Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-09

preserved, after complete extinction
about the middle of the century. The
| reu grouse provides the universal shoot
| ing in August and again in Octobar.
| After the shooting the box Is reached,
guns are examined, aud most important
| OF all, gamekeepers are consulted as to
| "here the best packs of birds are to be-
found. This can only be fixed by close
observation by those constantly ac-
qualnted with the confirmation of the
smoothing area ana the eyer-changlng
habits of the birds themselves. The
seasons, too, have an important bear
ing upon their haunts. II it is wet,
the birds hatch at the edges of
praes and on the brows of slopes and
nils. If dry, they are sure to be found
along the haughs, flats, and peat moses,
Where water is in close proximity for tho
young. There is great labor in grouse
shooting, for the shooter must be cease
less walker until the dogs take the scent
OF game. Light breakfasts and early
work are the rule, a sandwich and flask
OF cold tea supplying all needs until
luncheon-time, when ladies join the
Jaded sportsmen on the banks of some
beautiful burn, and genuine picnic Is
enjoyed. Two or three hours of midday
are thus passed when, with fresh dogs,
the afternoon work begins. This is
usually the best and heaviest. Late din
ners are the rule, and every true British
sportsman may be found In his bed during
the shooting season by 9 O'Clock at
night.
Inc october pheasant hunting as we'll
as the autumnal deer "driving' provide
mode of entertainment on a grand
scale, but have more murder and less
sport ID them than Is pleasant TO contem-
plate. The pheasants are partly domes-
tlcated, reared by ordinary hen-mothers.
and set ut liberty within the great
demesnes in July. Notwithstanding
nigh walls, gentleness of keepers and Gil
possible personalities many pheasants
stray from their home-manors, and
seeking the outer hedges and bog-grasses .
fall prey to the RI
SHARES OF SMALL TENANTS
and common poaohers. Therefore,S%
days before pheasant shooting begins all
the sillies about the estate form a cIrcle
miles from the main preserve, and con-
centrating towards the latter shout and
beat with terrific hulabaloo, thus driv-
Ing many back to their own ooyerts.
Then Milford and his friends, dressed as
Tor grouse or snipe-shootinR on
the moors, and provided each
with two double-barreled, breech-
loading, center-f1re fowIing pieces of
No. IL bore, and Hioader, - begiu the
slaughter. The sportsmen are stationed
in advance at the edges of open places.
The gamekeeper brings his assistants or
'beeters' into line behind. Then these
move forward perhaps ten yards apart,
.he keeper. who knows every bush,
hedge, oopse or tree, directing the beat
'rs In every movement. The men yell,
'Hi-y1-l-i!' as they beat the bushes,
FALLING as the startled birds flash from
'opse to copse, tCook to the rightl'-
Cock above! ITO the left, cock,''
Hi-yi-l-i!-cock, cock Right ahead
'ock! while the death-dealing guns
answer in deafening rapidity. From 500
o 1000 birds are often gathered up from
! days slaughter; and are shipped di-
ect to London at from four to six shil-
ings per brace to dealers who annually
urnish hampers and tags to the game
.eeper of each estate where pheasants
re known to be bred.
Coursing for deer Is thing of the past.
& Deer stalking,' which is stealing up
o the deer when they are lying or feed
lg and often requires supreme strength,
atience and cunning, is the highest form
sport now possible in the great Scot
ish forests. Even this IS largely re-
laced by the millionaire parvenu sports
len, who are willing TO exPend 500 600
tor the reputation of shooting
nd sending to their city friends few
Oxen red deer, by the cruel and shame
III practice of "driving.' To illustrate:
ne man who controls $50, 900 acres OF
lese highland for ests, leaves his lodge
this very glen with the retinue OF
edieval king. His 100 to $50 eillies
len surround forest and "drive'' the
ser through some narrow pass or gorge,
here he and his friends squat behind
'cks and shoot the deer like
eep. This is wanton butcherv.
the genuine sport of grouse
ooting and the glorious sport of fox
lnting are found the only two forms OF
ue effort left to British sportsmen.
Ut while It may seem odd to Americans
at, as Is estimated, every pheasan.
gged costs ten shillings, every grouse
OF & crown, every salmon taken a SOW
eiSn, and every deer killed fI0O, the
Getty with which game is bred and pre-
rved In Great Britain is vastly more
to British sportsmsn than our
N wanton destruction of game, from
all to bison, until everything pertain
3 to the pursuit. OF our once myriads of
Id fowls and animals, save the all
rgivable lies of olden sportSmen, Ia new
extinct.
Ern yrY