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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Amid the High Hills - - -Author: Sir Hugh Fraser - - - -Release Date: September 2, 2020 [eBook #63104] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMID THE HIGH HILLS*** - - -E-text prepared by ellinora, Susan Carr, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations, - sixteen of which are in color. - See 63104-h.htm or 63104-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63104/63104-h/63104-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63104/63104-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/amidhighhills00frasuoft - - - - - -AMID THE HIGH HILLS - - - * * * * * * - - AGENTS - - - AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK - - AUSTRALASIA THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS - 205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE - - CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. - ST. MARTIN’S HOUSE, 70 BOND STREET, TORONTO - - INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. - MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY - 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA - INDIAN BANK BUILDINGS, MADRAS - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: SEPTEMBER SNOW, LOCH CARRON, ROSS-SHIRE. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - - -AMID THE HIGH HILLS - -by - -SIR HUGH FRASER - - - “But on and up, where Nature’s heart - Beats strong amid the hills.” - - RICHARD MONCKTON MILNES. - - - - - - -A. & C. Black, Ltd. -4, 5, & 6 Soho Square, London, W.1 -1923 - -Printed in Great Britain by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinburgh. - - - - - TO ALL WHO LOVE THE HIGH HILLS, AND - PARTICULARLY TO THOSE--MY DEAR KINSMEN - AND FRIENDS (SOME OF WHOM HAVE - PASSED TO THE GREAT BEYOND)--TO WHOM - I AM INDEBTED FOR MANY HAPPY DAYS - ON HILL, LOCH, AND RIVER. - - - - - PREFACE - - -For many years past from time to time I have contributed articles -on sport and natural history to various journals. - -It was recently suggested to me that I should publish these -articles in book form, and I was fortunate enough to have friends -who kindly offered to illustrate them. I have accordingly selected -some of these articles, and have included others which have never -been published before. Amongst the former are some which in the -same or a slightly altered form have appeared in _The Field_, -_Country Life_, _The Scottish Field_, _The Salmon and Trout -Magazine_, and _The Saturday Westminster Gazette_. To the editors -of these journals I tender my warmest thanks for their courtesy -and kindness in allowing me to republish the articles in question. -To my friends, Mr. Finlay Mackinnon, Mr. Vincent Balfour-Browne, -and Mr. Frank Wallace, I am greatly indebted for the pictures in -colour and black and white, and the pencil sketches which they have -contributed. - -To my friends and neighbours, Lady Anne Murray of Loch Carron and -Mrs. Schroder of Attadale, my grateful thanks are due--to the -former for the photograph, “Winter Sunshine--Wild Geese at the -foot of Applecross Hills,” and to the latter for the water-colour -drawing, “An Autumn Day--Loch Carron, looking West.” - -To my friend, Miss Diana Darling, I am indebted for the photograph, -“Among the Western Islands,” and to my son-in-law, Mr. Noel Wills, -for the pencil sketch of Donald McIver, my gamekeeper and constant -companion on the hill for many years. - -I wish to thank Mr. W. R. Bousfield, K.C., F.R.S., for helpful -criticism from the scientific point of view on my article “Birds of -Fastest Flight in the British Isles,” and Mr. A. D. Bateson, K.C., -for his kindness in reading the book in manuscript. - -In conclusion, I should like to say that, having derived so much -pleasure from reading the experiences of others who love sport and -natural history, I venture to hope that these pages may bring back -to some of my readers recollections of their own delightful days -amid the High Hills. - - H. F. - - STROMEFERRY, ROSS-SHIRE, - _August 7, 1923_. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - I. THE CHARM OF SPORT AMID THE HIGH HILLS 1 - - II. STALKING IN ITS MOST ENJOYABLE FORM 6 - - III. A GREAT FISH AND A GREATER FISHERMAN 12 - - IV. THE BIRDS OF FASTEST FLIGHT IN THE BRITISH ISLES 23 - - V. A GOOD DAY IN THE FOREST OF COIGNAFEARN 71 - - VI. A STALKER’S PERIL 81 - - VII. THE LUCK OF SALMON FISHING 85 - - VIII. A STORMY WEEK IN THE FOREST 97 - - IX. A SALMON LOCH IN SUTHERLAND 113 - - X. THE HOMING INSTINCTS OF WOUNDED DEER 123 - - XI. THE METHOD BY WHICH EAGLES AND HAWKS SECURE THEIR PREY 136 - - XII. INSTANCES OF WOUNDED STAGS ATTACKING STALKERS 155 - - XIII. TRAPPED 165 - - XIV. THE LAST STALK OF THE SEASON 170 - - XV. THE LOCH PROBLEM 182 - - XVI. THE SURGEON OF THE DEER FOREST 197 - - XVII. THE SECRET OF THE HIGH HILLS 215 - - INDEX 221 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - * _Those marked with an asterisk are in colour._ - - - *September Snow, Loch Carron, Ross-shire. _Frontispiece_ - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - FACING PAGE - - *“The joy of watching deer when they have no suspicion - that they are being watched” 1 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - Golden Days 4 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - *“See! from the tops the mist is stealing” 6 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - *“The salmon leaped twice straight up into the air” 16 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - The Peregrine Falcon 26 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - Winter Sunshine--Wild Geese at the Foot of the - Applecross Hills 36 - From a Photograph by The Lady Anne Murray of Loch Carron. - - *The Spine-tailed Swift 40 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - *The Golden Eagle 64 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - Where the Golden Eagle reigns 68 - From a Photograph by Frank Wallace. - - *Preparing for Battle 76 - By Frank Wallace. - - *“Take the fifth, he’s the best” 80 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - In the Forest of Fannich 82 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - “He had the advantage of some inches over my little - grandson, who was nearly five years old” 90 - From a Photograph by Mrs. Noel Wills. - - *Sligachan, Isle of Skye 96 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - “Lying on a ridge we spied some deer” 98 - From a Photograph by the Author. - - The Five Sisters of Kintail 104 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - Old Angus nearing Home 110 - By V. R. Balfour-Browne. - - The Sanctuary, Kinlochewe Forest 124 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - “The trusty allies of our fathers on the hill” 128 - By Philip Stretton. - - “I was spying for some time” 134 - From a Photograph by the Author. - - *The Applecross Hills, and a Highland Fishing Village 142 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - Death of the Mallard 148 - By J. Wolf. - - Among the Western Islands 166 - From a Photograph by Miss Diana Darling. - - *Where Strome Castle looks over the Sea to Skye 168 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - *“The big stag is still there” 176 - By Frank Wallace. - - *An Autumn Day, Loch Carron--looking West 184 - By Mrs. Schroder of Attadale. - - Sunset on the Shores of Loch Carron 192 - From a Photograph by Miss Alexandra Fraser. - - *On the Edge of the Deer Forest 200 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - In Achnashellach Forest 204 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - *Evening Glow, Poolewe, Ross-shire 212 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - *“The morning cometh” 218 - By Finlay Mackinnon. - - Also pencil headings to each Chapter. - - - - -[Illustration: “THE JOY OF WATCHING DEER WHEN THEY HAVE NO -SUSPICION THAT THEY ARE BEING WATCHED.” - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - - - - -[Illustration: (Grazing Deer)] - - I - - THE CHARM OF SPORT AMID THE HIGH HILLS - - -The fascination of deer-stalking is largely due to the romance of -the hill--the hill as it is known only to those who love it and -understand something of its hidden mysteries. The long day, all too -quickly ended, with the silent but sympathetic stalker--alone with -Nature in its most inspiring and elevating form--the ever-changing -beauty of sky and hill--the joy of watching deer when they have no -suspicion that they are being watched--the opportunities of seeing -rare birds and finding rare plants--all these things apart from the -difficulty and interest--and the greater the difficulty the greater -the interest--of trying to outwit--in other words trying to get -within shot of the particular stag one is after--go to make up the -attractions of what some of us think is the very best of true sport. - -I well remember a famous statesman, who had himself owned one of -the best deer forests in the Highlands, saying to me that the -greatest attraction of stalking is that it takes one to places -where otherwise one would never go, and enables one to see the most -wonderful things which otherwise one would never see. Further, -there is probably no form of sport where less pain and suffering -are inflicted, assuming that any one who stalks will take the -trouble to know his rifle well, and will not take a long or risky -shot. The shot itself after all plays only a small part in the -pleasure of a day’s stalking. I have friends, first-class rifle -shots, who delight in stalking, and who, when they have arrived -within shot of the stag they have stalked, will sometimes not shoot -at him at all. This would not always be easily accomplished by -those who have strongly implanted within them the instincts of the -hunter, or perhaps I should say the primitive man. - -Again, to pass from stalking, what is the real explanation of -the intense enjoyment of ptarmigan shooting on the high tops -after the close of the stalking season? I have more than once -heard this described as the most enjoyable of all kinds of -shooting. As is well known, on a still clear day the ptarmigan -is the easiest of birds to shoot, but on a wild windy day one -of the most difficult--twisting and turning with extraordinary -rapidity. Neither this latter fact, however, nor the exhilarating -and bracing air at the altitude where these birds are to be found -wholly explains the enthusiasm of those who have had this sport. I -have no doubt that the environment of the high hills and all that -this means are largely the cause of this enthusiasm. The delights -of grouse shooting, whether in the case of driven birds, or over -dogs, are greatly increased by the same cause. Without entering -upon the well-worn controversy as to the respective advantages and -disadvantages of these two forms of sport, is there any one who -has enjoyed both of them amid the hills who has not ineffaceable -memories of the vistas of marvellous beauty which he has revelled -in again and again while waiting in his butt for the first birds -of the drive, and--to change the scene--of the pleasures of many a -glorious twelfth in the company of an old friend with whom he was -in perfect sympathy, watching the dogs at work amidst the purple -heather on the side of the hill or along the heather-clad banks of -a burn? - -It is true also of salmon and trout fishing in the Highlands that -the angler’s sense of peace and contentment is largely due to the -influence of the hills. This is especially so in the golden days -at the beginning of August, those glorious days before the serious -fun begins, when the trout in the loch are more of an excuse than -a serious ploy, when one discusses the growing antlers of the big -hart on the Home beat, when one basks in the sunshine of the High -Hills. - -[Illustration: GOLDEN DAYS. - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - -Whilst writing what I have already said about stalking I -recollected the following verses, which I intend to keep and read -for my encouragement in days to come--days which are, I hope, still -very far off: - - - NORTHWARD BOUND - - (ONCE MORE) - - Does your heart still beat with the old excitement - As you wait where the Scotch expresses are? - Does it answer still to the old indictment - Of a fond delight in the sleeping-car, - As it did when the rush through the autumn night meant - The Gate of Desire ajar? - - Or has the enchanting task grown tougher, - And has that arrow beyond you flown? - For the hill that was rough enough is rougher, - The steepest climb that was ever known, - And the forest appals a veteran duffer - Sorely beaten and blown? - - Oh! the years, the years, they be rusty and mothy; - Oh! the flesh it is weak that once was strong; - But the brown burn under the stone falls frothy - And the music it makes is a siren song; - Then the pony’ll take you as far as the bothy, - And that’ll help you along. - - See! from the tops the mist is stealing, - Out with the stalking-glass for a spy; - Round Craig an Eran an eagle’s wheeling - Black in the blue September sky. - A fig for the years! Why, youth and healing - At the end of your journey lie. - - (Reprinted from _Punch_, Sept. 14, 1921, by kind permission of -the Proprietors.) - - - - -[Illustration: (Three Antlered Deer)] - - II - - STALKING IN ITS MOST ENJOYABLE FORM - - -By far the most enjoyable form of stalking is to be one’s own -stalker, but this can only be done satisfactorily in a forest with -which one is thoroughly familiar. It is astonishing what tricks the -wind will play in certain corries, and as a result what mistakes -even a good stalker will make in a forest which is new to him. -Moreover, any one stalking by himself, unless he has experience, -may easily make another kind of mistake. He may think that he has -missed a stag when he has in fact killed him. Any one who has had -experience in shooting deer knows that a stag when shot through the -heart will sometimes gallop for forty or fifty yards or even -further and then fall down dead. - -[Illustration: “SEE! FROM THE TOPS THE MIST IS STEALING.” - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -Some years ago, preparatory to a few days’ stalking in a deer -forest in Inverness-shire, I arrived one evening at the Lodge; and -later on about half-past ten there returned from the hill a guest -in a state of great dejection who had never stalked until he went -out in this forest a few days before. I felt very sorry for him, -for he had been keen to secure a good head and said that he had -had a splendid chance of a fine stag standing broadside at about -eighty yards and had missed him. This was his last chance as he -was leaving early next morning. Two days later I was out on the -same beat when the stalker suddenly grasped me by the arm and said, -“There is a stag lying down there to the left of that hill below -us. Are you seeing his horns above the ridge?” We went cautiously -down in the direction of the stag, but had not gone far before we -discovered that the stag was dead. “That,” said the stalker, “must -be the stag Mr. X. shot at two days ago.” We examined the stag -and found that he had been shot apparently through the heart from -the knoll from which X. had taken his shot; it was obviously the -same stag. The stalker then told me that X. wished to stalk the -last hundred yards alone and had asked him to stay behind, that -X. had the shot and came back saying that he had missed the stag. -Neither the stalker nor X. had thought it worth while to look for -the stag. In the case of X., who was a novice at stalking, I was -not surprised, but I was amazed that the stalker had not done so, -although he was young and not very experienced. So X. secured a -good head after all, and no doubt both he and the stalker learnt -a lesson which neither is likely to forget, but at the cost to X. -of much unnecessary misery and humiliation and incidentally to his -host of much good venison. - -It is sometimes difficult to be sure what is the result of one’s -shot, and it is a great assistance to have the opinion of an -experienced stalker whether he has his glass on the beast at the -moment the shot is fired or not. - -I was coming back one evening after a delightful day’s stalking in -Glen Carron, when the stalker Macdonell said, “One moment, sir, -there is a stag down there just gone out of sight. If you can -shoot off your knee downhill you will have a chance directly.” I -sat down and waited, and in a few minutes the stag appeared. I -believed I was steady and on him in the right place. Directly I -fired he galloped off. “I’m thinking you’d better shoot again,” -said Macdonell. “What’s the use,” I replied, thinking I had shot -the stag through the heart. However, as I spoke, I did shoot again -out of respect to Macdonell, whom I knew to be a very experienced -stalker, and the stag rolled over like a rabbit which has been -shot in the right place. “Now we will see,” I said, “where the -two bullets went.” “I’m thinking,” said Macdonell, “you missed -him the first time.” “You may be right,” I replied, “but I don’t -think so; one thing I know, and that is that if I did and had -known it, I should probably have missed him with my second shot -also.” On examining the stag we could only find one bullet mark, -and on skinning him we found that one bullet only had struck him, -and that was through the heart. Macdonell no doubt thinks to this -day that I missed the stag with my first shot, and killed him with -my second when he was galloping; but I still have my doubts. The -moral is that though one sometimes hears the unmistakable thud of -the bullet striking the stag, there are other occasions when it is -difficult to be certain as to what has happened, and therefore -it is always wise to satisfy one’s self in the matter as far as -possible. Still more is this essential when stalking alone. In -stalking alone, there is this advantage, that one can always secure -the best position in which to shoot, whereas if one is accompanied -by a stalker, he sometimes takes that position himself and it is -not easy to get him to move on, or, as is more often the case, -there is no time for him to do so. - -Charles J. Murray of Loch Carron, to whose kindness I am indebted -for many delightful days’ stalking, is particularly devoted to this -form of sport. A few seasons ago I was obliged to come south before -the end of the stalking season, and received from him a letter -which describes, far better than I can, the pleasure of being out -alone on the hill. - -“You are missing the West Coast,” he wrote, “at its (_weather_) -best! for we have a spell of gloriously fine weather when the stag -can hear a footstep half a mile off, and the wind is so gentle that -it cannot make up its mind which way to go, but strays gently to -and fro and round in little circles, stimulating evil words among -the stalkers. - -“Yesterday I was out alone and worked up to a Pasha and his -Harem--the ladies between him and me--he just out of shot on a -hillock behind them--approach from the front impossible, but just -a chance--almost a certainty with a fair breeze--from a rock to -one side, _if_ he should come down to his ladies before they got -a puff. I risked it and got a comfy corner in the sun and waited -to see which would win--the affectionate impulses of the stag or -the more wavering evolutions of the scarcely perceptible puffs of -wind, the old lady sixty yards away looking serenely at the top -of my head. Needless to say that after two hours, just when the -stag stretched one fore foot and began to hum a love ditty, I felt -a well-known cool feeling at the back of my neck, and the party -adjourned the meeting. Luckily I am not bloodthirsty, but enjoy -being among deer, and on these occasions driving snow and rain, or -sunshine and a dry tussock to curl up on, make all the difference.” - - - - -[Illustration: (The River Wye)] - - III - - A GREAT FISH AND A GREATER FISHERMAN - - The river Wye goes out to sea - By stealth, in silent secrecy: - Among the hills she winds and wends - And wanders by the sombre woods, - And cleaves her way in circling bends - Through mountain solitudes.[1] - - -Towards the end of March 1921 I received an invitation to fish -the river Wye, which, as every one knows, is famous for its heavy -salmon. My own rods and tackle were in the North of Scotland, and -there was not sufficient time to send for them. I knew that in the -spring the fishing in this particular river was almost entirely by -spinning with the minnow. I arrived at my destination on Monday, -March 28, and had five days fishing before me. There had been a -good deal of rain before I arrived, and the river was both too -high and too much color. The fishing on my host’s beat had so far -been very disappointing. During the preceding six weeks the river -had been fished almost every day by my host and one or other of -his friends; but although hardly any fish had been lost, only five -had been killed, all with the minnow, the largest being 29 lb. My -kindly host, who is a past master of all things connected with -salmon and trout fishing, fitted me up with first-class equipment. -I had never used a Nottingham or Silex reel before, and it took me -the greater part of my first day to acquire the art of throwing the -minnow effectively. For the next two days I fished with the minnow -from morning till night without getting a pull or seeing anything. -I have been a keen fly-fisher all my life and have killed a good -many salmon and many trout, and on Friday morning, as the river -had fallen considerably, I told my host that if I might do so I -should like to try the fly. He readily assented, and said that -I should have one of his own fly rods, and before we started he -kindly gave me several salmon flies, and said that his butler, C., -who was an experienced hand at gaffing salmon, should come with -me. Among the flies which my host had given me was a “Mar Lodge” -(size 4/0), and with this I fished all the morning and up to about -three o’clock in the afternoon without, however, seeing or touching -anything. C. said that he was afraid the day was going to be a -blank again. I said that I would like to try once more a particular -spot below a rock in the upper part of a pool higher up the river, -which I had fished in the morning and which I thought looked a very -likely place for a salmon to lie. In order