits entirely assimilate with
its formation. The appetites and habits of this
bird claim affinity with the web-footed class ; for it
preys upon fish, and passes its existence swimming
and diving, — ^just exhibiting the head above, and
darting completely under, water, at the least appear-
ance of danger. It is very shy, and very difficult to
be shot. It occurs in Wales and the north-western
counties of England, where it is found to breed among
the reeds and flags of the picturesque meres of those
districts. The plumage is for the most part white
and black, with shadings. The nests are made to
float on the tops of the reeds and nishes of the
shallow pools it best loves to frequent, and are only
supported by the strength of the creeping roots of
the marginal weeds. The grebe was, some time
back, a more numerous class than at present. It
was greatly sought after for the furry down of its
breast, which presents the most silvery gloss, and of
a hue more silken than that of Genoa velvet. As,
where once it settles its abode, there it continues till
its extii-pation, however much disturbed, it may be
imagined that not much difficulty occurred in finding
its haunt and securing the bird (although of a wary

'252 NATURAL HISTORY OF

nature). The female is miicli attached to her vouiig,
and seeks out, with indefatigable research, the small
eels and fry of river fish, that are within her scope,
foi" her hungry brood ; after which she will conduct
them to the nest under her wings, or even, it is said,
upon her back. At the time of incubation, the glossed
down of their breasts is entirely wanting. Of this
bird may truly be said, what the poet has falsely sung
of the woodland tribe of song-birds : —

" Chaste are llieir instincts, faithful is their fire :
No foreign beauty tempts to false desire.
The snow-white vesture and the glittering crown,
The simple plumage, or the glossy down,
Prompts not their love. The p;itriot bird pursues
His well-acquainted tints and Idndred Iiul's."

The comities of Shropshire and Cheshire were for-
merly the most plentifully supplied with the grebe,
or greve.

The Common Curlew (Scolopax arquata. Kume-
nius arquata). — In our enumeration of the different
game and water-bn*ds of the British islands, we have
thought it unnecessary to class every variety of the
different species. Few sporting writers give correct
denominations to the different linlvs of the great
families of British birds. Thev mino-le the Lon<2-
beak, and some of the Totani, with the Snipe family ;
more accordantly with the provincial customs of the
counties to which the particular species resort, than
with ornithological truth. The Red-shank, or Pool
Snipe is one of these ; the Common Totanus. or

THE COMMON CURLEW.

253

Sandy Lavrock, or Sand Lark (the Common Sand-
piper) another, frequently mistaken. And, continu-
ing through the next family of the Tringce. or aquatic

THE COMMON CURLEW.

Sandpipers (the Purre, or Dunlm, the Ruff and
Reeve, the Knot, and other varieties of the Sand-
pipers), we shall constantly find one species inter-
mingled with another by every writer but the practi-
cal naturalist and true ornithologist. The Curlew
Sandpiper will often pass for the Purre, or Dunlin,
and as often for the Knot, or the Stint, while the Little
Stint has been described as the Ox-bird. Passing by

'254 THE COMMON CURLEW.

these several intermediates, we now come to the
Curlew, a well-known bird of om' pastoral districts
and sub-alpine heaths. It is a frequent inhabit-
ant of Scotland, where in the north, even to Shet-
land and the Orkneys, it breeds. Its Eui'opean
range is northward, Norway, Sweden, the Feroe
Islands, and Iceland. Curlews are kno^\^l in China,
in the south of Africa, and in the East.

The generic characters of the family are remark-
able : " Bill very long, slender, slightly compressed,
curved, the tip nearly round, hard, the mandible pro-
jecting over the maxilla ; nostrils linear, lateral ; face
feathered ; wings rather long, pomted, spurious quill
rigid ; legs proportionally, of middle length ; tibia bare
for some length above the tarsal joint; feet rather
small ; toes before connected by a basal membrane ;
hallux articulated above the plane of the others."

The curlew breeds inland, and resorts to the
maritime coasts in the cold season. The curlew's
scream, or shrill whistle, is, perhaps, better known
than most of the calls of the aquatic birds. They are
a noisy, brave, and somewhat pugnacious tribe. When
the breeding season has commenced, the heath, or
moor, or sheep-walk, is alive with these creatures
ere the first faint streak of dami has broadened in
colour ; and here, clamorous with the gladness of the
period, the males rise upon the wing, uttering their
singular note, and whirl along in sweepmg line,
slowly and stately, while undisturbed. At any intm-
sion, they boldly fly before the face of the stranger,

NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE WHIMBEEL CUELEW. 255

and with something like the noisy scream of the
gander, they will almost seem to attack him, till, in
their turn, intimidated by a shot or a stone. The
nest is a very careless one, being on the ground,
and placed in a dry spot either of moss or heath, even
in a furrow, or field of new-sown grain. Some grass,
or diy leaves, forms its scanty lining. The yomig of
the common curlew used to be deemed tender and ex-
cellent eating. The plumage of the head, neck,
and breast, is of a pale yello^\ish brown, varying in
depth of tint, and darkest on the crown ; the shafts
of the feathers of a deeper bromi, which broadens at
the bottoms, forming those triangular markings so
common in birds. The underneath parts are of a
bluish white, but on the belly and sides the white is
variegated with dashes of brown. The upper parts
are rich-tinted, shot with purple, the feathers cut out
in grey and ash-colour and white. There is a gloss
of purple also on the brown quills, and the axillaiy
feathers are barred with ash-colour and brown; the
tail is white, barred with an ashy brown tint, and
the bars indented with reddish white; bill deep
brown at the tip, and shading into a pinky yellow ;
legs and feet of a lead colour.

The Whimbrel Curlew of British authors (Sco-
lopaxpheoims, Linn. Numenuis jjheopus, Latham, &c.}.
— This variety is not so common in England as the
last-mentioned; nor does it breed with us. Its
dissimilarities with the common curlew are chiefly
two. Its differing call, expressed by its name of

•256 NATUEAL HISTOEY OF

whimbrel, and its merely passenger visits to our
coasts in spring, winter, and autumn, instead of the
constant residence of the former. It is said, that
in the north Scottish islands it is found to breed ;
but little is Imowii of its breeding stations ; and
we think it a doubtful point, as the summer birds
that occasionally occur may have been stopped in
their passage. It was formerly, and may now be,
" a regular spring visitant in Ireland, in passage
northward, to return in autumn in much smaller
numbers," according to Thompson's " History." A
farmer, not many miles from Belfast, assured us ten
years ago, that he had shot some of these birds. It
is a pretty sight, on an unquiet day, when coming
upon an isolated part of the coast, to see a flock of
curlews and a smaller portion of whimbrels, gre-
gariously feeding together in the salt pools formed
among the shingles and sand-beds at ebb-tide. When
they fly, it is in the phalanx form, closely wedged
together, and dip low and high in the air, as though
they were diving in the water. The common curlew
skims moi'e, with a sailing motion ; and the wings of
both varieties being long, pointed, and strong, are as
admirably adapted to fly liigh ; as the moor-hen,i and
the gallinule's wings are ill constructed for length
or rapidity of motion. The difl'erences of plumage
between these birds are slight. The crown of the
whimbrel is separated in the middle by a paler streak
of colour, the tips of the feathers being, for a broad
space, white, while on either side they have patches

THE BALD COOT.

257

of brown to edge them. There is more white on
the upper part of the hack of the whimbrel ; next to
the hill the space is white, as also the sides of the
head, neck, and mider parts, with splashes of dark
hrown ; the hill is of deeper hue, red at the base ; and
the legs are leaden grey colour, thicker, and some-
what shorter than in the common curlew. These
birds do not change their plumage at the period of
incubation.

THE BAl.D COOT.

