GROUSE SHOOTING. "The muir cock springs on whirring wings THIS month may be fairly said to terminate the sportman's 'long vacation.' A few days hence and he commencés a new existence: habits of comparative laziness and indolence give place to activity and exertion; his long abstinence has whetted his appetite, and anticipation of the approaching sport renovates his "sinewy frame." The 12th of August is the 'roll-call' of the north, and the hubbub and bustle that now pervade every grouse district, strongly contrast with the perfect tranquillity that has for months past, without interruption, continued. The principal roads are thronged with shooters, keepers, and packs of dogs, all hastening to their respective quarters. Scarce a man you' meet, but, with or without 'brogues,' he wears a shooting jacket; and scarce a carriage but from some part "Ponto's" head, or other indication of the owner's pursuit, may be detected. Excitement pervades all classes, and the innkeeper hails the approaching season with as much delight as the grouse shooter, though he prepares to fill bags of a very different kind. The cheapness of Scotch living you may seek in vain, for every hostelry, great or small, adopts the Southron's charge to meet the Southron's purse. A worthy hostess, not many miles from Dunkeld, wishing me 'gude sport,' trusted that my fowls might not prove guinea fowls, so fully aware was she of the ordeal my purse had to pass. For months past the shrill bark of " Colley," or the guttural rating of the shepherd, d. has has alone disturbed the stillness of the waste; but now a sudden and startling change has taken place. Stand where you will, on the mountain-top, or in the valley's depth, ample proof reaches your ear that the peacefulness of both hath fled. I remember, one very still day, being much amused when shooting in the midst of muirs that were let for the season. Several different parties were ranging within sight, and the discord that arose from each, in turn, was enough to frighten all the grouse to Norway. After every round of shots, the yelping of pointers that wouldn't point, and setters that wouldn't set; the rating of their keepers, with "Down charge, will you then!" yelp; "War Chase, Don," yelp, yelp!! "Have a care then!" and more yelps were heard in succession: and wondering what drove the flock at such a furious rate over the ridge, all surmise on the subject was dissolved by the sudden appearance of 'liver and white Carlo' in full chase; in another direction, Rough Don, with his tail between his legs, and smarting under many stripes, might be seen scouring the mountain to escape the vengeance of his master, who, distressed at the prospect of losing his ten-guinea dog, warranted to do everything but run away, was whistling and holloaing in the most coaxing manner to check the reckless but determined career of his best canine. Many dogs change masters during the two or three first days of the season, and in the evening of the day to which I have alluded, two stray dogs fell into my hands. Not a few take up a roaming life, and wage war against the sheep. All these annoyances, however, are lost when hunting from a well-trained kennel, and upon a well-watched muir. The sport to be derived from the "muir for a season" and the "muir for a term" are widely different. In the one case you depend upon that on which, I regret to say, no dependance can be placed, for it is notorious that the condition of the Scotch muirs is most grossly misrepresented in all advertisements, and the agents give you accounts that are founded on the number of eggs that keeper Dougal saw, without any allowance being made for the few that the shepherd squashed, because he was not paid as a watcher the previous season, or for those that the dissatisfied keeper's friends, in a friendly way, had borrowed of his abundance; but in the other case, where a watcher's pay is more than an equivalent to the advantages of poaching, you are able in confidence to climb the fell, fully assured that honest Donald's care has provided ample remuneration for all your anxiety and expense. He only can appreciate grouse-shooting who has been accustomed to the thrilling scenes presented continually to his view when rambling over the fells, and having once witnessed those scenes I think he will be ready to admit the superiority of the sport over every other kind of trigger work. True sportsmen condemn an early appearance on the muir; that is, they think the birds should have time to settle after feeding before they are disturbed. Not so think I. Experience has taught me that, with grouse, in the beginning of the season, when the weather is generally hot, and the breezes light, you derive a great advantage from commencing your beat at the time the birds are on the feed. At such time, though wilder, their locomotion gives you greater facility in finding them, and once found, much encouragement, and