to fish this pool it -was necessary to use a boat. It was a beautiful afternoon and the -sun was still shining. We crossed over the river at the bottom of -the pool and rowed up on the other side, keeping close to the bank -so as not to disturb that part of the pool which I was going to -fish. C. worked the boat with great skill, and at my first cast I -managed to place my fly exactly where I wished it to go below the -rock. As the fly swung round with the current I suddenly saw for -a second a huge silvery fish in the clear, transparent water upon -which the sun was shining. At the same moment the line tightened. -“I have him,” I said, as the line went screeching off the reel. -The fish ran straight up-stream for about ninety yards, and then -leaped twice, high into the air. It was by far the largest salmon -I had ever seen, clean-run and glittering like a silver coin -fresh from the Mint. This first danger safely passed, I gradually -persuaded him to come back again. C. said, “He must be well hooked, -and he’s a very big fish. That fish of 29 lb. which the Major got -would look quite small beside him.” For some time after this the -fish moved about the pool, but made no attempt to run. He then -made a violent rush of about sixty yards, and lashed about on the -top of the water, once more showing himself and giving us a fair -idea of his size. Again I got him well under control, and for a -considerable time he adopted the same tactics as before, moving -slowly and steadily backwards and forwards at varying depths. I -had been thinking for some time that perhaps I had been rather too -easy with him, and that I had not acted on the maxim with which, -I suppose, almost every salmon fisher will agree, that one ought -never to let a fish rest, and that a big fish may take hours to -land if he is not worried enough. The line and cast had been -thoroughly tested before we started, and I felt that I might depend -upon them. C. told me that as soon as I had hooked my fish he had -looked at his watch, and that I had now had him on for an hour and -twenty minutes. This greatly astonished me, as I had not realised -how the time had gone. But it was nevertheless the fact, and I -felt that we must do something to stir the fish. We accordingly -decided to move a little way up-stream. C. had hardly begun to -move the boat with this object in view when the salmon suddenly -moved, and moved to some purpose. Neither I nor C. had ever seen -anything in the movements of any fish to compare with the strength -and rapidity of that rush. The salmon went at a terrific pace, -straight up the river as hard as he could go for about 110 yards, -and then leaped twice, straight up into the air, about a couple -of feet above the surface of the water, broadside on, showing -that he was a tremendously thick fish. At the very moment he was -in the air the reel fell off the rod, and at that moment I became -conscious, although, of course, I had lowered the point of the -rod when he leaped, that the great fish had parted company with -me for ever. “He has gone,” I said, as with a sickening sense of -disappointment I reeled in the slack line in the faint hope that he -might still be on, having turned and come down the river again--but -no, it was not to be, and the line soon came back to me, the cast -having been broken about a foot from the end. C. said not a word, -nor did I for a time. No mere words are appropriate on such an -occasion and cannot diminish the loss of a fresh-run spring salmon, -so marvellously brilliant and beautiful, and in this particular -instance probably half as large again, perhaps twice as large, as -the biggest fish I have ever landed during the time, now more than -forty years, that I have been a salmon fisher. Within a short time -I started fishing again, but the day was done and we saw nothing -more. After the catastrophe I found that the reel had been loose, -and that the wedges used to make it fit closely to the rod had -shifted and finally fallen out in consequence of the rushes made by -the fish. I also learnt later on that the rod did not belong to my -host, and that by a misunderstanding this rod, which happened not -to have been taken down, but was among the other rods ready for -use, was given to me. Probably, had I been warned about the reel, I -could have prevented it from falling off, though whether this would -have made any difference it is impossible to say, as many a good -fish has broken the cast by falling back on it after jumping at the -end of a long rush, and the more line there is out the more danger -of losing the fish when he jumps. - -[Illustration: “THE SALMON LEAPED TWICE STRAIGHT UP INTO THE AIR.” - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - -In the words of one of the most experienced of fishermen, Mr. -Horace G. Hutchinson: “There is one antic that a fish may perform -which may, if you are unlucky, defeat you, however quick and -skilful you are--that is, if he jumps and falls back on the cast. -If you do not drop the point of the rod so as to let the gut go -slack when he jumps, you are nearly sure to be broken if he falls -back on it. If you drop quickly enough, it is bad luck if you are -broken, but it is bad luck which sometimes does befall. If much -of the reel line is in water, the drop of the rod top does not -communicate slackness to the cast quickly enough; the fish may come -on to it when it is tolerably taut--result disaster!” - -Being a Highlander and therefore of a superstitious race, need I -emphasise the fact that the day of this, the greatest, tragedy of -my life as a fisherman was a Friday, and that Friday the 1st of -April. In this connection it is worth recalling that no references -to April Fools’ Day have been found in our earlier literature, and -it seems that this country has derived the fashion from France, -where April Fools’ Day is a very ancient institution, and where the -dupe is known as “poisson d’avril.” The April fool in this story -was the fisherman, not the fish. The following day, Saturday, I -tried to make the most of my last chance and fished all day long, -but without a sign of anything. Of course, there was a great -discussion as to the probable weight of the fish, which had given -both C. and myself several opportunities of forming some estimate -on the subject. We both agreed that it could not have been less -than 35 lb., and was more probably round about 40 lb. But my story -has an interesting sequel. On the following Monday I returned to -London; and on the Tuesday, when fishing the pool which was the -scene of the catastrophe, my host made a discovery which I can -best relate by quoting from a letter which he wrote to me on the -following day. - -“Yesterday afternoon,” he wrote, “when fishing your famous pool I -found what I feel pretty sure were the mortal remains of your big -fish. He had fallen a prey to an otter, which after your long fight -with him is easy to understand. He lay on a rock just above the -place where you hooked him, and considerably below where you parted -company. A large ‘steak’ from the middle had been removed by his -ultimate captor, but the head and tail portions were there. From -examination of his head he had certainly been _recently_ hooked -_firmly_ on the right side of the upper jaw. He was extremely -thick, and must have been a most handsome fish of at least 35 lb. -I took home two or three scales, and his age appears to have been -between four and five years.” - -I subsequently learnt that from its condition this fish had no -doubt been killed some days before it was found, and as it seems -highly likely it was the fish that had defeated me, it must somehow -or other have got rid of the fly by rubbing it against the rocks, -a feat which is generally believed to be by no means unusual and -which in this instance would, no doubt, be rendered easier by the -fact that the hook was a good-sized one, being about 2 in. long. - -C., who was with my host at the time, said that he also felt sure -that it was the same fish. So it would appear that the victory of -the great fish was after all shortlived, and that he was probably -captured by a far greater fisherman than any mere mortal man--let -alone my humble self. - -It is a very interesting fact that in the week before that in -which I was fishing, among the salmon which were killed on the -neighbouring beats were three, each of which weighed slightly over -41 lb. It seems not unlikely, therefore, that my fish may have run -up from the sea in the company of these splendid fish, and have -been much the same weight as they were. - -Notwithstanding my great disappointment I heartily agree with the -words of Arthur Hugh Clough in _Peschiera_:[2] - - ’T is better to have fought and lost, - Than never to have fought at all. - -On describing my battle to an old friend, who is himself no -fisherman, but a great sportsman, he replied by quoting from a -writer, whose name he did not know, the following lines, which I -had never heard before and the authorship of which was at that time -unknown to my friend also: - - Upon the river’s bank serene - A fisher sat where all was green - And looked it. - He saw when light was growing dim - The fish or else the fish saw him - And hooked it. - He took with high erected comb - The fish or else the story home - And cooked it. - Recording angels by his bed - Weighed all that he had done or said - And booked it.[3] - - - - -[Illustration: (Fast Enough for Me!)] - - IV - - THE BIRDS OF FASTEST FLIGHT IN THE BRITISH ISLES - - -Some little time ago, a correspondence appeared in the -_Observer_[4] and the _Field_[5] as to which is the quickest -bird in flight. Various correspondents, some of them well-known -naturalists, writers of repute, and sportsmen of experience, -expressed their views, by no means unanimous, on the question. I -have always been greatly interested in the subject, and for many -years past in the North of Scotland have been in the habit of -watching bird life in some of the wildest and most inaccessible -parts of the country. - -I have examined the evidence contained in the valuable and -interesting correspondence mentioned above, and have also obtained -all the information I could get elsewhere from books of authority -and persons who have had special opportunities of observation. -At the present day a valuable and novel class of evidence is -available--that of observers in aeroplanes. Upon all the material -thus obtained I have tried to form an impartial opinion. - -There appear to me to be four points to be borne in mind before -arriving at any conclusion as to which bird is the quickest in -flight, and the maximum speed of which each bird is capable. - -Emphasis is laid on the first three of the following points in some -of the letters in the correspondence above referred to, but I think -that the fourth point is of at least equal importance. - -1. Ground speed must be distinguished from air speed. - -2. The path of flight must be horizontal. - -3. There must be something to show that the bird is flying at its -maximum speed. - -4. There must be a standard length of flight to which the test is -to be applied. - - -1. _Ground speed must be distinguished from air speed._ - -It