The Coot comes imder the head RaUidcB ; which
family comprises the Rails and Crakes, the Gallinules,
or Water-fowls, as well as the Coot species. As the
Common Coot is a larger bird than the moor-hen, so
it chooses larger streams, and more insulated locali-
ties. It is more wary and less sociable. The coot is

v2

258 THE BALD COOT,

the FuJica alra of Linn., the Foidque macroulc of
Temmiiick. It is found rather extensively in the
southern counties of England, becomes more rare
northward, and is altogether lost sight of in the
alpine regions of Scotland; its occurrence being con-
fined to the neighbourhood of the smaller lochs.
Nevertheless, it is occasionally mentioned in the
Orkneys. The Bald Coot arrives in North Britain
the first fine spring days, and rarely stays through
the mnter, miless an unusually mild one. Some of
these birds dive mth the facility of the penguin kind,
and keep under, while hunting for their food in the
still watei*s they select par preference, for a great length
of time, eating, as is supposed, whatever may come
within their reach, — pond- weed, aquatic larvae, insects,
<tc. In the larger rivers of England they collect in im-
mense numbers, and are then caught by means of the
weirs used for catching fish, while they are searching
for the small fish and insectivora. At breeding sea-
son they become scattered in pairs, and so remain
until the autumn, when again they assemble together
iu companies. Their nests are made in the river
rushes, or in the reeds of the plashy brakes that are
found near our estuaries. They are of considerable
size, and they use the materials within reach in their
construction. As we have said, the bald coot is a shy
bird, and, except at the season of incubation, difficult
of approach. It flies with its long legs outstretched
in its rear. The coot, it is said, weighs about twenty-
four ounces. Its bald forehead appears rather a con-

NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE REDWING. 259

tinuation of its bill to the crown than any absence
of feathering ; it is of a pinky milk white, the bill
pinkish. The dark blackish grey of the general
plumage of the bird, shaded with deep black, forms a
strildng contrast with this white space ; the mider-
neath surface of the mngs are of a glossy silver grey ;
the tihicB are orange colour, the legs dull green.
The membrane of the toes scolloped out, in con-
tradistinction to the straight membrane of the gal-
linidi. The young, upon escape from the shell, are
duly protected with a thick covering of strong, stiff,
hair-like down, black everywhere but the head, where
it is red, or yellow red. Varieties of the plumage
sometimes occur.

The Redwing [Turdiis iliacus, Linn,). — The Red-
wing, like the fieldfare, visits us merely for the
mildness of our climate in the season of rigour.
It is described as about eight inches long, although
such as we have shot we should have deemed
shorter. It weighs about two ounces or more. Its
plumage in hue is between that of a sparrow and
a thrush. With us it is not melodious; but in its
summer abodes, w^here daylight for many weeks con-
tinues to gladden the eye, as in Norway and other
countries of similar latitudes, it is esteemed one of
the chief warblers of the forest, its note being both
piercing and sweet. It is known immediately from
the thrush by the brightness of a white mark above
the eyes. In olden days the redwing was esteemed
equal to the beccafico, and a choice morsel for a

960 THE EEDWING.

Roman Emj)eror. It was exported to Italy, and
fattened for sale. This bird is neither so wild nor so
wary as its near neighbour, the fieldfare ; it is, how-
ever, sufficiently cautious, and, when flying in num-
bers, takes a precaution, from which we have bor-
rowed our stratagem in war, — that of stationing out-
posts, or sentinels, on some eminence or tree-top,
to give notice of the approach of danger.

In the season of flight, as the bird-catchers call it,
these little creatures were formerly taken in great
numbers, in common with the woodlark and the
fieldfare, and, indeed, with all the other small green-
birds, by the nets and arts of the fowler. In the
autumn he prepares his machineiy, — his nets, his
JHer-hirds, and his decoy birds. The net is from ten
to twelve yards long, or more, and two or three
wide. It is so formed, as to be easy to rise on either
side and encircle the birds, as any one may witness
who will follow the wheat-ear catcher on the Sussex
Downs. As birds in their passage fly against the
wind, the fowler lays his net to gain the wind, and if
it is easterly, he will lay his net as far to the west as
possible. His call-birds are selected carefully by the
sweetness and power of their notes. It appears that
these decoy birds never exert themselves more
powerfully than when thus luring the free birds of
their tribes into captivity. Linnets and larks, gold
and green finches, the bullfinch and yellow hammer,
the tit-lark, and a variety of others, can be used for
this purpose. The JHer-hirds are those placed on a

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FIELDFARE. 261

movable perch, which the fowler uplifts at will, by
means of a string, wiien he would tempt the wild
bird do^\^l wards. It is remarked, that when half a
flock have been allured into the nets by the shrill
jerking call of the decoys, the remainder will alight
near; and, far from being deterred by the circum-
stance, are certain to become also victims of the arti-
fice. Whether curiosity, love of song, or pugnacious
braver}^ bring the wild birds so easily to the call, it
is impossible to determine. That it should be desire,
seems unlikely; for the male birds pipe: and male
birds are equally numerous, if not more so, than the
female wild ones, thus entrapped for the ladies' aviary,
or the epicure's table. This, however, is not the only
trap laid for them. As the redwings do not roost on
the ground, nets are often thrown over trees and
hedges, in which they are taken.

The Fieldfare [Turdusjnlaris, Linn.). — This little
bird, of the sparrow kind, makes but a short stay in
our countiy ; is wild and tuneless, flies in flocks, and
is perhaps the most wary of the smaller species. In
Norway and Sweden, and the cold regions generally,
the fieldfare tunes his pipe as harmoniously as many of
the little warblers, although with us so dull and insipid
a bird. Fieldfares migrate to our coasts, tempted
hither by the mildness of our winters, and the variety
of berries our trees and hedge-rows supply, which
form the staple of their food. The rigorous season
past, they return to their beloved forests of maple
and sycamore, where they sing the live-long day, to

m'2

THE FIELD FARE.

reward the partners of their cares in the laborious
season of incubation ; building their nests in the
hedges or low woods, mth symmetry and research.
These they carefully conceal by those instinctive arts
so common to the smaller tribes ; bending twigs,

THE FIELDFARE.

leaves, and branches, in artful mazes, to screen them
from view. They lay about six bluish green eggs.
spotted considerably with black.

The fieldfare is from nine to ten inches long, and
sixteen or seventeen broad. It weighs considerably
more than the redwing. Its plumage is lively, and
its flesh not equal to its smaller neighbour above

THE FIELDFARE.

263

meutioned, altliougli a delicacy. It arrives in great
numbers about October ; and at first, in all the bustle
of settling, may be shot at without much difficulty.
Its back feathers are of shades of ash colour ; its head
of a light ash; its bill is yellowish black; and the
bird is immediately known from the length of its
mouth hairs, or whiskers. Its breast is spotted with
dark colom-s on a light ground; its rump is ash
colour. Its bill is slender and soft, capable only of
attacking berries and insects' eggs ; it is, therefore,
one of the large class of necessary helps to man's com-
fort and convenience, as it assists to destroy the ver-
min that infests the trees and vegetables cultivated by
him. The fieldfares are fattest while their autumnal
food still hangs on the bush, or remains on the ground ;
after which time they have recourse to the moist soils
for worms. Mr. White says, that it is rather sur-
prising, in the natural histoiy of these charming
edibles, that being of habits nearly akin to those of
so many other small birds of the soft billed songster
tribe, such as blackbirds, thrushes, &c., they should
not be kno wii to have bred together. He also observes
that the fieldfare roosts on the ground at night (the
period when the fowlers' nets are principally spread
for their captives over stubble and meadow), while
in the day-time it always perches high, on the tops of
the tallest trees and hedgerows. It appears that, con-
sidering the prodigious flocks that sometimes alight
on our coasts, we secure but a small quantity of these
birds, in comparison with the numbers captured on

•264 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LARK.

the continent. Whether they come to us at a
more wary season we do not know. However,
they become sufficiently tame when they suffer
from a deficiency of food in hard weather ; hut are
then not so worthy the aim of the true sportsman, as
when they are full and fat.

The Lark [Alanda arvensis, Linn.). — One of our
poets thus addresses this sweet warbler : —

" Hail to thee, blithe spirit I
Bird thou never wert,
That from heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.

Higher still and higher,

From the earth thou springe'St ;
Like a cloud of fire,

The blue deep thou wlngest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.

What objects are the fountains

Of thy happy strain ?
What fields, or waves, or mountains?
What shapes of sky or plain ?
What love of thy own kind ? What ignorance of pain ? "

Shelle'x.

It is, indeed, true of this bird, the ftivourite of the
skiey space, that its song is gladsome and enlivening ;
and that as it darts upwards, in the clear radiance of
dawn, its exulting and far-reaching note appears the
harbinger of fullest day. The lark is a salacious bird ;
nor is it difficult to form a hybrid between it and the
linnet, and other small birds.

