The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-17 00:00:00

THE MOORS AND FORESTS.

(Front the Inverness Courier.)
There is not more excitement about the Derby
itself than among one class of sportsmen as to the
success of tba moors. They long for the 12th, as
school-boys for their vacation, and swarm over the
heather with at least as much glee and expectation
as urchins feel when they are released from the

hateful tssk. Have you plenty of grouse this sea-
son ? Are the young birds numerous? How are
the moors turning out ? The 12th has come and
gone, and we have very little information on the
subject-. Last year, it will be remembered, the
echo from the moors was most uncertain until the
14th. Scarcely a brace of- grouse had arrived in
Inverness, and the most pitiable rumours were
abroad that there were no birds to be had, and that
the species was becoming extinct. The same is the
case this year ; hardly any birds arrived by the
coaches last night, and there is very little informa-
tion except from shootings within a few miles of the
town. These indicate a fair amount of sport. Mr.
Dunbar bagged 25 brace to his own gun at Holme.
Mr. Sutherland Walker, Aberarder, shot 10 brace
lin the course of the afternoon. Colonel Fraser and

Mr. Rose shot 18i brace on the Cant ray moors in the
course of 4 hours. The lion. H. Fraser and Mr.

Mostyn, at Beaufort, 371 brace ; Major Hirst, at
Tullc ch Castle, 91 brace, besideshares and wild ducks ;
Lord Saltoun, 8 brace, on a little moor, near Ness
Castle ; General Crackle vv, 9i brace, at Culdwhel;
Mr. Cherry, 28 brace, at Gash ; Mr. J. B. Baillie,
15 brace at Largs, &c. These are better bags than
were ant.cipated, af.er the decimation last year,
and they do not support the rum .urs that are fly-
ing about as to the absence of game in all direc-
tions. No one exp; cted that birds would be as
numerous as formerly, but there is this satisfaction,
that, so far as we have learned, the assurances are
most comforting as to the gnality of the broods.
If the moors are not what they have been, the
forests are full of deer, fatter and carrying larger
antlers than for many years past. Some stags have
been seen with their heads clear of velvet, which
seldom takes place till about the Ist of September.
About a fortnight ago, three splendid stags were
shot at Glen Dibidale Forest, by Mr. Edward Ross
two of them right and left shots, one royal, thi
other with ten tines. The royal stag weighed,
.when perfectly clean, 20 stone 4 lbs. ; the other,
15 stone 9 lbs. The tops on one set of antlers
were 11, 9, arid 7 inches ;
on the other,
6 inches. The first was shot at 110 yard 101, 8, and
s—the other
ga loping at 130 yard.' distance. Two such shots
are seldom made by the most experienced deer-
stalker, and, in this case, it is the more remarkable
as the gentleman who handled the rifle so well
is only sixteen years of age. Other two stags have
since been shot in the same forest, by Mr. Horatio
„Ross, one weighing 15 stone 9 lbs., the other 12
stone 101bs. Colonel Inge had a deer-stalking
party at Glencanuich last week, when several fine
stags were shot ; one of their heads scut for preser-
vation has royal antlers. Some large stags have
been-sent down from Glen-Strathfarar, which were
shot by Lord Lovat ; and a very good bead has
beensent from Glenmaseran—the stag shot by Mr.
John Fowler being among the first shots fired since
he purchased the property.
The Stirling Journal says the sport on the 12th
was very good, but the birds were strong and wild,
and not easily got at. Lord Abercrombie killed
25 brace
with one barrel ; Mr. James Morrison,
o
ds, killed 11 brace ; and Mr. Ramsay, of
The Carlisle .Patriot reports—GrOuse and ptir-
Mr. A. C. Spiers, of Calcreuch, bagged
shooting commenced on Wednesday. The
weather was delightful. Grouse are not very plen-
tiful in the north, although healthy and strong on-
the wing. The coveys not numerous, but of good
size, some containing eleven birds, although nine
is the average. In Westmoreland, we are informed
the sport was good generally, On Wednesday