The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-05 00:00:00

OP PERTIISHIRE.

(Trom the Scotsman.)
The shooting season opens on Monday week ; bnt in
consequence of the sad ravages made among grouse by
disease in the spring months, the prospects of sportsmen
in many districts of Perthshire have not been so discourag-
ing for a long series of years. The distemper appears to
have been most destructive in the Blairgewrie and Crieff
districts of the county, and has on numerous moors com-
pletely cleared the stock of grouse ; and in other places the
birds are so scarce that there will be no shooting this
season. In Rannoch and the north-west districts of the
shire, however, there is a fair stock of grouse, and the
young broods are rapidly improving in size and condition
with the recent fine warm weather; and complaints aro
pretty general in regard to many broods being composed
of small and late birds, and it will be at least the end of
August before shooting can be commenced on several moors.
In the Crieff districts alone there are about 80,000 acres of
unlet shootings. In the month of March one proprietor
refused £6OO of rent for a small moor, and immediately
afterwards disease broke out, and consequently the grounds
would not let. Black game are abundant, and have suhe
f-
fered little from disease compared with grouse. T
broods, though much later than usual, are improving fast,
and by the time the shooting opens will afford excellent
sport. Plover, snipe, &c., are plentiful, and the birds
appear strong, healthy, and in fine condition. All de-
scriptions of low country game are swarming, and
more especially partridges, hares, wild-duck, roe-deer ;
and if there be a deficiency of sport on the hills this sea-
son, the prospects of sportsmen in the low country have
seldom been so encouraging. In the preserves pheasants are
numerous; the young broods, which numimr from ten
to fourteen birds each, are large and well grown. In
the Blackmount, Glenartney, and Turlom forest the herds
of deer aro numerous, and the animals have seldom at
this season been in such fine condition. There
heads.
are
already to be seen numerous stags with splendid
Previous to the breaking out of disease among grouse, the
greater part of the Perthshire moors were let to tenants,
and in many instances at nearly double the forsrmer ants;
but we understand that many of the proprieto
lieved tenants of their leases, for if shooting on many
moors is to be prosecuted or presevared in this season the
whole stock of grouse will be exti
lad nguisha .that there Are
CArrmsEss-smuz.—We are g to le
good prospects for sportsmen on the 121 h in this countyot
Tho keep rs have soon no symptoms of disease,
lrt the birds plentiful, and strong on the wing.

CAX7'ON ROW ING CLUB.
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This old established club rowel. a four-oared race on
Saturday afternoon, from Putney to Chiswick Eyot, for
sundry prizes. The Citizen It (Captain Hawkins) accom-
panied the race. Tho following crows contended :
Red—Heaton, W. Foster, J. Ellis, P. Cross (stroke), and
T. Murray (cox).
White—H. Prudames, F. Gannon, G. Howard, G. Chap-
man (stroke), and T. Carlisle (cox).
Bluo—E. Grocnvrood, A. Whittle,..D. Hoaton, J. Lewis
stroke), and J. Virignell (coic 2 • '
W. Hill, W. Morris
Green— A. Headington, Jones,
(stroke), and J. NVignel (cox).
At the start rod took the lead, closely followed by white,
who, at Simmons's, was most shamefully fouled by the
blue crew of the Cygnet Rowing Club, and by which they
lost two or three longtime, which they made up before
reaching the Point, after which they took the lead, blue
and red rowing a good race for second place, half a length
separating them at Hammersmith-bridge, white winning
by three or four lengths ; blue second, two longths ahead
of red ; %men last.