THE LAEK. 265

When kept in confinement, the pipe of the lark
becomes harsh and piercing ; it is only when winging
its flight, by way of encouragement to the female, in
the free native air, that it possesses that bomicling
and elastic sweetness on which poets delight to expa-
tiate. It is a note of confidence and security, to
assure his mate that no danger threatens, and that
he is near her, to participate and to soften her cares.
This diminutive species have much courage ; they are
often, when contending for the female, formidable to
each other ; but their genial desires past, they relapse
into timidity, or show their braveiy in a different and
more amicable manner. We have ourselves often
witnessed a struggle for victory in song between two
of these birds ; and, indeed, with most of the thrush
and sparrow kind, there seems to exist a love of har-
mony distinct from the note of blandishment or call
of desire. Let a harp be placed on a lawn, and
played upon, and it shall prove the decoy of a num-
ber of grove songsters ; each little throat shall con-
tend with its music. A lady of our acquaintance
assured us that she had often been compelled to quit
her instrument from the noise made in rivalry by
these birds, who would perch on the lower branches
around her during their noisy efforts. The different
larks may be divided into the sky-lark, the wood, and
the titlark ; they are known from other small species
by the length of their heel or spur. They build their
nests upon the ground, thinking that sods of turf can
shelter and conceal them, and choosing every soil in

266 NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE WATER-HEN.

preference to a clayey one ; they also are observed to
build so that eveiy part of the nest is equally raised.
The edges are thatched, and slope a little outwards.
The lark is constant in our islands, migrating, however,
fi'om one part of the country to another. It lays four
or five eggs, of different sizes, according to its variety,
of a dusky hue. Its general tints are reddish brown,
and in some more lively than in others, so as to be
almost red. On the crown of the head it bears a tuft
of feathers which distinguishes it from birds of its
class ; these it erects at mil. It deposits its eggs in
May, although they have been seen even as late as
September. Dr. Latham mentions that larks are an
article of great importance in some of the continental
countries, — " the duty paid at Leipsic for larks
amomits to twelve thousand crowns per annum, at a
grosch, or twopence-halfpenny, for every sixty larks."
It is when the song of the bird leaves it that it
assembles in flocks, and becomes the prey of the bird
catchers. The lark is a bird of passage in some
countries, chiefly the cold ones ; and thousands fall by
the way in the migrations, chiefly by the net of the
fowler.

Water-hen, or Moor hen, or common Gallinule of
British authors [GallinulcE chloropus). — This aquatic
bird is the link between the crake family and that of
the coots. As their wings are little formed for flight,
so the strong, naked legs, large feet, and long toes,
seem to render land and water their chief elements.
Indeed this species swim and dive with equal facility ;

THE WATEK-HEN.

267

resort to ponds, pools, and rivers, where, under cover
of any sort of aquatic or marsh, vegetation, their
breeding places may be constantly discovered, and
their nests found amid the reeds and roots, rather
high up, and sometimes sLx or seven feet from the
water, in the brushwood or willow reeds. Its habits
are by no means shy, and it is a beautiful creature in

THE WATER-HEN.

its gayest plumage. Jar dine mentions, that it will
even come near dwelling-places, where food is regu-
larly placed for it. On the least alarm, it will duck
its head and fore part of body under the water, and
then phmge into the first hole or cover of bnishwood,
where its bill alone will be protruded above the still
water of its preferred localities. It is fond of perch-
ing on low trees or bushes; and, on emergencies, will

268 THE WATEE-HEN.

fly to some height, aiicl seek concealment on the tops
of the highest trees in its vicinity. The common galli-
nule, or moor-hen, is abmidant among the lesser lochs
and tarns of Scotland. Pursuit seems to paralyse the
faculties of this bird; as we have kno^vn it to remain,
as it were, fascinated by the idea of danger, squatted
among the vegetation, where it will suffer itseK to be
caught without a struggle till it is in captivity. Its
young are numerous, and covered with a black down.
Jardine thus describes the feathers of the moor-
hen in spring : — " The base of the bill, and shield on
the forehead, now considerably enlarged, is a bright
red; and contrasts well, or enlivens the deep blackish
grey of the head, throat, neck, and mider parts : this
colour shades into a deep green on the ujiper parts,
at this season glossed with deep reflections, which are
spread on the sides of the breasts; the quills are
nearly pale umber brown, the outer edge of the first,
with the bend of the wing, white ; the tail, romided
at the tip, is black, shaded into deep oil green, and
shows the narrow cross dark markings incident to
structm^e, seen in various incessorial birds, and in the
aquatic genus Plotiis. On the lower part of the belly
and vent the feathers are tipped with greyish white,
which prevails more or less on the centre of these
parts ; and on the flanks, where the oil green predo-
minates, the feathers are dashed with long streaks of
white, but those of the vent are deep black, and mn
in upon them in an angular point ; the naked parts
of the tlhice are bright vermillion red, shading to yel-

THE WATER-HEN. 269

low, and often appear conspicuous ; the feet and legs
are olive green. In the female the colours are not so
bright, and the frontal shield does not cover so large
a space." The bill is compressed, but not very short ;
the wings are short and concave ; the legs long. The
nest is made of sticks and fibres, or dry reeds ; and
when the hen is within it, she is swinged to and fro
by the action of the water and wind underneath her :
we have seen the nest, however, disengaged by some
mishap, and floating in the midst of the stream. The
eggs are sharp at one end, and of whitish green
colour, spotted with red. The water-hen weighs from
fifteen ounces upwards. Tliis is the Poule cVeau
ordinaire of Temminck. The gallinule is of some-
what dissimilar habits to those we have mentioned,
when found in the solitary Scottish moors mitenanted
but by the feathered tribe and wild animals. Here
she is not so easily alarmed as where breeding in the
vicinity of gentlemen's mansions ; but when once dis-
turbed, has been known never again to resort to the
same locality, but at once seeks a new abode, where,
summer and winter, she mil continue mitil destroyed
by the sportsman, or the more numerous enemies of
the brute creation, to whose invasion she is exposed
without any means of protection. The falcon, the kite,
the buzzard, the otter, are the most usual despoilers
of the water-hens. As they cannot fly far, they are
more defenceless than most other of the aquatic
birds.

w 2

THE WATER SPANIEL.

The Spaniel {Canis extra riiis). Water Spaniel of
British authors. — Mr. Whittaker thus enumerates the
five original races of Biitish dogs : — The Great House-
hold Dog; the Greyhound ; the Bulldog; the Terrier;
and the Large Slow-hound.

Of these it will be seen the spaniel is not one.
Jardine justly remarks, that in this list the races are
confounded ; for the great household dog is with him
the mastiff, with no powers of scent, and different
from the bulldog, to whom he attributes great keen-
ness of nose. He looks upon the greyhound as the
Vertar/us, or British Fer. Track., while some writers
only deem it the lurcher. The British terrier he
looks uj^on as differing from the crooked legged turn-
spit of Europe, specified by Greek -wiiters. Sir W.
Jardine says, that the Canis tuscus, praised byNeme-
sianus, was identical with our water- spaniel. On
various Pvoman monuments this dog is eridently
figiired. The spaniel tribe is a numerous one, and
variously designated, from the beautiful little creature
known as Charles the Second s, or the Duke of Nor-
folk's, breed, to the handsome springer, by some
deemed the most serviceable shooting companion to
the gmmer, of the entire sporting races. The springer
and the cocker are the only two dogs, legitimately
called spaniels, used in wood and water craft : albeit,
some call the smaller Newfoundland breed, spaniels.

NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE SPANIEL. • 271

Printed authorities vaiy considerably when making
the definition of the spaniel. One says, " The
cocker, or gun spaniel, of true perfect breed, is of one
general or whole colour, — either black, or black tan,
commonly called King Charles's breed; or red in
different shades, paler or deeper : " and another says,
" The true English bred spaniel differs but little from
the setter, save in size."

Of all species, the spaniel has the truest attach-
ment to the human race, and is of the gayest as well as
the most affectionate disposition. In form it is that of
the small setter; the colom-s of the silky hair being
either black and white, liver-coloured and white, pied,
brown, or black. The so-termed water spaniel is best
known by its alertness in limiting and swimming in
the water ; its hair, also, is a little harder and stiffer
than the land spaniel. The springer, too well known
as the gun spaniel to need specification, is usually
smaller than the water spaniel (a dog greatly used in
decoys); its shape is particularly graceful, and its
liveliness renders it a great favourite with gunners
used to this breed : it is generally a white-haired dog,
with rich red spots and black muzzle ; while the
cocker is oftenest black, and is a smaller dog, v^ith
shorter legs, and shorter in the back. It has also a
shorter and rounder head, and is altogether of more
compact frame and make ; the ears long and silky, as
well as the tail and legs, and the hair all more curly
than the larger spaniel. King Charles's spaniel is
supposed to be the parent of the cocker breed of dogs.