is not generally realised that a bird has two speeds: its speed -relative to the ground and its speed relative to the air. - -“Ground speed” is “air speed” as influenced by the wind. In a -perfectly still atmosphere “ground speed” and “air speed” are the -same. To quote one of the writers in the _Field_ of February 11, -1922: “The wind has no effect on the speed at which a bird is -capable of driving itself through the air. Take a parallel case, -substitute for the bird a caterpillar, and for the atmosphere in -which the bird is flying a sheet of paper. The caterpillar can -always crawl at a constant speed across the paper, although it is -possible to increase the relative speed of a caterpillar to the -ground by moving the sheet of paper.” - -Or to put the same distinction in the words of another writer in -the same number of the _Field_: “It is the speed of the object over -the ground or still water that matters; and if the medium (_i.e._ -air or water) in which the object under discussion is either flying -or floating is also in movement, then the pace over the ground will -naturally be correspondingly increased or decreased.” - -Wind, of course, varies in two ways (1) direction and (2) velocity, -and is uniform only at a given height. - -The direction of the wind must necessarily be either along the line -of flight of the bird, against it, or at an angle with it. In the -first of these instances the speed of the bird over the ground is -determined merely by adding the velocity of the wind to, and in -the second by subtracting it from the air speed of the bird, in -the same way as a swimmer’s speed is increased or reduced by the -speed of the current. The third case is more complicated, as in -this calculation allowance must be made for “drift,” _i.e._ the -tendency of a bird under such circumstances to deviate from its -desired course. It is, however, unnecessary to say anything further -as to this third case, as the comparison of speeds of various birds -can only be made satisfactorily by ascertaining their speeds under -identical conditions in horizontal flight. - - -2. _The path of flight must be horizontal._ - -In the words[6] of Captain C. F. A. Portal, D.S.O.: “If any one -has seen a peregrine stooping from 1000 feet at between 150 and -200 miles per hour at a partridge, and has later seen the same -peregrine chase the same partridge from a standing start, he will -appreciate the importance of considering only level flight. In -the first instance, the hawk is nearly 100 miles per hour faster -than the quarry, in the second, he can only just overtake it at -all. There is no conceivable way of measuring the speed of these -downward flights accurately, but no one who has done any hawking -will deny that 120 miles per hour is within the power of a great -many species. When we come to consider level flight, there is a -very different story.” - -[Illustration: THE PEREGRINE FALCON. - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - - -3. _There must be some evidence to show whether the bird is flying -at its maximum speed or not._ - -As was recently pointed out in an interesting article[7] by Colonel -R. Meinertzhagen, D.S.O.: “Birds have two speeds: a normal rate, -which is used for everyday purposes and also for migration, and an -accelerated speed, which is used for protection, or pursuit, and -which in some cases nearly doubles the rate of their normal speed; -some of the heavier birds can probably only accelerate to a slight -extent. In this conclusion I am naturally excepting courtship -flight, which is usually of an accelerated nature.” - -To quote the words of Major C. R. E. Radclyffe:[8] “The only -possible test we can accept is where two birds are matched one -against the other, and we are certain they are both trying their -hardest. No better test than this is the case of a hawk pursuing -its quarry, when it means to one of them its food and to the other -its life.” - -The same writer draws attention to a common fallacy: “It is,” he -says,[8] “purely a matter of optical illusion to imagine that a -smaller-sized bird is flying faster than a larger bird of similar -shape and make; for example, a snipe on rising ground seems to go -much faster than a woodcock, similarly a teal than a duck, and -possibly this may be so for a short distance, but put up the first -two together, and also the last two, and let there be a peregrine -after them--as I have seen many times--and the scene is amazing -to a man who is not a falconer, as the smaller bird is overhauled -first every time by the falcon, and presumably they are all trying -their hardest.... I have dozens of times put up a peregrine over -ponds and marshes where teal and ducks were sitting together, and -then flushed the wild fowl all simultaneously. In every case -without any exception the first bird overhauled and brought to -the ground has been a teal and in the case of a long flight, when -every bird has been flying for its life, the further they go the -further the teal lag behind the wild ducks. The same remarks apply -to woodcock and snipe, to black game and grouse, to pheasants and -partridges--all of which I have flushed simultaneously in front of -hawks.” - -In dealing with the same point in a letter written to me, Major -Radclyffe makes the following interesting observations: - -“... Few people realize that a pheasant flies much faster than a -partridge when they have both been going a short distance. If you -flush an old cock pheasant and a covey of partridges together in -a big field of turnips, you will see the partridges are quickest -‘off the mark’ and away with a bit of a lead, but the pheasant will -catch them, and be first over the fence if they have 200 or 300 -yards to go. - -“Again take as an example a woodcock and a snipe. I have several -times flushed these two birds together, and in no time the woodcock -has left the snipe far behind him, and yet I believe that -ninety-nine sportsmen out of a hundred would say the snipe flies -faster than the woodcock. - -“I have seen woodcocks give my hawks some great long-distance -flights before they are overtaken and turned; but a snipe has no -show at all when trying to keep ahead of a peregrine or merlin in -straight flight.” - -In his letter to the _Field_ already referred to, Major Radclyffe -further says: “There is no doubt whatever that the heavier bird of -similar type is far the faster on the wing when once it gets going.” - -It was suggested in one of the letters to the _Field_ that whilst -this is no doubt the general rule there is at least one exception -to it. “If asked,” said the writer, “to quote any instance when the -smaller bird is faster than a larger one of similar type, I should -say that the pochard (_Fuligula ferina_) is faster on the wing -than the common mallard, as I have seen the former pass mallards -on the wing when both have been flying before a falcon. But from -my experience of over thirty years as a falconer, a naturalist, -and a shooter, I should say that the above case is one of the rare -exceptions where the heaviest bird is not the fastest on the wing -if each bird is trying its hardest and best.” - -Colonel Meinertzhagen, whilst agreeing that the heavier bird of -similar type is the faster flier once it gets going, has kindly -sent me the following observations on the foregoing statements as -to the pochard and mallard. “The common pochard is not a bird of -‘similar type’ to a mallard, the one being a diving duck and the -other surface-feeding. They differ in the proportion of wing area -to body weight, also in bone structure. The pochard and all diving -duck, probably fly faster than surface-feeding duck under similar -conditions, having heavier bodies in proportion to the wing area -than is ever found among surface-feeding duck. The eider duck, -which is even heavier than the ordinary diving duck (_Nyroca_), -probably flies faster than them all when once started.” - - -4. _There must be a standard length of flight to which the test is -to be applied._ - -If the question were asked, “Who is the faster runner, A or B?” -the reply would surely be “To what distance are you referring?” A -short or a long distance? Applying the analogy, it is obvious that -a bird might be much faster than another for a short distance, but -if the flight has to be prolonged, may not have the lasting powers -of another bird, and therefore would be beaten on the longer course. - -It seems likely that the fact of not considering one or other of -these points may account for the difference in regard to some of -the views held by observers of experience. For instance, may it -not account for the fact that there is such a marked difference -of opinion as to whether the peregrine is faster than the golden -plover? May it not be true that for a short distance the latter -bird may be the faster flier, but that in consequence of its lack -of staying power it is overtaken before it goes half a mile unless -it can elude its pursuer by twists and turns. In this connection -it is worth recalling the experiences of that acute and accurate -observer Charles St. John[9]: “The golden plover,” he writes, -“is a favourite prey, and affords the hawk a severe chace before -he is caught. I have seen a pursuit of this kind last for nearly -ten minutes--the plover turning and doubling like a hare before -greyhounds, at one moment darting like an arrow into the air, high -above the falcon’s head; at the next sweeping round some bush or -headland--but in vain. The hawk with steady relentless flight, -without seeming to hurry himself, never gives up the chace till -the poor plover, seemingly quite exhausted, slackens her pace, and -is caught by the hawk’s talons in mid-air and carried off to a -convenient hillock or stone to be quietly devoured.” - -Colonel Meinertzhagen has been so kind as to consider the -observations I have made above, and writes: - -“I should doubt whether the golden plover has less staying power -than the peregrine. The former migrates long distances (thousands -of miles, in the case of the American golden plover, a bird almost -identical with ours, which goes from Labrador to Brazil by sea), -whereas the peregrine is nowhere believed to be a regular or -persistent migrant over long distances. It is more probable that -the peregrine is a faster bird than the golden plover and that -the latter becomes exhausted by continued acceleration and fear, -whereas the peregrine is accustomed to long periods of accelerated -flight and is stimulated by hunger.” - -Again in reference to the difference of opinion as to whether the -teal is faster than the mallard, may it not be possible that both -views may be correct? in other words, that it depends upon the -length of flight which the writer is considering. It may be noticed -that Major Radclyffe in the passage which I have quoted above (p. -28) seems to consider it may be possible that for a short distance -the teal may be faster than the mallard, though he has no doubt -that the latter bird will very soon overtake the former. - -The falconer has certainly more and better opportunities of seeing -birds flying at their maximum rate of speed than any one else. -“He also has,” to use Captain Portal’s words, “the advantage of -possessing in his trained hawk a known quantity with which to -compare the performances of other birds.” - -Captain Portal has flown hawks at many different kinds of birds -during the last fifteen years, and has made certain estimates which -have been arrived at after a great deal of comparison and analysis -of data obtained while hawking, shooting, flying in aeroplanes, -travelling in cars and trains, and walking in the country. He -says:[10] “My figures cannot be correct for every member of each -species, as I have seen one partridge in an October covey fly quite -15 per cent faster than any of its companions when all were at full -speed. All I have tried to do is to strike an average for the -species, the speed given being the maximum pace at which the bird -can cover the ground in level flight through still air.” - -The speeds given for the peregrine and merlin are those of good -trained birds; the wild ones are faster. Here are the figures: - - Golden Plover 70 miles per hour. - Teal and Blackcock 68 ” ” - Peregrine 62 ” ” - Pheasant and Grouse 60 ” ” - Mallard 58 ” ” - Merlin and Blue Rock 55 ” ” - Partridge 53 ” ” - Green Plover } - Jackdaw } 48 ” ” - Wood Pigeon 45 ” ” - Starling 44 ” ” - Kestrel 43 ” ” - Rook 40 ” ” - Landrail 35 ” ” - -The speed attained by golden plover when pressed has been estimated -by airmen at over 60 miles per hour.