many chances. result to you, even should they get up wild ; whereas, if allowed to leave their food, the scent, at the beginning of the season, on most mornings, fails you, and at any rate your dogs must be good, your patience great, to find them in their quiet repose. In the morning the birds are invariably to be found in the vicinity of peat mosses, where there is abundance of food, and they gradually run off their feeding ground, on a fair day, to adjoining eminences, when the ling is young, and the basking good; or they will haunt the nearest knolls of young heather, particularly where the small grey stones here and there appear, for there the ground is almost sure to be dry and fit for basking. At the beginning of the season the birds frequently lie like stones, and you may most easily pass them; therefore, as with partridgeshooting, you cannot beat your ground too close. As a general rule I always hunt the moist ground first; that is, old peat bogs and mosses, in preference to the knolls and high ground; and invariably do so successfully at all times of the day, except the mid-day, when birds seek dry basking patches of heather; but even at mid-day, the edges of mosses are extremely likely, if the day be calm and fine. In rough and stormy weather try the sheltered ground-peat bogs, mosses, and knolly bits; if very wet, try the more open and bare grounds; but to find your game, whatever the weather, or whatever the description of ground, the most successful course to adopt is to suppose almost every part of the muir likely. There are exceptions to all rules, and very often, by adopting the exception, you will attain the greater sport. All rules, however, for the sportsman's direction in grouse-shooting must depend, for their applicability, on the country hunted. The Highlands and the Lowlands require that almost opposite courses should be pursued in beating for your game; and, therefore, it is impossible to lay down rules at all infallible; experience alone can make the sportsman, for, with the youngsters, all rules, though written in gold, would be disregarded, if the impulse drove them to the opposite extreme. One rule, however, the golden rule, "give your dogs the wind," has paramount importance, and ought to be particularly observed in grouse-shooting. The nature of the ground is strongly opposed to the spreading of scent; and as a dog may consequently come within three feet of a pack and not wind, but spring them, it is most essential to sport that you should never hunt them to such disadvantage. How often, by neglecting the observance of this rule, have I seen a fine pack whirl down wind beyond the march, ready for a neighbour's amusement. At the beginning of the season it is very common to see the old cock running cackling, and leading the whole pack from the impending danger, and unless you luckily floor him the first rise, you may be sure of no little bother in getting at the pack. I have generally found the following scheme to answer: leave your keeper and dogs about the place they last rose from; let him be as little visible as possible, but sufficiently so for him to guide you to a point beyond the place where you suppose the birds to have dropped; having obtained the point, walk briskly towards the marked ground, and if they do not rise within shot at your approach, the old cock's tongue is almost sure to betray their place of concealment; then kill the gentleman, and the rest of the pack are as good as bagged. In conclusion, I would anxiously urge all the 'young entry' to be satisfied with whatever they find; they will learn experience if they gain but little sport, and so be able to cater better another season. The accounts from all quarters are most satisfactory, but should they find abundance not so general, let them encourage a feeling such as that a gentleman I once met in the Highlands indulged in, who having, for the first week, travelled the fell indefatigably, had but killed his brace a day, and yet assured me that he "wouldn't give a bawbee to kill more." July 24th. H. C. A LETTER FROM F. P. DELME RADCLIFFE, ESQ. To the Editor of the Sporting Review. Cowes, July 18th, 1839. SIR, I am unable to send you the papers which I promised for the forthcoming numbers of the SPORTING REVIEW, being here under the strictest injunctions of my physicians to refrain, as much as possible, from the use of my pen, an interval of mental relaxation being no less essential than that of bodily repose to the restoration of my health. I cannot, however, resist sending you a few lines, that you may not imagine that I am discouraged by the unwarrantable and (to say the least of them) illiberal attacks lately directed against me by the "New Sporting Magazine." I must take this opportunity of expressing my extreme surprise at finding myself suddenly the object of such unmitigated rancour, being utterly unconscious of any act of provocation, |