272 THE SPANIEL.

The Blenheim is ahnost similar in appearance to the
latter, but the cocker's black coat is relieved in the
Blenheim (or, as it is indifferently called, the Marl-
borough, or Pymnii, of Buffon) by red spots above the
eyes, and on the breast and feet. He has a shorter
back, and is fuller in the nose and palate. The
Bichon of Buffon, Canis Melitceus, is the most ancient
of the diminutive spaniel races, and the huge Alpine
spaniel the most sagacious and courageous. From
very ancient times the spaniel breed has engaged
much attention from sportsmen. In the East, the
greatest possible pains were taken to propagate them ;
for as all game was brought doAMi by the gun, or in
decoys, so these races were considered the only ones
fitted for these uses. The spaniel race is somewhat
famous in histoiy. The highest order of distinction
in Denmark was fomided in honour of a dog of this
Idnd, named Wildbrat, that remained faithful to the
sovereign of that kingdom, when the human race had
deserted him in adversity. The motto of this order,
now called the Order of the Elephant, is, " Wildbrat
was Faithful;" and the instinctive fidelity of this
species is furthermore historically specified in the
account given of Lodebroch, a prince of Denmark,
who w^as driven on the English coast, with his hawks
and his dogs, and was taken up as a piratical spy,
and brought before Edmund, king of the East Angles.
Edmund, however, was soon mideceived, and Lode-
broch became a great favourite with him, on account
of his skill in hawldng and hmitmg. He was at last

THE SPANIEL. 273

murdered by a falconer jealous of his favour, who con-
cealed his remains in the woods. None knew his fate,
till a dog, worn hy famine and grief, came to Edmmid
and fawned upon him with expressive gestures ; and
the king followed him to the spot where the body lay.
The murder was avenged, as it was thought, by the
enforcement of the Lex Talionis. The falconer w^as
put into Lodebroch's boat, and committed to the
mercy of the waves. Unfortunately, the purposes of
justice were not, in this case, achieved, for the wretch
was borne to Denmark, when, to avoid the torture,
he accused Edmund as the assassin of Lodebroch, and
was thus the occasion of the first Danish invasion.
The instances of attachment recorded of spaniels are
most numerous. They will sometimes take a liking
for kittens, and even birds ; but their general fondness
is for the human race. There is one affecting example
related of a spaniel in Paris, in 1799. It was so
severe a frost that the Seine was thickly frozen over ;
but a thaw had commenced, when a number of youths
chose still to continue the sport of skating. One,
named Beaumavoir, a young student, and the pos-
sessor of a small spaniel, had only gone on the
treacherous ice, near the quay of the Hotel des
Mommies, when it broke, and his body disappeared
The small spaniel, by his frantic grief, gave the
alarm, but no assistance could be rendered ; and the
poor creature's bowlings only served to warn others
from the unsafe spot. That day, and the following
night, the animal remained to watch for his master s

274 THE SPANIEL.

re-appearance ; and still, the day after, he was at his
post. Some persons made him a bed of straw, and
some brought him food, but to these testimonials of
kmdness and admiration he remained insensible,
rejecting both. He woidd run backwards and for-
wards, in great distress, upon the ice, but always
came back to the same sleeping place. He bit a
soldier who would have forced him away, who, fearing
that he was mad, fired at and wounded him. People
came in crowds to gaze at the poor spaniel ; and, at
last, a woman prevailed upon it to have its wound
dressed. She carried it home with her, and we
believe succeeded, after a lapse of time, in making it
again comfortable and happy. Of the thousand pet
spaniels of idle ladies, we sometimes hear remark-
able accounts of their cunning in eluding orders, given
before them, to which they were averse, relative to
their personal treatment.

Springers and cockers are made use of in grey-
hound com'sing; but the cocker, who hunts closer,
and is not so full of bustle as the springer, is of the
more utility to the sportsman. Colonel Hawker
remarks, ^ith regard to spaniels, that they are, nine
times out of ten, so badly broken in, as in general to
be only fit to drive a large wood; but, if taught to
keep always mthin half a gmi-shot, they are the best
dogs in existence for workino- among hassocks and
briars. They should be trained veiy young, or they
require an unmerciful degree of flogging ; and it is
sometimes advisable, at first, to hunt them mth a

THE SPANIEL. 275

fore foot tied up in the collar. We subjoin another
hint of a valuable experience : — " Spaniels for phea-
sant and cock shooting cannot be too strong, too short
upon the leg, or have too much courage. To be in a
perfect state of discipline, they must follow a hare no
further than whilst it is in view ; when once put into
covert, must not quit it to range in the fields, which
some slippery ones will do ; and must be in their
places twisting round every stub with agility, and
possess such fineness of nose, that neither woodcock
nor pheasant can escape their search." It mil be
perceived, that if sportsmen often become enthusiasts
in favour of this sort of dog over every other, it can
be no easy affair to train up a team of spaniels. One
or two must be taught to fetch and carry, or, as some
think, but one in a team ; else, in disputing which
shall carry the game, they will break it. For a gene-
ral summary of desirable form in the spaniel, take
this : — They should stand on short, bony legs, be
powerfully made all over, with a speaking eye, a large
head, and large, long, drooping ears.

CHAPTEE XVIII.

WILD FOWL SHOOTIIVG.

SHOOTING THE WILD SWAN.

" That lovely thing,
Oaring with rosy feet its silver boat."

Foe many reasons, logical as well as fanciful, this
ma}^ be called " the poetry of sport." Poetry is
scarce — far more rare than the journeymen of Par-
nassus have an idea — and so is wild swan shooting ;
and can imagination conceive anything more sub-
limated above powder and patent shot work, in
general, than assisting at the obsequies of a jyn^c^
donna of the feathered choir, who pours out her life
in ravishing harmonies ? The reader, peradventure,
shall doubt the popular rumour, that this bird makes
her exit " to soft music: " presently we will deal with
his suspicion.

It need hardly be premised, that the chances of
shooting wild swans are " few and far between," even

SHOOTING THE WILD SWAN. 277

to the most constant fowlers. Nevertheless, when
the accident does arrive, the swans appear to " come
not single spies but in battalions." Colonel Hawker
tells us, " On one occasion I knocked down eight at
a shot, — seven old ones and one brown one, and they
averaged nineteen pounds each;" and at Dungeness
something of the same extent was done by somebody,
whose name is not preserved. When swans are to be
met with in these islands, it is under circumstances
most unfavourable to them. They seldom or never
are found among us, except when overtaken by the
rigour of an extremely severe winter, and then their
flight is very low; and, when they alight, they are
very easily approached. Their size, too, renders them
a mark very difi&cult to miss; so that when the
shooter gets within distance, he can hardly avoid
killing his bird, though he may not find it quite so
easy to " bag" him. When in flight, the swan should
be shot at beneath the wing ; when sitting, take him
in the head. Always shoot at a hooper from behind,
so as to throw your shot under the feathers ; they
will turn almost anything short of slugs, if fired at on
the surface. Colonel Haw^ker gives a very comical
pictm-e of himself and his man going about to circum-
vent wild swans on the coast of Hants. Having made
out a sort of Lilliputian iceberg, all stuck over with
these interesting specimens of ornithology, he floated
towards them in liis punt, " having previously covered
myself and my man with clean w^iite linen, and a
white nightcap." The swans must have had strong

278 SHOOTING THE WILD SWAN.

nerves to stand the approach of such apparitions.
We doubt whether either the master or man would
have stood their ground had they seen a brace of
figures stealing upon them through the grey dawn
" in clean white linen and wliite nightcaps."

Upon the vexed question of the music made by
tlie dying swan, Mr. Colquhoun has an anecdote so
interesting, and so simple withal, that we cannot
resist transferring it to our pages. He has already
related an incident of his early wild fowl shooting
career, and thus proceeds : —

" Another stormy mid- winter day, a farmer sent
to let us Imow that a flock of wild swans had appeared
otf the shore. My brother and I instantly started
with our duck guns. When we had reconnoitred with
our glasses from a rising ground, we saw that the
flock w^ere resting some himdred yards from the land,
but had little doubt, from the high wind, that they
would soon seek its shelter. We accordingly chose
diff'erent stations, and crawling to them with the
utmost caution, waited patiently for upwards of an
hour. At last the swans, by imperceptible de-
grees, and much tm-ning and wheeling, neared the
shore, opposite my brother ; but the water being
shallow, they began to feed as soon as their long
necks could sound the bottom. He was thus forced
to rush down to the edge, and take the distant shot.
One lay badly w'ounded : had the wind been blowing
towards the shore, the swan was so disabled, he could
not have made head against it, but as it blew side-

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WILD SWAN. 279

ways, the creature managed to paddle itself out into
the waves, every now and then uttering its wild,
piping cry. There was no boat nearer than a mile ;
we, however, set off full speed, and with a shock-
headed urchin at the helm, launched into thedeep.
The wind was blowing a perfect gale, the waves lasli-
ing over, wetting us to the skui ; and every time we
changed our com'se, we were in danger of being
swamped. We had almost given up hope, especially
as the white foam of tlie bursting waves was so exactly
like tlie object of our search as to prevent our dis-
tinguishing it at any distance, when the ' gilly ' at the
helm called out, ' I hear him.' All eyes were strained
in every direction, and the poor swan was at last seen
rising over the billows like the spirit of the tempest.
There was much difficulty, and some danger, in get-
ting it safe on board, and, in all probability, we
should never have perceived it, had it not betrayed
itself by its dying song.'"