[11] - -Colonel R. Meinertzhagen, from whom I have also quoted above, -states that he finds, “after eliminating abnormal conditions -and observations based on meagre evidence, that the normal and -migratory flight in miles per hour (ground speed) is as follows: - - Ducks 44-59 - Geese 42-55 - Waders 34-51 - (but mostly from 40 to 51) - Starlings 38-49 - Falcons 40-48 - Corvidae 31-45 - Tame Pigeons 30-36 - The smaller Passeres 20-37” - -Amongst the birds which are claimed by different high authorities -to be the fastest British birds are the swift, the peregrine, the -golden plover, the teal, the wild duck, and the curlew. - -It is curious that in the various controversies on the subject no -one appears to have contended that the golden eagle may possibly -be the fastest flier amongst British birds. This may be because, -except in certain parts of the country, the eagle is never seen, -and there is necessarily very little opportunity of comparing -his speed with that of other birds. In particular the falconer, -whose opportunities of comparing the speed of birds are, as I have -already stated, greater than those of any other class of men, has -no opportunities in the case of the eagle. Moreover, the flight -of the eagle, like that of some of the fastest flying birds, -for instance, the blackcock, is very deceptive. He is in fact -flying much faster than he appears to be--“The eagle’s flight, -when passing from one point to another, is peculiarly expressive -of strength and vigour. He wends his way with deliberate strong -strokes of his powerful wing, every stroke apparently drawing him -on a considerable distance, and in this manner advancing through -the air as rapidly as the pigeon or any other bird which may appear -to fly much more quickly.”[12] - -[Illustration: WINTER SUNSHINE--WILD GEESE AT THE FOOT OF THE -APPLECROSS HILLS. - -From a Photograph by THE LADY ANNE MURRAY of Loch Carron.] - -The answer to the question, Which of the two birds, the eagle or -the peregrine, is the faster flier, must even on a horizontal -flight be a matter of pure conjecture. On the one hand, the -peregrine has the advantage of pointed wings which make for -increased wing power and speed, whilst the eagle’s wings are -rounded. On the other hand, there is a great similarity between -the general build and structure of the two birds, and there is the -fact emphasised by Major Radclyffe in the letters from which I have -quoted above, that, as between two birds of different size but of -similar shape and make, the larger and heavier bird will almost -invariably fly faster than the smaller and lighter one once the -former really gets going. It is, of course, true that the peregrine -is much quicker in its movements and more agile than the eagle. It -is constantly under the necessity of flying at its fastest (which -the eagle is not) in order to secure its food; in other words, to -use the language of a stalker in discussing this question with -me: “The peregrine requires a warm diet, and lives on its prey. -The eagle, on the other hand, will eat carrion.” The peregrine is -probably quicker off the mark than the eagle, but this does not -necessarily mean that he flies more quickly than the eagle once the -latter gets going. Stalkers have unusual opportunities of seeing -these two birds in flight, and almost all those with whom I have -discussed this question believe that on a horizontal flight the -peregrine is faster than the eagle. This in my opinion is probably -the correct view. - -It must not be forgotten that the Northern falcons, or, as they are -generally called, the gyrfalcons, are entitled to rank as British -birds, although they are rare visitors to these Isles. They are -(1) the gyrfalcon or Norwegian variety (_Falco gyrfalco_), (2) the -Iceland falcon (_Falco islandus_), (3) the Greenland falcon (_Falco -candicans_). The gyrfalcon is a very rare visitor here, two -recorded specimens only having been obtained here and one of these -is doubtful. The Iceland falcon is a rare visitor also, although -identified examples have been obtained here from time to time. -The Greenland falcon is an irregular winter and spring visitor, -but there are more recorded instances of this species than in the -case of the Iceland falcon. The former bird, the prevailing ground -colour of which is white, is the most beautiful of all birds of -prey. By some authorities it is considered merely a race of the -Iceland falcon, which it resembles in size and habits. The eggs -of the two birds resemble one another. All these Northern falcons -are about the same size and larger than, though very similar -in structure to, the peregrine falcon. Speaking generally, the -difference in length is about 5 inches, in wing 2 inches. They -have been very highly valued in Europe for hawking, and, as would -be expected from their superior size and similar structure, are -undoubtedly faster than peregrines. - -Writing in the _Field_ for March 15, 1923, Major Radclyffe -says:[13] - -“All the gyrfalcons are much faster on the wing than peregrines, -and having trained and flown both species of these falcons for many -years I have been enabled to prove this beyond doubt.” - -The swift has still to be considered. There are three species of -swifts which rank as British birds: the common swift (_Cypselus -apus_), the Alpine swift (_Cypselus melba_), and the spine-tailed -or needle-tailed swift (_Acanthyllis caudacuta_ or _Chaetura -caudacuta caudacuta_). The Alpine swift is a rare visitor here, -only about thirty having been satisfactorily identified at -different times from April to October in different parts of these -islands, but chiefly in the southern part of England. It breeds in -mountains throughout Central Europe, and eastwards to India. The -spine-tailed swift is even a rarer visitor here, only two recorded -instances of specimens having been obtained--one in Essex in 1846 -and one (said to have been in company with another) in Hampshire -in 1879. It breeds in the mountains of North-eastern Asia, and in -winter goes as far south as Australia. - -[Illustration: THE SPINE-TAILED SWIFT. - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - -Swifts are perhaps the most powerfully winged, in proportion to -their weight, of all British birds. Their form is that which has -been found to make the fastest sailing vessel--full forwards and -lengthened, and tapering backwards. The difficulty in regard to -these birds, and particularly in regard to the Alpine swift and -the spine-tailed swift, is to obtain the necessary opportunities -and conditions for comparing their maximum speed with that of -other very fast birds. It is difficult to realise merely from a -consideration of the description and measurements of these three -swifts in the authoritative works of ornithologists how much larger -the Alpine swift and spine-tailed swift are than the common swift. -I have had opportunities of handling and examining the stuffed -specimens of these birds in the British Museum (Natural History) at -South Kensington, and should like to acknowledge here the courtesy -and assistance given to me at the Museum by Mr. W. P. Pycraft, Dr. -P. R. Lowe, and Mr. N. B. Kinnear. - -The actual measurements of the three birds are as follows: - - Length. Wing. - Common Swift 6·75 inches 6·8 inches - Alpine Swift 8 ” 8·45 ” - Needle-tailed Swift 8 ” 8·1 ” - -It is not generally realised that the common swift, so well known -in this country, which looks so imposing in flight as it glides -overhead with wings extended, is hardly so large, when plucked, as -a man’s thumb-joint and weighs slightly over half an ounce. - -Bearing in mind that as between two birds of the same build and -structure the larger will, when it gets going, fly faster than the -smaller one, it would naturally be expected, as is the undoubted -fact, that the Alpine swift and spine-tailed swift are faster -fliers than the common swift. - -The falconer has in the case of the swift very little opportunity -of comparing its speed with that of the peregrine. This is partly -because the peregrine, whether it be the falcon (the female bird) -or the tiercel (the male bird), will probably not attempt to -kill the swift, it being too small a prey. There is the further -difficulty that the swift rarely continues on a level flight. - -I have been so fortunate as to obtain the views of several -well-known authorities on this difficult question--the comparative -maximum speed of the swift and the peregrine. - -Colonel Meinertzhagen says: - -“I should certainly say that the swift is the fastest British bird, -both in its normal speed and accelerated. But any of the falcons -could catch it, if caught unawares, by stooping, or perhaps two -hunting together. If the swift had, say, ten seconds’ warning,[14] -I do not believe any falcon could touch it. As regards endurance, -those birds with the greatest endurance are the swifts, swallows, -petrels, and gulls. Swifts are probably endowed with the greatest -powers, being denied by nature the advantages of perching, -alighting on water, or resting on the ground. I have recently been -studying the power of flight of various groups of birds, and find -that the wings of the swift and petrel groups have wing outlines -best suited for both endurance and speed. The falcon has a wing -intended for short rapid flights and not for endurance. - -“You have doubtless seen falcons hunting. When they set out on a -regular hunt they are not usually much faster than their quarry, -unless it is some unfortunate non-game bird, and they only -gradually overtake it. But I think a falcon usually makes full use -of surprise and force of gravity. If these fail, he often abandons -the chase, recognising that wearing a bird like a golden plover or -teal down by sheer endurance and honest straightforward flying is -a