The morning call., 1890-11-16

that alone, riding after the hounds; while
shooting is only applicable to klii,pg
] with the gun. In grouse and other
shooting the sportsman uses Two
| fowling pieces, aud servant. called
a loader " attends him for the
| purpose Of reloading them. II you were In
| vited from the city you would not De ex-
| pected to bring your loader, as your
! host would provide one for you; but coun-
| try guest brings his own. The greatest
| punctiliousness exists regarding boundaries
| ard trespasses No gentleman will ever re-
| cover bird which has fallen upon neigh
| boris land. Should terms OF so great
| friendlness and intimacy exist as TO
| piece is always left behind Litisa-
| lions continuing for generations have re-
! suited from breaches of similar consid-
Grafton and courtesy. All gentlemen riding
| to hounds are guests OF hosts host Wher-
| ever hunting breakfasts are given 1t may
| so happen at meets, especially among friend
ly titled neighbors, that this hunting break
fast is provided in friendly courtesy by the
lord of some manor miles from your noSt'S
estate AS guest you are on precisely the
same terms under such circumstances as
your host. Although if ladies join the meet
they are not expected to join the gentle
men at breakfast unless acquainted with
the lady of the housp-though the latter
never presdeS at such breakfastS-when
| ladies will at once proceed to the drawing
simple and informal. They usually consist
| of cold joints. salads, and ales and liquors,
| bitter beer taking the place of honor. They
are served in the dining-rooms, lew
! servants being present to carve the joints
| and open aleS and beers, gentlemen guests
going and coming and helping themselves
| at will. No other meal served by the arIS-
! tocracy in Great Britain is so free from
| foImality, and therefore so universally one
of the chiefest enioyments OF the chase:
No, vcrrit pTf hA fAl Scot
lard, or for that matter in all Britain, is
| principally confined to grouse, partridge,
| woodcock, pheasants and snipe. although
| curlews. plOvers, feldlareS, qualls, corn
cracks are plentiful, and all manner oil
wild-foWling and fen-shooting for ducks,
geese,
DUNLINs AND CooTs
Is INDUCED in by those possessing more of
the true spoTtSmans, and less OF the sum-
mer-resorter's, Instinct Grouse and pleas
ants I'LL the greatest number OF bags, pots
! and pauncheS. As August 10Th first lets the
sportsmen loose upon grouse, these I'M
doubleday occupy the greatest attention.
There are four varieties: the red grouse,
fourd in Northern England and anywhere
south of the Highlands in Scotland; the
ptarmigan, found only among the peaks
of the northern Scottish mountain ranges,
the plumage of which has the curious quality
of changing from the summer dress of
br0wnish yellow barred with ZlgZag lines OF
black to water costume of pure white;
the black cock of Scotland and Northern
English counties, and the magnificent caper-
caizie, king Of all grouse and only found In
Scotland, reiutroduced from Norway and
carefully preserved. after complete extinction
about the middle of the century. The red
grouse provides the universal shooting in
August and again in October After the
shootiDg-boX is reached, guns are examined
and most Important OF all, gamekeepcrS are
consulted as to where the best packs OF
birds are to be found. This can only be
fixed by close observation by those con-
stantly acquainted with the conformation OF
the shooting" area and the ever-chansing
habits of the birds them selves. The sea-
sons too, have an important bearing upon
their haunts. Ii it IS wet, the birds hatch at
the edges Of braeS and on the browS OF slopes
and hills. If dry, they are sure to be found
along the haughs, flats and peat-mOsses,
where water is in close proximity for the
young. There is great labor in grouse
shooting, for the shooter must be 4 ceaselssS
walker until the dogs take the scent of game.
Light breakfasts and early work are the
rule, sandwich ard flask Of cold tea sup
plying all needs until luncheon-tIme, when
ladies join the jaded spOrtsmen OH the banks
of some beautiful burn, and a genuine pic
mic is enjoyed. Two or three hours of mid
day are thus passed, when, with fresh dogs,
the afternoon work begins. Ills is usually
the best and heaviest. Late dinners are the
rule, and every true British sportsman
may be found in bed during the
shooting season by 9 o'clock at night.
The October pheasant hunting. as well as
the autumnal deer driving" provide a
mode of entertainment on grand scale, but
have more murder and less sport in them
than is pleasant to contemplate. The
pheasants are partly domesticated, reared
by ordinary hen mothers, ana set at liberty
within the great demesnes in July. Not
withstanding high walls, gentleness of
keepers and all possible preyeutives,
many pheasants stray from their home
manors, and, seeking the outer edges and
small tenants and common poachers.
Therefore, a few days before pheasant
shooting begins. all the gillies about
the estate form a circle miles from
the main preserve, and concentrating to-
ward the latter, shout and beat with n
terrific hulabaloo, thus driving many back
to their own eoverts. Then MILFORD and his
friends, dressed as Tor grouse or snipe shoot
ing on the moOrs, and provided each with
two dOube-barreled, breech-lOading, center
"lOader," begin the slaughter. The sports
men are stationed in advance at the elges
of open places. The gamekeeper brings his
assistants Cor "beaters" into line behind.
Then these move forward perhaps ten yards
apart, the keeper, who knows every bush,
hedge, cOpse or tree, directing the beat
ers in every movement. The men yell,
"Hi-yi-i-i-" as they beat the bushes calling
as the startled birds flash from copse
to copse, Cock to the rightp'-Coek
yi--il-cock, cock, cock Right ahead
cock !" - while the awful death dealing
guns answer in defeaning rapidity. From
800 to 1000 birds are often gathered up from
days slaughter, and are shipped direct to
London at fiom to q shllllngs per brace to
dealers. who annually furnish hampers and
tags to the game-keepers of each estate
where pheasants are known to be bred
Coursng for deer is thing of the past.
Deer stalking" which is stealing up to the
deer when they are lying or feeding, and
often requires supreme strength, patience
and cunning, is the highest form of sport
now possible in the great Scottish forests.
Even this is largely replaced by the
millionaire parvenu sportsmen. who are
willing to expend 100000 annually
for the reputation of shooting and sending
to their city friends a few dozen red
deer, by the cruel and shameful practice
of driving" To illustrate: One man
who controls 250,0O0 acres Of these High
land forests. leaves his lodge in this very
glen with the retinue of medieval king.
His 100 to $50 gillies then surround a forest
and drive" the deer through some narrow
pass or gorge where he and his friends squat
behind rocks and shoot the deer like Sheep
This is wanton butcbery. In the genuine
sport of grouse-shooting and the glorious
sport of fox-huntng are found the only two
forms of true effort left to British spOrtsmen.
But while it may seem odd to Americans
that, RS is estimated, every pheasant
bagged costs 10 shillings. every grouse shot,
a crown, every salmon taken. a sovereign,
and every deer killed 600. the nicely with
which game is bred and preserved in
Great Britain. is vastly more creditable to
British spOrtsmen than our own wan
ton destruction of game, from quail to bison,
until everything pertaining to the pursuit of
our once myriads of wild fowls and animals,
save the all-forsivable lies of olden sports
men, is now practically extinct.
-Copyr1Dht. EDGAR L. wAKEMAN.