The Wild Swan, or Hooper, of British authors
(A7ias cygnus). — It is supposed by some eminent
naturalists of the present day, that there are several
varieties of the wild swan, and a couple, or more, of
the hooper.

In three killed by Colonel Hawker at a shot (of
the latter variety), the space above the bill was of
bright yellow. In another place he also killed three
at a shot, and of these the space above the bills was
pale flesh colour. The Linnsean Society have disco-
vered another distinct species, smaller, and internally

S80

THE WILD SWAN.

different from the common hooper, which they have
named after Mr Bemck.

This bu'd is of internal conformation very differ-
ent from the tame swan. It is usually less than a
fourth of the size, weighing from thirteen to twenty-
one pounds, the average being about sixteen pounds

THE WILD SWAN.

in the ^vild, and twenty upwards m the tame, bird.
But these are slight differences compared to that of
its plumage, and, above all, to those fomid upon dis-
section.

In opposition to the general theoiy on the subject
of its vocality, we have Col. Hawker's testimony, that

THE WILD SWAN. 281

the swan possesses at least two notes of the musical
gamut, even in a domesticated state. Who can there-
fore assert that the species may not have degenerated?
tliat Plato and Aristotle, and Diodorus Siculus were
not correct in their belief of the swan's vocality?
Hear what Pendasius says on the subject, — that he
had often heard swans sweetly singing in the Han-
taan lake, as he rowed up and down in his boat.
Olaus Warmius, too, the learned, declared there was in
his family a very honest yoimg man, John Kostorph, a
student in divinity, who upon oath solemnly affirmed,
that once, in the territory of Drontheim, in Norway, he
was standing upon the sea-shore early in the morning,
when he heard a most musical murmur, composed of
sweet whistlings and pleasant sounds ; and looking
about him, and climbing to the top of a certain pro-
montory, he there espied an infinite flock of wild
swans in a bay, producing this most delightful har-
mony, the sweetest in his life-time he had ever heard.
This is, at least, as pleasant a fiction to read as one
of La Fontaine s fables ; and well doth the poetical
moralist make use of it, who contrasts the last song
of the swan with the hymn of jubilee on the lips of
the good dying man. Pteverting to prosaic fact, we
find the hooper's cry to be particularly wild and dis-
agreeable, and harsh enough in its clangor to banish
the least notion of the melody of its species. The
wild swan is found in the Hebrides all the year
round, as it breeds there. This veiy elegant bird
is a constant visiter, and that m large companies, to

X 2

282 THE WILD SWAN.

the Irish coasts, and, indeed, to the interior of that
island. As we have before alluded to the written
rumour of its melodious quality, we can ourself assert,
that we have heard sounds proceeding from a flight of
swans vastly more harmonious than the race of water
fowl ai'e in the habit of producing. They were not,
so far as our ear could detect, separate notes, but
rather a consecutive and combined harmony, — an idea
which may be imperfectly given by comparing it with
the sustained tones of an organ.

It is a remarkable feature in the natural histoiy
of tliis bird, that wherever it is found in a wild
state, it is white, so to speak ; or, at least, but
little varies from that hue, except in New Holland,
where it is black, or of a tint scarcely removed from
black.

Perhaps, in animated natm'e, there is not a more
beautiful sight than the flight of the royal family of
the swans. There they are, winging their stately
way over morasses and marshes, over lakes and lake-
lets, perchance from icy Siberia, or inhospitable Lap-
land : from Iceland or Spitzbergen, or far away from
the arctic and unkno^vn regions of America, do they
hither come. These climes were their summer dwell-
ings and breeding-places, with Nonvay and Sweden,
and other ice-bound EurojDean lands ; for there the
sun never sets for weeks, but nm'ses innumerable
beds of insect food for their use and service. Pro-
fessor Wilson thus imaginatively and aptly describes
a flock covering the wide waters at the head of Loch

THE WILD SWAN. 283

Maree, or, silent and asleep, riding at anchor around
Lomond's isles : —

"'Tis now mid-day — and, lo! in that mediter-
ranean a flock of wild swans ! Have they dropped
do"wn from the ether into the water almost as pm"e as
ether, without having once folded their wings since
they rose aloft to shun the insupportable northern
snows, hundreds of leagues beyond the storm-swept
Orcades ? To look at the quiet creatures, you might
think that they had never left the circle of that little
loch. There they hang on their shadoivs, even as if
asleep in the sunshine ; and now stretching out their
long wings — how apt for flight from clime to clime !
Joyously they beat the liquid radiance, till to the land
flapping high rises the mist, and wide spreads the
foam almost sufficient for a rainbow. Safe are they
from all birds of prey. The osprey dashes down on
the teal ; the great erne, or sea-eagle, pounces on the
mallard, as he mounts from the bulrushes before the
wild swans sailing, with all wings hoisted, like a fleet;
but osprey nor eagle dares to try his talons on that
stately bird, — for he is bold in his beauty, and for-
midable as he is fair. The pinions that swim and
soar can also smite ; and though the one be a lover of
war, the other of peace, yet of these it may be said —

' The eagle lie is lord above,
The swan is lord below ! '

To have shot such a creature — so large — so white
— so high-soaring, and on the winds of midnight
wafted so far, — a creature that seemed not merely a

284 WILD GOOSE SHOOTING.

Stranger iu that locli but belonging to some myste-
rious land in another hemisphere, whose coast ships
have been known to visit, driving under bare poles
through a month's snow^-storms, — was an era in our
lives. Once, and once only, we were involved in the
glory of that event. The creature had been in a
dream of some river or lake of Kamschatka, or ideally
listening

' Across the waves' tumultuous roar,
The wolf's long howl from Oonalaskka's shore,'

when, guided by om' good genius and our brightest
star, we suddenly saw him sitting asleep in all his
state, within gunshot, in a bay of the moonlit loch !
We blew his black bill into pieces, — not a feather on
his head but was touched ; and, like a little white-
sailed pleasure-boat caught in a whirlwind, the ^\ild
swan spun round, and then lay motionless on the
waters, as if all her masts had gone by the board ; —
the mighty foreign bird, whose plumage we had never
hoped to touch but in a dream, lying like the ghost
of something that ought not to have been destroyed."

WILD GOOSE SHOOTING.

In spite of the enthusiasm displayed by the writers
on mid fowl shooting, in their accounts of " hair breadth
'scapes" — their " moving accidents by flood" — it reads
like anything but sport. There is certainly no ao-
oounting for taste, especially the taste that takes its
pleasm-e in the mud on the Hampshire coast, or

WILD GOOSE SHOOTING. 285

navigates the bay of Tees in a yacht which resembles
nothing so much as a pig-trough. Some men would
imagine, — crawling on all fours, through a wilderness
of sludge, only fit for a Norfolk islander ; some think
it capital fun, and follow it on the " oozes," as the
scavengers' continents are professionally called. A gal-
lant colonel, who has written on this amusement, con
amove, falls to loggerheads with those who don't or
can't like it as much as himself, and calls them dan-
dies, and other hard names. He tells you, " the
usual way of sallying forth, for this purpose (that is to
say, for wild 'fowl shooting), is to drive to an inn, on
the coast, call the waiter, who recommends an honest
boatman, for whom the boots is immediately dispatched.
On his arrival, he sees how eager you are to set sail,
fixes his price accordingly, shews you thousands of
birds where he knows a boat can never get at them ;
obliges you with a few of his own killing, at double
their value; and your day ends with a ten pound
bill, and, perhaps, bagging a couple of sea-gulls."