troublesome and not always successful task.” - -Major C. R. E. Radclyffe writes: - -“The point you raise _re_ the relative speed of swifts and other -birds is a difficult one to decide. - -“I have, however, a strong recollection of a brother falconer (I -cannot remember who it was) telling me that his trained merlins -could easily overhaul a swift, and he told me that once or twice -they had killed them. But this was many years ago, and I am not -able to remember all the facts. - -“I have often stood on the bridges here and watched swifts passing -in hundreds close past me. They appear to be moving very fast when -hawking after flies near the surface of a river. - -“There is a long stretch of broad water in the river in front of my -house here, and often there are hundreds of swifts flying up and -down it. They go about half a mile dead straight and then turn back -over this stretch of the river. - -“I have flown fast carrier pigeons along this same bit of water, -and they seem to do it in less time than the swifts. Only last -summer, at my place in Scotland, I was sitting on the banks of the -river watching some swifts, when a pair of blue rock pigeons came -from their nest in the cliff, going out to feed, and they went -clean past the swifts going in the same direction. - -“Of course presumably the pigeons were in a hurry and the swifts -were not, and unless we are certain that both birds are trying -their hardest, you cannot accept these things as a test of speed. - -“If I were asked to guess roughly at the six fastest flying birds -in the British Isles, I should place them as follows: - - 1. The Peregrine, - 2. The Hobby, - 3. The Merlin, - 4. The Golden Plover, - 5. The Pochard, - 6. The Blue Rock Pigeon, - -and the fastest game bird is undoubtedly the blackcock. I do not -know, however, if a capercailzie would not beat him if you could -get them both to take a long flight across the open, because, -generally speaking, in the case of birds of similar shape and -species, the heaviest bird is the fastest flying one.” - -Captain G. S. Blaine, another falconer of long and varied -experience, has also been so kind as to give me his opinion on this -question. He writes: - -“I cannot say whether a peregrine falcon could overtake and kill a -swift, but I do not think it would ever attempt the feat. Falcons -do not, as a rule, attack small birds. The male or tiercel will -sometimes stoop at them, but more in play than in earnest. The -female, I should think, would never attempt to catch anything -smaller than a thrush or starling. - -“It is very difficult to estimate the relative speed of different -birds. To do so, one would have to judge correctly of the time -taken in passing a measured distance on a straight course. Very few -birds, especially swifts, fly absolutely straight ahead. - -“A hobby has been known to catch swifts and swallows, and possibly -a merlin would do the same. - -“A peregrine can fly faster than a merlin, but it would not be so -quick in turning and following a bird. - -“I think a peregrine can fly faster than a teal or golden plover, -though, as you observe, the latter are quicker off the mark.” - -There are very few recorded instances, as far as I have been able -to ascertain, in which a hawk has killed the common swift. In two -of these there was no evidence as to whether the hawk had not -taken the swift by surprise. But there is at least one recorded -instance in which a swift has been killed by a hobby in fair -flight. This is to be found in that delightful book, _Field Studies -of some Rarer British Birds_,[15] by Mr. William Walpole Bond. The -description of the race is so vivid that, with the author’s kind -permission, I reproduce it here. - -“On June 14, 1907, as I lay in a spacious clearing of a big Sussex -woodland, a sudden swirl of wings gave me instant pause in my -meditations. Looking up, my eyes were held by a swift coasting -earthwards in frantic haste, hotly pursued by a hobby not many -yards in his wake. I literally held my breath with excitement, for -here was an occurrence of dreamland only. Speeding on about a level -with the tree-tops both birds measure the length of the long glade -in fractional time, and the hawk gains almost imperceptibly. - -“Then the pursued makes a mighty effort; he rises gamely, even -slightly increasing his lead. Indeed it seemed he might shake off -his deadly courser. Alas, my friend, it is to no purpose; the -hobby has responded to your challenge, and now exhibits speed for -which--glorious flier though he be--I should never have given him -credit. Mounting with ease above his prospective prey, the lithe -hawk compels him to describe an arc and once again to start a -life--or death--struggle in a headlong slant across the clearing. -That flight is his last--the swift has shot his bolt. Now inches -only separate the birds, you could cover both with a very large -handkerchief. Next instant the hawk rises straight and stoops -strongly, pursuer and pursued become one. Binding to his quarry the -hawk is away over the trees at my back without so much as the most -momentary pause in the continuation of his eminently successful -‘shikar.’ Indeed, this continuity of action was possibly the most -pleasing part of a praiseworthy performance, since you might -reasonably have expected a break--however trivial--after what must -have been a long and arduous chase. As a fact, the death-stroke was -so featly and rapidly administered that, except that where a moment -before there had been two birds there was now only one, and that a -muffled clap and a few small dusky feathers twirling aimlessly in -the summer breeze suggested some sort of untoward happening, it -was difficult to realise that anything unusual had taken place. - -“I have seen the irresistible death-stoop of the peregrine, the -lightning rush of the tiny merlin, I have watched the earthward -plunge after prey of buzzard, eagle, kite, and harrier; I have -revelled in the agile snatch of the sparrow-hawk, in the silent -hovering of the kestrel; and all have I enjoyed. Here was something -quite different and even far better. Never have I seen skill so -superb as was displayed by that hobby.” - -It would therefore seem that the hobby, which is a peregrine in -miniature, flies faster than the common swift even on a horizontal -flight, but it is worthy of note that in both stoops referred to -in this delightful description, the hobby gained by reason of -gravity. True, he also gained altitude, but this may have been -better manœuvring for position and not necessarily a greater speed. -As the peregrine flies faster than the hobby, being a bird of the -same structure but larger, the peregrine could no doubt overtake -and kill the common swift if it would take the trouble to pursue so -small a bird. - -Next, as to the Alpine swift. This bird is much larger than -the common swift--in length 8 inches as compared with 6·75 -inches--whilst their wings are 8·45 inches and 6·8 inches -respectively, and as the two birds are of the same structure, one -would naturally expect that the Alpine swift would be much the -faster flier. The flight of the Alpine swift, like that of the -blackcock, which is probably the fastest flier amongst game birds -with the possible exception of the capercailzie, is very deceptive. - -Colonel Meinertzhagen, in the article already mentioned, describes -some observations from an aeroplane in regard to the flight of a -large flock of common swifts feeding at an altitude of 6000 feet -over Mosul in Mesopotamia. He describes how they circled round -the aeroplane, which was flying at 68 miles an hour, and easily -overtook it. In commenting on this case he says: “The case of the -Mosul swifts is interesting. The birds were probably not on passage -but simply feeding. It is known that swifts travel great distances -in search of food and ascend great altitudes. - -“In the Middle Atlas of Morocco, in the Himalayas, in Crete, -and Palestine, 4000 or 5000 feet and 50 miles or so in distance -seems nothing to these incomparable fliers. I have had splendid -opportunities of observing the Alpine, common, and spine-tailed -swifts (_Chaetura_), and it has been a great disappointment to -me that I have never been able to get a satisfactory estimate of -their rate of flight, as they never continue on a level course. -On a small island on the coast of Crete I was recently given a -good exhibition of what an Alpine swift can do. I was watching -some of these birds feeding round cliffs in which several pairs of -Eleonora’s falcons were about to breed. Now, this delightful falcon -is no mean flier, and as these swifts passed their cliff, the -falcons would come out against them like rockets. The swifts would -accelerate and would seem to be out of sight before the falcons -were well on their way. So confident were the swifts in their -superior speed, that every time they circled round the island they -never failed to ‘draw’ the falcons, and seemed to be playing with -them. I may add that these same falcons have little difficulty in -overhauling and striking a rock-pigeon--itself no mean performer. I -have also seen on record the case of falcons and swifts somewhere -in India, where the former failed time after time to come up with -his quarry. I, unfortunately, cannot trace the reference. - -“I hesitate even to guess at the speed to which a swift can attain -when the necessity arises, but the main point is that this, the -fastest of birds, can increase his feeding speed of, say, 70 miles -per hour, to a velocity which must exceed 100 miles per hour.” - -In the tables given above[16] Colonel Meinertzhagen estimates the -speed of the normal and migratory rate of flight of falcons at 40 -to 48 miles an hour, whilst Captain Portal estimates the maximum -speed of the peregrine falcon in level flight through still air at -62 miles an hour. Captain Portal adds that the speed given is for -a good trained bird, and that a wild bird is faster. - -In view of Colonel Meinertzhagen’s observations from his aeroplane -and the figures given above, it would appear to be certain that -the Alpine swift is faster than the peregrine falcon in horizontal -flight. - -We have now to consider the speed of the spine-tailed or -needle-tailed swift. There seems to be no doubt that this bird is -a much faster flier than the Alpine swift, though at first sight -and without a careful examination of the skeletons, it is difficult -to state why this should be so. I have compared various specimens -of the two birds, and there appears to be little difference in -their size. Colonel Meinertzhagen, who has been so kind as to -discuss the subject with me, agrees that the spine-tailed swift is -the faster flier, and tells me that he thinks it is probably the -heavier bird of the two, and that this may account for its greater -rapidity of flight. - -The wing of the Alpine swift is 8·45 inches, that of the -spine-tailed swift is 8·1 inches. The length of both birds is 8 -inches,[17] although Dresser[18] gives the total length as 8·5 and -that of the spine-tailed swift as 8·1 inches. - -The genus _Chaetura_, to which the needle-tailed swift belongs, is -easily distinguishable from the genus _Apus_ (to which the common -swift and Alpine swift belong) by the wedge-shaped tail in which -the shafts of the feathers are longer than the webs and protrude -like spines. The tail in the only species (_Chaetura caudacuta -caudacuta_) occurring in the British Isles, compared with that of -the Alpine swift, is very short. It is almost square, and has ten -feathers, which are very stiff and the shafts of which project 4-6 -mm. (·156-·234 inch) beyond the web in a stiff point like that of -a needle or spine.