The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-01

shooting long before the season begins. As
a rule they are very trusty servants. TAX
ing great pride in their occupation. Most
OF the moors are owned by large landed
term of years. The price ranges all
the way from $50 per annum to
many thousands a year. It is not
an unusual thing for rich man TO control
a moor of 5000 acres or more. Mr.. Wlnans,
of Baltimore, owns the most extensive deer
and shooting range in Scotland, and there
has been no end of complaint about this
one man controlling such ayast number of
acres for hunting purposes.
On great many of these moors, besides
sport for the gun there is excellent fishing,
and trout and salmon are taken in large
quantities. The capacities of these boxes"
for sport is reckoned at SO many guns and
so many rods, and the price nxed accord
ingly. The limit of mans renting Is
clearly understood, and no honorable man
will hunt or t.sh beyond it. Even if man
Pushes bird and it hies beyond the
boundaries of his moor he will not follow,
but wait for its return, and as they very
generally come back to their breeding
place, he is fairly sure to get it sooner or
later. In surrounding the preservation
OF game with such stringent restrictions,
both of honor and law. shooting is kept
in fair condition during the months when
il is allowed. This kind of sport very
expensive. and every grouse killed costs
the rich sportsman great deal more than
it brings IN the market, but the English
man does not murmur at the expense, and
only kicks when the sport is not good
To the average American the interest
taken here on the 18th Of August is a mar
vel. Not only those who go 10 the moors
TO shoot are flled with the spirit of the
day. but in every town of Great Britain
the game shops are eagerly watched TO see
the nrst grouse displayed, and there is an
unheard OF rivalry, not only 10 kill, but TO
market the hrst bird. The shop windows
in the larger cities are many of them
dressed With heather and stuffed birds. and
men wear asprig of heather bloom in their
buttonholes instead OF rose. The first
birds in market bring an extravaganza
price, generally as much as $50 apiece.
Later in the day they can be bought for 81,
and within three or four days after the
Eth Tor 80 cents each.
have written so much about the heather
and the bloom that the natural inquiry
Will be as TO the part il plays in the grouse
economy. 1t davors the bird, as well as
protects il during the nesting and growing
season. Heather is to the grouse what
Wild celery is. 10 our eanvasback duck.
Without that remarkable vegetable which
grows iuxuriously in our Chesapeake bay
Englishmen would not be willing TO pay
S apiece for the little pieces of breast
Which are cut from our canvasback, which,
Ey the way, are regarded as the greatest
efficacy IN this country of any seafowl
known. / have cut open the craw of many
{ one IN the waters OF my own home TO
take nose full of the rich scent which
comes from wild celery. | had the same
experience with the craw of a grouse,
freshly killed on the 18th, with the flavor
OF the heather-bloom all through il.
The queens shooting moor Is at Bal
moral, much further north than Perth
shire II is aquaint old place in the High
lands. very quiet and secluded, but sur
rounded with natural scenes Of great
beauty II is about ten or twelve miles
from the railroad station of Ballater. be-
yond Aberdeen, and Is shut out from the
world IN a most romantic fashion. for the
queen has d strong vein OF sentiment
running through her nature. OF course
her gatne-keepers are always anxious
10 kill and ship the first grouse of the
season 10 her majesty and the Prince of
Wales. but this year the birds
were displayed IN the London
market before the royal game
keepers had reached BaIlater with their
consignment for the royal household.
This hurried view of the interest taken
in England in the sports of the sield can
hardly give 10 any one fair idea Of the
note taken Of the opening day. The news
papers all have correspondents on the
ground tn telegraph reports from all direc-
tons. and long descriptions OF the shoots
appear on the morning of the 18th. Clas-
steal editorials are written upon the mean