This do n't look promising, and yet the best way
for the yomig aspirant after this high flavoured gun-
ning, is really to put himself into the hands of some
professor of the science. This individual will, at all
events, equip him for the same, with the thousand
appliances necessary for the craft, and this is nine-
tenths of the battle. It is not any part of our design
in these pages to teach " the young idea how to shoot"
wild-fowl in the preserves of old Neptune ; we dare
not do so in a work professing to deal with recrea

286 WILD GOOSE SHOOTING.

tions in sporting: sea-gunning is not amusement
according to the general average idea of pastime.
Captain Lacey, who wrote the last book upon the
subject, heads one of his leading chapters, " Risldng
it," and puts to it the motto, " Man is, and ever will
be, mad." Canoe-cannonading and mud-battueing,
certainly, are not suited for a particularly tame spirit ;
therefore, we again repeat, he who would follow them
cannot do better than put himself into the hands of
a professional gunner, and into a patent life pre-
serving belt. But there is a species of v*ild fowl
shooting aj^propriate to persons in their senses, and
in this the young amateui' may indulge ; as we pro-
ceed to lay before him.

Many of the inland waters of England are the
resort of wild fowl, and these afford quite as much
of this sport as any ordinaiy appetite can desire. We
^vill suppose our shooter has fixed upon the spot for
liis diversion; he wdll then select a suitable gun,
which is an indispensable provision. Let it be
double-barrelled, and a good sized one, fit to carry
No. 4 shot, with a good distribution. Next, his care
should be to have a perfect retreiver. Let this be
an animal which will, on occasion, beat the rushes,
osier-beds, &c. He must be as mute as a mole,
docile, wary, and under perfect command. If not all
these, just as you are within shot of a flock of
glorious teal, he begins whimpering, and your birds
take French leave. Mr. Colquhoun says, a dog of a
very cool temper will retrieve wild fowl better in

WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 287

loch shooting — a noble highland sport, as good, in
fact, as any of their wild diversions — than another
with quicker movements, and perhaps a finer nose.
Many of the cripples in this shooting take refuge in
reeds and bushes, and the keen tempered dog is apt
to overrun them, ^^thus losing time; whereas, the
other slowly tracks them, one by one, to their hiding
place. His third essential is a small pocket tele-
scope. Thus equipped, he enters upon his mid
fowling, which combines, of course, the pursuit of all
aquatic birds coming under the title of wild
fowl. As the method of sporting is the same with
all, so far as the principle is concerned, our obser-
vations will be understood not only as appHcable to
wild geese, but to

WILD DUCK, WIDGEON, AND TEAL SHOOTING.

Having reached the shore of the water which he
purposes shooting, the young wild fowler will look
out for his game, taking heed he himself is not
observed. For this intent he should creep cautiously
to the first spot commanding a view of the usual
resorts of wild fowl. Let this be done wdth the
minutest care, as the quarry he is looldng for so
nearly resembles the stones and tufts, and general
covers they frequent, that he will find it very difficult
to distinguish one from the other. Should he make
out any water fowls afloat in shore, let him then,
with his glass, scrutinise the margin of the lake or

288 WILD FOWL SHOOTING.

Stream, and mark well if anything be astir there.
Should he find that there is, he may count on it
being either ducks, widgeon, or teal. If his sport
lie on streams or rivers, says Mr. Colqulioun, he
will find it veiy unsatisfactoiy ; as there are so many
turnings and windings, which prevent his seeing the
fowl until tliey are close at hand, and so many little
bogs and creeks, where they conceal themselves
beyond the possibility of detection, until the wliiz of
their wings, and the croak of the mallard, betray their
hiding place.

This is no doubt tme ; but the chase of water
fowl, in favourable circumstances, by running streams,
particularly when there are presences in the ^dcinity,
is very pretty sport. Still it will be snap shooting
to a certain extent, and chance shots only are to be
reckoned on, while wild fowl stalking on open waters
is more a matter of science ; and of this we are treat-
ing. Ha^dng once got sight of the birds, the gunner
Imows that his game is within reach, and he goes
about getting within shot of it. Let him search out
some cover, through which he may shoot at them.
In creeping to this shelter, if practicable, keep to lee-
ward of them, for then there is less chance of their
hearing or winding you. Having placed yourself within
shot, fire at them sitting with one barrel, resemng
the other to salute them when they rise, which they
will do perpendicularly.

Ducks are far more wary and difficidt of approach
than widgeon or teal ; so that in stalking the former

WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 289

110 precaution of silence or concealment should be lost
sight of. The great art, too, is to get sitting shots,
by which only a good account can be rendered of a
flock of wild fowl. When so found, they are, for the
most part, sleeping; as, for the purpose of feeding, they
resort to marshes, fens, and swamps, on commons
and moors. Their time for repose is the day ; their
period of flight the earliest dawn, and from twilight
to dark at night.

These observations only apply to wild fowl shoot-
ing with a shoulder gun, in distinction to the mo-
dem invention of cannonading them on salt water
with stanchion guns, introduced by Colonel Hawker —
at least into the list of a gentleman's recreations.
With this sport, as we have said, it is not our design
to deaL It certainly does not come legitimately
within the range of this work, which professes to treat
of the rural enjoyments in which the gun is an agent;
and not of the toil or business of slaughtering the
birds of chase by wholesale, — for retail, by the hands of
the metropolitan poulterer.

The taste for battue shooting, by sea or land, we
would, under any circumstances, be loth to cater for.
From it has sprung all the sin and sorrow to which
our game laws have given existence ; a system, when
it is used as a stimulant of a morbid appetite, that
promotes the very evil it was intended to remedy.
The spirit of our iield sports is to afford a wholesome
pursuit, which shall link healthful exercise with
manly habits ; this new-fangled contrivance, the

'^90

NATUEAL HISTOBY OF THE W11.I) GOOSE

battue, has OYerrun the land with a plague of phea-
sants and hares, and transformed the gentleman pre-
server into an amateur poultry butcher. When our
bad game code shall be reformed, as it ought and
must, a bad foreign fancy mil be got rid of, and once
again our woods and fields shall be sought by those
who desire to take their Recreations in Shooting.

THE GRET LA.O GOOSE.

The Wild Goose, or Grey Lag, of British authors
[Alias anser). — This is but one of six wild species
of geese that visit our islands in great quantities.
Colonel Hawker thus specifies them : — The Bean
Goose ; a variety of the common one : The Bemacle ;
most common in Ireland and Scotland (and a smaller

THE WILD GOOSE,

'291

bird) : The Brent Goose ; still less than the former :
The Grey Lag : The Egyptian Goose ; Ganser, or
Gambo Goose : and the White-fronted, or Laughing
Goose : besides the Red-breasted Siberian Goose, —
a rare and very delicate species. There are also
other varieties of this species, such as the Canadian,
&c. ; few, if any, of which, however, are visiters to

\^\Wm

our island. The wild geese tly in Hocks, at very
regular intervals of distance ; either going in a line
abreast, or in two lines, joining in an angle in the
middle ; in short, with mathematical precision they
appear to select that figure which shall best stem the
resistance of the air, and lessen their fatigues. By
their manner of flying, also, they present as small a

292 THE WILD GOOSE.

mark as possible to the fowler or sportsman; and
from the great height to which they rise, and the
distances they maintain from each other, it is diffi-
cult, nay, almost impossible, to hit more than one at
a time. The goose is remarkable for its fecundity,
even in a wild state. The female hatches her eggs
with great solicitude, and the male bird often drives
her off, to take her place with a more noisy dignity.
The wild goose seldom lays above eight eggs. It is
known to live to a great age. Of the small brent
goose Colonel Hawker remarks, that our late king,
William the Fourth, esteemed it beyond other wild
fowl. Of the Egyptian goose he thus relates : —
" Two of these birds appeared, some years ago, in
Norfolk ; one of wliich was killed by John Ponton,
Esq., and the other by his keeper. Three Egyptian
geese were, for some days, in the winter of 1823,
in the fields of Longparish ; and after being fired at
about ten times, the old gander was killed by one of
the labourers. I was informed that they were at
first so easy of access, that I then concluded the}^
must have taken flight from some gentleman's pond.
The next year again, during the tremendous gales
from the ivest, a flock of about eighty appeared near
the same place : and two more were killed and sent
me by the same man. I have, therefore, no doubt
of their importation, instead of emigration, to this
country. I suppose these birds were, till of late
years, very scarce, as Mr. Bewick has no specimen
of them." The laughing geese {Anas albifrons) have

THE WILD GOOSE '203

only been known to the sportsman of our islands for
some years — Hawker asserts since the frost of 1830,
when a flock of eighty of them alighted on a field
near the village of Milford.

The cry of the goose is frequently heard when we
cannot catch the least sight of the flock overhead ;
it seems to pass from one to another, like the bleat of
the sheep, or the bay of the hound in pursuit. It is
seldom heard when they alight. The bird is too well
known for any specification of its plumage or internal
conformation.

Notwithstanding the royal authority in favour of
the brent variety of this unsavoury fowl, our palate
gives preference over all the race to the Wexford
species, called by the natives the " barnacle." This
bird frequents the coast of Ireland, from Bray Head
to Sligo Bay, in vast quantities. The country people
cook it by all conceivable and inconceivable con-
trivances, and it is eaten at breakfast at the houses
of the gentry done into a pate. After too much wine
overnight (which, from Bray Head to Sligo Bay, and
thence to Wexford again, is a consequence of course)
it is really a most delicious relish. This may seem a
quaint style of doing a natural histoiy notice, but
allowance must be made for the subject. " Who
drives fat oxen," &c., the benevolent reader will apply
apropos of goose-ology. It is fit to say, however, that
in the affair of gastronomy, the wild goose is no
doubt a non-descript, belonging neither to the genus
" flesh, fish, or good red herring." The most amusing

y2

294 THE WILD GOOSE.

natural historian in the world thus speaks of his obli-
gations to this bird : — "A young goose is generally
reckoned very good eating, yet the feathers of this
bird still increase its value. I feel my obligations
to this animal every word I write, for however defi-
cient a man's head may be, his pen is nimble enough
upon eveiy occasion; it is happy, indeed, for poor
authors, that it requires no great effort to put it in
motion. But the feathers of this bird are still as
valuable in another capacity, as they make the softest
and the warmest beds to sleep on."

Of goose feathers most of our beds in Europe are
composed (or supposed to be by convention) ; in the
countries bordering on the Levant, and in all Asia, the
use of them is unknown. How it happens that the
ancients had not the use of feather-beds, is sui'prising.
Pliny tells us, indeed, that they made bolsters of fea-
thers to lay their heads on ; and this serves as a proof
that they turned feathers to no other uses. As good
feathers are a very valuable commodity, great numbers
of geese are kept tame in the fens of Lincolnshire,
which are plucked once or twice a year. The feathers
of Somersetshire are most in esteem; those of Ire-
land are reckoned the worst. Hudson's Bay also
furnishes very fine feathers, supposed to be of the
same kind. The down of the swan is brought from
Dantzic. The wild goose always retains the same
marks. These marks are seldom found in the tame ;
but both invariably retain a white ring round their
tail, which shows they are both descended from the

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WILD DUCK.

295

same original. Pliny describes the flight of the mid
goose, its wonderful and harmony of accord ; and re-
marks, that, " unlike the cranes and the storks, which
journey in the obscurity of the night, the geese are
seen pursuing their route in broad day."

The Wild Duck [Anas hosclias, Linn.). Among
wild ducks the male is called the mallard, and the
young birds, flappers. In size it is not equal to the
tame duck. In plumage it differs but little from it.
Its bill is yellow; its neck is adorned with the
brightest grass green feathers, ending in a white
ring. The most apparent distinction between the wild
and tame species is, however, in the colour 6f the legs :

296

THE WILD DUCK.

the wild duck s legs are black ; those of the tame one,
yellow. Those ducks which feed much in the sea-
water, and dive, have a broad bill bending upwards,
a large hind toe, and a long bluish tail ; those which
feed in plashes have bills narrower and straighter,
and a tail sharply pointed. A few of the wild duck
tribe, known to the sportsman as natives of our o\vn

/, >>'A,

THE V.IUCEON.

European dominions, may be thus enumerated : —
First, the Mallard : the Dun-bird, or Packard, with
the head and neck of a bright bay : the Widgeon,
with a bill of lead colour, and the back feathers
marked with narrow black and white wavy lines, and
well known by its whistling sound : the Black Duck,
or Scoter, or Black Diver [Anas nigra) : the Bui'-
rough Duck, or Sheldrake : the Eider Duck (Arias

THE WILD DUCK. '297

riioUissima). Colonel Hawker says of this duck,
" The only three I ever heard of on the Hampshire
coast, appeared in a late severe winter; I stopped
them all, though I got but one, as the other two beat
me in a sea." The Ferruginous Duck (Anas rutila) :
the Golden Eye [Anas clayigula) : the Grey Duck, or
Gadwall (Anas strepera) : the Longtailed Duck, or

THE SHELDRAKE, EURROTJGH DUCI

Swallow-tailed Sheldrake (Anas glacialis): the Pin-
tailed Duck, Winter Duck, Sea Pheasant, or Cracker
(Anas acuta) : the Scaup Duck (Anas marila) : the
Shoveller, Kertlutock, or Broad-billed Duck (A^vxs
clijpeata) : the Tufted Duck (Anas fuligula) : the
Velvet Duck, or Double Scoter (Anasfusca) : besides
other varieties.

As these live much in the same manner as the

t298 THE WILD DUCK.

domestic ducks, we shall only briefly touch upon
them. They resort together in flocks during the
winter, and fly in pairs during the summer. The
velvet ducks are seen more in summer than in
winter. Ducks' nests are constructed easily, among
heath and rushes of their favourite localities, not far
from the water ; where they will lay twelve or four-
teen eggs before they sit : the hen remains on them
about thirty days, when the birds burst forth to take
their first tumble in the water. An old duck is often
a cunning bird, and will make her nest a considerable
distance from the w^ater for safety; she has been
known to do so upon an oak tree, five and twenty
feet from the ground : a perilous proceeding for the
young birds, whose wing feathers are of the slowest
growth. Here they were dependent on the tender-
ness of their parent, to convey them, in her beak or
feet, to the water, their necessaiy element. Wild
ducks breed with us, but not in great quantities.
The gamekeepers of Mr, Eyre, of Passop, Derby-
shire, in 1801, observed a wild duck fly out of a large
oak, in which, the year preceding, there was a hawk's
nest ; the nest was fomid to be in complete repair, and
contained two eggs recently laid by the duck in it.

The nest, whether high or low, is composed of
singular materials. The longest grass, mixed with
heath, and lined within with the bird's own feathers,
will sometimes be the composition ; although, in pro-
portion to the climate, the nest is more or less arti-
ficially made. The duck in the Arctic regions mil

THE WILD DUCK. 299

form itself a cavity to lay in, the approach of which
it carefully shelters ; lines it first with a layer of clay
and grass, then with moss, then with feathers or
down. The eider duck, which is about twice as large
as the common duck, makes her nest among the
rocks or plants of the sea-shore ; where, after lining
the nest like others of the species, she will add to it
a luxurious covering, plucked from the soft inner
down of her own breast. This valuable tapestry-
work the natives hunt for, and carry away with nest
and eggs; when the indefatigable bird will imme-
diately set about another, of which she is again
robbed : the third time she still builds, but her eider
down is exhausted, and the drake supplies the loss with
his own. If this also is carried away, both birds for-
sake the place, and breed there no more. We find
the flesh of those that migrate to us, not nearly so
high flavoured as those that breed here. The wild
duck at your table that eats loose, rancid, and fishy,
you may assuredly take for a foreign traveller, w^hose
food, by the way of waters, was fish. They love to
choose a lake in the neighboiu-hood of woods, with a
marsh at one side ; and if a couple of them once
alight, hundreds, allured by the constant call peculiar
to this tribe, will flock to the same spot. The
windpipe of the duck, where it begins to enter
the lungs, opens into a kind of bony cavity, where
the sound is reflected, as in a great musical in-
strument. Wild ducks generally choose that part
of the lake where they are inaccessible to the

000 THE WILD DUCK.

approach of the fowler. Here, in multitudes, and
long before the season for courtship, they will be
hurrying and scrambling about the whole day, — never
at rest ; but, as if holding a general council of ways
and means, there they are, in the middle of the lake,
now up, now down, always busy, and always loud ;
going off at night time to feed in the woods or ditches,
or to adjacent meadows : they are too wary to approach
in the day time.

In Norfolk, the shoveller duck is called, provin-
cially, beck, or scopper-bill. They breed in this
county. Colonel Hawker says, " that the flappers of
this species are easier found, and show more sport,
than those of the common mid duck. Their flesh,
too, is of superior flavour. There is a variety of this
kind, called the Red-breasted Shoveller ; for which, as
well as all other varieties of wild fowl, I have found
the coast of Norfolk to be the best. This, no doubt,
is in consequence of its being nearest to Holland ;
from whence there are driven across the channel,
by a strong easterly wind, many birds that will
seldom travel farther to the westward." The birds
brought principally to the London poulterers' shops,
are the packards or dunbirds, taken in immense
numbers by decoy, of which we subjoin the account
given by Mr. Daniel : — " The packard, or dunbird,
is about the size of a widgeon, weighs one pound
twelve ounces; its length is nineteen inches, breadth,
two feet and a half; the bill is broader than the
widgeon's, of a deep lead colour, with a black tip ;

THE WILD DUCK. 301

irides, orange ; the head and neck deep chesnut, with
a small triangular spot of white under the centre of
the lower mandible ; the lower part of the neck and
breast, and upper part of the back, dusky black;
scapulars and wing-coverts, nearest the body, of a
greyish white, elegantly marked with narrow lines of
black; the exterior wing-coverts and belly, ash
coloured and brown ; vent feathers and coverts of tail,
black; the tail consists of short feathers, twelve in
number, of a deep grey; the legs, lead coloured;
secondary quill feathers, regularly edged with a stripe
of white. The female has the head of a pale reddish
brown ; the breast is rather of a deeper colour ; wing-
coverts and belly cinereous ; the back marked like that
of the male. They are excellent eating. A decoy for
dunbirds is called a flight-pond, and has nets fastened
to tall stout poles, twenty-eight or thirty feet long ;
at the bottom of each pole is a box fixed, filled with
heavy stones, sufficient to elevate the poles and nets
the instant an iron pin is withdrawn, which retains
the nets and poles flat upon the reeds, small willow
boughs, or furze. Withinside the nets are small
pens, made of reeds, about three feet high, for the
reception of birds that strike against the nets, and
fall down ; and such is the form and shortness of
wing in the packards, that they cannot ascend again
from these little enclosures if they would; besides,
the numbers, which are usually knocked into these
pens, preclude all chance of escape from them by the
wing. A decoyman will sometimes allow the haunt

30-^ THE WILD DUCK.

of duubircls to be so great, that the whole surface of
the pond shall be covered with them, previous to his
attempting to take one. Upon such occasions, he
bespeaks all the assistants he can get to complete the
slaughter by breaking their necks. When all is
ready, the dunbirds are roused from the pond, and as
all mid fowl rise against the wind, the poles in that
quarter are unpinned, and fly up with the nets at the
instant the dunbirds begin to leave the surface of
the water, so as to meet them in their first ascent,
and they are thus beat down by himdreds."

The other method, of French origin, is the decoy-
duck system ; where the fowler provides himself
^ith a number of mallards, made tame. If the
wild fowl are in a state of sleepiness, they will not
follow the call of the decoys towards the nets (like
that in which fish are caught in weirs). In such case,
a little dog is brought into requisition. He passes back-
ward and forward between the reed hedges, in which
there are little holes, both for the decoy man to see,
and for the little dog to pass through. This attracts
the eye of the wild fowl, who, prompted by curiosity,
advance towards this little animal, while he, all the
time, keeps playing among the reeds, nearer and
nearer the fimnels (covered over by the sticks and
nets), till they follow him too far to recede. Some-
times the dog will not attract their attention, till a
red handkerchief, or something as attractive, be put
about him. The decoy ducks are taught to dive
under the water as soon as the rest are driven in.

THE WILD DUCK.

303

Thousands on thousands are brought to market by
these modes.

While speaking of ancient and modern modes of
decoy, we cannot avoid taking notice of that which is
said to be the Chinese method of ensnaring these
birds: it equals the French decoys for ingenuity.
The Italian method, of putting out their eyes, is too
cruel for our Enghsh habits ; but this Chinese
method might be followed without detriment to hu-
manity. Whenever the fowler sees a number of
ducks settled in any particular plash of water, he
sends off two or three goui'ds to float among them.
These gom'ds, being made hollow, swim on the
smface of the water; and on one pool there may
be sometimes seen twenty or thirty of them. The
fowl are at first a little shy of coming near, but
by degrees they approach, and, as birds grow fa-
miliar with scarecrows, so the ducks gather around
the gourds, and amuse themselves by whetting their
bills against them. At last the fowler is satisfied
he can deceive them. He puts his head into one
of these hollow gourds, and, maldng holes to breathe
and see through, he wades slowly into the water,
keeping his body under, and nothing but his head,
gourd-accoutred, above its sui'face. He thus gets in
among the mid-fowl, while they, long used to see
gourds, take not the least fright while the enemy is
in the midst of them ; and an insidious enemy he is,
for ever as he approaches a fowl, he seizes it by the
legs, and jerks it under the water ; there he fastens

304 NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE TEAL.

it under his girdle, and goes to tlie next, till he has
loaded himself. When he has got his quantity,
without ever attempting to disturb the rest of the
fowls on the pool, he slowly moves off again ; and in
this manner pays the flock a visit several times in
the day. This, if true, is by no means a wholesale
method of duck murder, and so far to be approved of.
The yomig reader will find, in Col. Hawker's in-
dustrious experiences, some useful hints on wild duck
shooting. For our parts, we have not been without
our attachment to the diversion. Give us, in any
part of the world, in the eastern counties of our
own country, in France, or amid the hills of Scot-
land, where the tams lie like oases among the
hills — some far-off solitary pool, or marshy lake —
clear water only in the centre, reeds and rushes
thickly bristling roimd — there might we not hope to
see flappers plentiful as frogs : duck, teal, widgeon —
who knows? — wild geese and swans — from our crouch-
ing station : and there might we not again, amidst
the ducking, and diving, and gobbling, and bustle,
of a first arrival, do execution as of yore.

The Teal {Anas crecca, Linn.). — This, the smallest
of the duck species, is also the most delicate and the
most esteemed. It is, unfortunately, more rare than
the others, but the numbers that come to this country
vary greatly from season to season. The teal weighs
about twelve ounces or more, and may measure about
fifteen inches in length. The male bird has the hand-
somest plumage, according to the received standard of

THE TEAL.

305

beauty among the feathered tribe. The bill is black;
the head and upper parts of the neck are of a bright
bay ; the whole markings of its head and wings are
very splendid. The female has the same beautiful
green patch on her wings as the male bird. A few
of these birds breed with us. Some years back great
numbers were taken in decoys, but the amount is

THE TEAL.

much reduced of late. The internal structure of this
bird is peculiar : it has convolutions at the end of the
windpipe, adapted, as it is said, to the peculiar sounds
it emits. This is also the case of many others of the
wild fowl tribe, as we have mentioned in our account
of the wild swan and goose. The teal's nest is
formed of rushes, and lined with down, and so placed
as to swing to, and rise and fall with, the motions of

306 THE TEAL.

the wind and water. Some authors speak of varieties
of this hird as summer teal, &c. Buffon is clearly
wrong in his description of a bird, of a much greater
size, in classing it as a teal. Its eggs are of the size
of those of the pigeon ; they are white, with brown spots.
The teal decoy used to be made after this recipe : —
Where a pond, environed by a wood, is found, the
decoy is to be raised. This should be planted round
with willows, if possible (in the event of the wood not
clothing it sufficiently). Three or four pipes, or
channels are then to be dug, broad towards the pond,
and verging, point-like, towards the end. These are
to be covered with nets, supported by hooped sticks,
bending from one side to another, and so forming a
sort of archway, or vault, gradually growing narrower
to the point at which it is terminated by a tunnel
net; reed hedges, should slant to the edges of the
pipes or channels, which are thus hidden from the
sight, and behind which the fowler places himself, to
pursue his operation. When the wild fowl come
down at night to feed, the decoy whistle is raised ; the
decoy is covered with teal, brought thither by the
fowler's art, who has scattered the nets over with
hemp seed, &c. The decoy ducks begin to pick up
the grain, and the wild fowl quickly imitate their
example, and thus are secured in the net, — the fowler
burning a piece of turf at his nose, that their exqui-
site sense of smelling may not put them on guard.
In frosty weather these birds come together in flocks
of from twenty to thirty, but are generally found

THE TEAL.

3or

scattered. Even birds of one family seldom keep
long together. The flight of the teal, when flushed,
it rarely high : it skims along the pool, and gives the
gunner a fair chance. It is no difiicult matter to get
near, but you are apt to lose sight of him without a
close and sharp look out, as he often flies away alto-
gether. Colonel Hawker says, " Of all the prizes
that a wild fowl shooter could wish to meet with, a
flock of teal is the very first ; " and for that reason,
probably, it is becoming one of the rarest in the lottery
of Wild Fowl Shooting.