[19] - -The shafts of the primaries are very strong and the wings very -long. Gould[20] says, in reference to the spine-tailed swift, in a -passage which is quoted in Seebohm:[21] “The keel or breast bone -of this species is more than ordinarily deep and the pectoral -muscles more developed than in any of its weight with which I am -acquainted.” Probably the last-mentioned facts largely account for -its superiority in speed over the Alpine swift. - -In an article entitled “The Twelve Swiftest Birds of -Australia,”[22] in which Mr. E. S. Sovenson gives the views of -himself and various friends of his as to the relative speed of -Australian birds, he says that after long observation he and they -have no hesitation in stating that the spine-tailed swift is the -swiftest Australian bird, and states that its speed has been -computed at 180 miles an hour. - -“Besides its swiftness,” he writes, “it is almost tireless of wing, -being second only in that respect to the frigate bird, the bird -of eternal flight. Both have very long wings in relation to the -body--an indication of rapid flight. The swift, a bird of passage -which crossed the wide sea after breeding in Japan, is not known to -alight in Australia, where it spends a considerable time hunting -its insect prey in the upper air.” - -In _A History of the Birds of Europe_,[23] Dresser writes: “The -present species (_Acanthyllis caudacuta_ or _Chaetura caudacuta -caudacuta_) and _Acanthyllis gigantea_ are said to be the swiftest -birds in existence. Tickell says that he never witnessed anything -equal to the prodigious swiftness of its movements.” - -_Chaetura caudacuta cochinchinensis_ (which is to be found in -Malacca, Sumatra, and Cochin China) is a form of the spine-tailed -swift allied to that species (_Chaetura caudacuta caudacuta_) which -is so rare a visitor here. I have examined and compared numerous -specimens of these three species of spine-tailed swifts, and it -would seem practically certain, in view of their similarity in size -and structure, that their speed must be similar. - -Mr. E. Stuart Baker, who has made experiments as to the speed -of the _Chaetura nudipes_ and the _Chaetura cochinchinensis_, -writes:[24] “Both these species have a normal flighting speed of -something very nearly approaching 200 miles an hour, enormously in -excess of the powers of any other bird with which I am acquainted. -In North Cachar, Assam, these birds used to fly directly over my -bungalow in Haflang, flying thence in a straight line to a ridge -of hills exactly two miles away, and when over the ridge at once -dipping out of sight. We constantly timed these swifts and found -that stop-watches made them cover this distance in from 36 seconds -to 42 seconds, _i.e._ at a rate of exactly 200 miles an hour to -171·4.” - -Writing of the _Chaetura nudipes_ Mr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., -says:[25] “This and the other large spine-tails are, I believe, -absolutely the swiftest of living birds. Their flight far exceeds -that of the Alpine swift, and I doubt if any falcon can approach -them in speed. They are generally seen in scattered flocks that -play about for a time and disappear at a pace that must be seen to -be appreciated.” - -The same ornithologist refers[26] to the _Chaetura indica_ or -brown-necked spine-tailed swift, which is a larger species (length -about 9 inches, tail 2·6--wing 8--tarsus 6·8), as being “equal or -possibly even superior in speed to _Chaetura nudipes_--so wonderful -is their flight that Mr. H. R. P. Carter remarked that a flock of -Alpine swifts, passing over immediately after some of the present -species, ‘seemed to fly like owls after the arrow-like speed of the -spine-tails.’” - -I think, therefore, that if the speed in horizontal flight is alone -to be considered, the spine-tailed swift is the fastest bird which -flies in the British Isles, that the Alpine swift comes next; -then come the northern falcons (or as they are usually called, -gyr-falcons) and the peregrine falcon, in the order named, except -in the case of a very short flight, in which case the Golden Plover -and teal, being faster off the mark and better sprinters, will fly -more quickly than the falcons, though they will, when the latter -really get going, be gradually overtaken. - -There remains for consideration the speed of the golden eagle and -falcon in their downward flight, when stooping at their prey. There -is no certain method of comparing their respective speeds in this -unique kind of flight either with one another or with the speed -of other birds which never fly in this way. In considering the -question of the relative speed of the two birds in this particular -kind of flight, I will first deal with the matter on principle and -then consider such evidence of eye-witnesses as I have been able to -obtain. The falcon has of course one great advantage over the eagle -as regards equipment for swift flight. He has the long pointed -wings typical of the true falcon, whereas the eagle has rounded -wings. As between birds of similar size and spread of wings, the -bird with pointed wings is faster than the one with rounded wings. -Thus a blackcock is undoubtedly faster than a pheasant although -their bodies are about the same size, or to be more accurate the -blackcock is rather smaller than the pheasant. A striking instance -of this was recently given in the _Field_[27] by Mr. G. Denholm -Armour, who wrote: “Some years ago a friend asked me to come to -Argyllshire late in the autumn to shoot some black-game which lived -in the birch and fir woods hanging along the lower parts of the -hills. - -“Our method was to place ourselves in a break in the line of woods -at the bottom of the hill, sending two or three men to drive the -wood towards us. The result was usually very high birds flying -downhill and very fast. On several occasions at the same time came -a blackcock and a cock pheasant, of which there were a few in -almost every drive. Incidentally, most of the pheasants we shot -were old birds with long spurs, so were very strong on the wing. -In each case--and I noticed several--the blackcock outflew the -pheasant by what seemed to be about 50 per cent in pace, leaving -him as a racing car would a ‘runabout.’ - -“The chance of comparison was very interesting, being between birds -of much the same weight and size, both started under the same -conditions, and I think ‘doing their best.’ Had the blackcock come -alone, I think his much slower wing beat would have made one think -him the slower flier of the two.” - -The blackcock and grouse have wings exactly alike--but the -blackcock is heavier than the grouse and much faster. - -With the exception of the difference in the wings mentioned above, -the structure of the eagle and falcon is very similar, and as has -been pointed out, the larger of two birds of similar structure once -it gets going is almost invariably faster, owing no doubt to its -superior muscular power and driving force. - -In comparing the downward flight of the eagle and falcon it is also -necessary to recollect the advantage which the former has by reason -of its much greater weight. - -It is difficult to obtain thoroughly reliable records of the -weights of the golden eagle and the different falcons; but so far -as I can ascertain, the weight of the eagle varies from 8½ to 12½ -lb., that of the gyr-falcon from 3 to 3¾ lb., and that of the -peregrine from 2 to 3 ounces under 2 lb. to 2¾ lb., in each case of -course the female bird being heavier than the male. - -But for the resistance of the air, all bodies, light or heavy, -small or large, would fall at the same rate. In fact, however, -as velocity increases a notable air resistance is set up which -increases rapidly. The velocity of a body falling freely _in vacuo_ -is over forty miles per hour at the end of two seconds, over sixty -at the end of three seconds, and so on. - -We all know by experience the great force exerted by a wind of a -velocity even as low as thirty miles an hour, which most people -would call a hurricane. But it is not perhaps so generally known -that in proportion to its weight, other things such as shape and -specific gravity being similar, a small body experiences much -greater resistance than a large body. The resistance of the air -to the fine particles of vapour which constitute a cloud is such -that they only fall at the same rate of a few feet per hour. And -in the case of two birds of similar shape and specific gravity, -but one eight times the weight of the other, the larger bird would -ultimately attain a velocity roughly twice as great as the other, -if both fell for a sufficient distance to attain their limiting -velocities, _i.e._ the velocity at which the resistance offered by -the air is equal to the attraction of gravity. Similarly if the -one bird were four times the weight of the other, the velocity -ultimately attained under the conditions mentioned would be roughly -one and a half times as great as the other. - -In “Notes by an Old Stalker” in the _Field_ for September 9, 1922 -(p. 370) there appears the following interesting account of a duel -between a golden eagle and a peregrine which the writer himself -witnessed: - -“Although by a long way our most powerful bird, the eagle is by -no means a match for some much smaller combatants. Once I saw -an eagle soaring placidly along when from a range of precipices -immediately below him a falcon shot up into the air. Without a -moment’s hesitation he attacked the giant bird. The eagle at once -joined combat, and through the telescope I could see his efforts -to hit his adversary with beak and wing. One blow from either and -it would be all over with the falcon; but the latter evidently -realised this and regulated his tactics accordingly. The movements -of the eagle were slow and cumbrous compared to the rapid action -and lithe activity of his adversary. Every time he dodged the -eagle’s stroke and, wheeling rapidly, got in his blow before the -huge bird could recover himself. That the eagle was in a great rage -was evident, for I could hear him emitting sounds that resembled -nothing so much as the bark of a terrier. Finally, realising the -hopelessness of the contest, he took to flight. I previously knew -that the eagle was fast on wing, but the speed he now exhibited -was a revelation to me. With half-extended, half-curved wings, -showing never a tremor, he cleft the air straight as a bullet. The -falcon pursued, but, being left hopelessly behind, soon gave up the -chase.” - -The flight of the eagle here described was obviously a glide or -downward flight, when, as I have pointed out, gravity would assist -his speed to a greater extent than it would in a bird of less -weight--the peregrine. - -In the case of a bird of prey descending from a height on its -quarry, the nearer its downward flight is to the vertical the -faster will it descend. In coming down on its prey, neither the -eagle nor the falcon completely closes its wings, probably because -if it did so, it would lose control. This is also true of the -gannet or solan goose, which has been described as the largest -and noblest-looking of our sea fowl. The great speed which a bird -of large size can attain in downward flight can to some extent -be realised by watching the gannet when he drops head first as -he descends perpendicularly on to the fish in the water. I have -carefully examined and compared the skeletons of the eagle and -peregrine and have tried to form some idea as to the relative -muscular power and driving force of the two birds, and bearing in -mind the facts stated above, and the greatly superior size and -weight of the eagle, it seems reasonable to conclude on principle -that the eagle is probably faster than the gyr-falcon or peregrine -in a downward flight, assuming that both birds are putting forth -all their powers. - -As regards the evidence of eye-witnesses, I have discussed this -question with many stalkers. The majority of them have never seen -the eagle stoop at its quarry and strike it a blow which sends it -to the ground as the peregrine so often does--though they have seen -the eagle seize its quarry in the air or pounce on it on the ground -and carry it off. Only a few of these, however, have any doubt as a -result of what they have heard from other stalkers and keepers that -the eagle on occasion does adopt the former method. - -It is, however, an undoubted fact that although the eagle generally -captures birds which he is pursuing by seizing them in his talons -or, to use the falconer’s term, binding on them, he occasionally -stoops on and strikes them in the air, sending them hurtling to the -ground in the same way as the peregrine does. - -The reason why the eagle so rarely adopts this method is probably -because it can secure its prey without doing so, and further if it -were to exert all its powers when descending from a considerable -height at an angle near the vertical on a grouse, blackcock, or -ptarmigan (which do not usually fly very high above the ground), -it would incur a serious risk of injury in consequence of being -carried on by its impetus and dashing against the rocks or ground -after striking down its prey. - -[Illustration: THE GOLDEN EAGLE. - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - -The interesting, and I think significant, fact is that although -some of these stalkers with whom I have discussed the question -think that the peregrine probably flies faster than the eagle, -every one of them who has seen the eagle kill its quarry in this -way (and I know several) has told me that in his opinion the -eagle in its final rush is faster than the peregrine. It is also -important in this connection to bear in mind the fact on which -Major Radclyffe lays such stress--that it is an optical illusion to -imagine that a smaller-sized bird is flying faster than a larger -bird of similar shape and make, and that, as he says, ninety-nine -sportsmen out of a hundred would probably tell you that a snipe -flies faster than a woodcock--whereas the converse is true. An old -keeper in the North, whom I have known for many years, told me that -he had seen the eagle stoop at and strike his quarry in this way on -two occasions, and that it moved in its final downward flight with -the same lightning-like rapidity as the peregrine. - -John Finlayson, the head stalker at Killilan, wrote to me last -February as follows: “I have once plainly seen the eagle driving -after grouse and striking it down very similar like what the -peregrine falcon does. It happened at the north end of Corrie-ach. -I was going up to Patt from Mulbuie way. A covey of grouse came -tearing down from the low end of Aonachbuie in front of me, about -300 yards away, and an eagle in hot pursuit, wings gathered up, and -making a swishing noise; going through the air it struck one down, -with a cloud of feathers knocked out when it did so. The eagle -glided up a little, then balanced and dropped down where the bird -fell; it was a little over a ridge out of my view; when I got up to -the place I saw the eagle well up the glen going fast with the bird -in its talons.” - -My gamekeeper, Donald McIver, who has lived all his life in -Ross-shire, on one occasion saw an eagle strike and kill -a blackcock. This is his account of it. “In the forest of -Strathconan, where I was for a number of years, I once saw a very -fine sight of an eagle pursuing a blackcock. The blackcock got up -at the head of a very deep corrie and came over at a very great -height. The eagle was about and soon after it. I could see him -overtake the bird, and I would say that he struck him the same way -as the peregrine does with his claw. I saw something drop, but -could not make out what it was at the time; then the eagle doubled -in the air and caught the bird before it reached the ground. None -of the other eagles I have seen after their prey have struck it -like this in the air. They have always clutched at their prey, but -this time the eagle struck the bird and went right past him. I was -not far off, and could hear a tremendous noise of the wings. When -the eagle doubled back and caught the bird in the air I would judge -that the bird would be as high up as three hundred feet, and when -he doubled back I should think he was not fifty. - -“Perhaps the narrowness of the corrie might be the reason for him -taking the bird in the way he did--I went to the place and found -the head of the blackcock; there was about three inches of skin -hanging to the head, a tear like what would be done with the claw. -This is the only time I ever saw an eagle kill a bird in the air, -but it was a grand sight. This happened in January 1895, in Corrie -Vullin, Strathconan.” - -This amazing feat in aerial gymnastics is no doubt also performed -on rare occasions by the peregrine. One of the most experienced -of living falconers wrote to me as follows: “I have seen a very -celebrated falcon which I owned for years bring off a remarkable -trick several times. She used to strike at the back of the grouse’s -head, and I have seen her just scalp the grouse, taking a piece -out of its skull not as large as a pea, and thus killing the bird -in mid-air just as if it was shot; often, when the grouse was high -above the ground, I have seen the falcon then take a sharp turn -in the air as the grouse was falling, like a spinning leaf, and -pick it up in her feet before it could touch the ground--a very -wonderful sight.” - -An old friend of mine, who is head stalker in one of our best-known -deer forests and whose veracity I have every reason to accept, -told me an interesting story which further illustrates what fine -feats in the air the peregrine falcon can perform. He said that on -one occasion he saw a falcon strike and carry off a crow. As the -falcon was circling higher and higher up, carrying off this crow, -it was mobbed by a considerable number of other crows. For some -time it ignored them, continuing its steady upward circling flight -until one crow, becoming rather bolder than the rest, provoked -the falcon into retaliation. Dropping the crow it was carrying, the -falcon stooped on the troublesome crow, struck and killed it and, -turning with extraordinary rapidity, caught in the air the dead -crow which it had been carrying, and then recommenced its upward -flight without further trouble from the crows. - -[Illustration: WHERE THE GOLDEN EAGLE REIGNS. - -From a Photograph by FRANK WALLACE.] - -The marvellous speed of the golden eagle and peregrine in their -final rush, when stooping from a height at their quarry, must be -seen to be believed. Few persons have been so fortunate as to have -this opportunity in the case of the golden eagle, although this -grand bird is often to be seen in some forests and has no doubt -increased in numbers in recent years. On the other hand, there are -of course many persons who have seen both the wild peregrine and -the trained gyrfalcon and peregrine strike down their quarry. - -The well-known ornithologist and wild-fowler, Mr. W. H. Robinson of -Lancaster, in a letter in the _Field_ of January 28, 1922, after -stating from his own experience that the peregrine can overtake the -golden plover and the curlew with the greatest ease, says: - -“To my mind one of the fastest things I have ever witnessed is the -last effort of a peregrine in chase of a wild duck when, fast as is -the accelerated speed of a mallard, it seems almost to be standing -still in the air when the peregrine stoops over it.” - -Any one who has seen this, as I am glad to say I have, will -assuredly echo these words. - -It is of course pure speculation whether, in the comparatively -short flight of an eagle or falcon stooping in its final downward -rush at its prey, its speed exceeds the maximum speed of the -spine-tailed swift. Those, however, who have seen the last effort -of the eagle or falcon in a flight of that unique kind will never -believe, without scientific demonstration to the contrary, that any -other bird in the British Isles can fly faster. - -[Illustration: Donald] - - - - -[Illustration: (Antlers)] - - V - - A GOOD DAY IN THE FOREST OF COIGNAFEARN - - -Towards the end of a September several years ago I was so fortunate -as to be invited to stalk at Coignafearn, which has always been -famous for the size and weight of its deer. On reaching the lodge -on a Saturday night, I heard that the head stalker had met with an -accident, fortunately not a bad one, but possibly serious enough to -prevent his going out with me on the following Monday. He had been -out in the forest the day before I arrived, and on going up to a -stag to bleed him, the stag had given a sudden unexpected plunge, -which had caused the stalker to inflict on himself a nasty wound in -his right leg with his knife, which was open in his hand; another -instance that no one, not even the oldest and most experienced of -stalkers, can be too careful on these occasions. On Monday morning -he was much better but not fit to go with me. The season was well -advanced, and my host was very anxious to kill the usual number -of stags as soon as possible. It was therefore arranged that I -should act as my own stalker, and take with me a watcher named -Maclennan. I had also two gillies with me and a couple of ponies, -and my host told me that he would be only too glad, if I could -manage it, if I would kill as many stags as could be brought in. -Maclennan had never acted as stalker, but as there is nothing I -like better than to do the stalking myself, I was very pleased -with this arrangement, for Maclennan knew the ground thoroughly, -and I felt sure that his assistance would be invaluable; indeed, -without him I could of course have done practically nothing, as the -ground was strange to me. We were in the forest and spying by 10 -A.M., and very soon we saw a good stag with some hinds. The stalk -was unsuccessful, but it was not long before we spied another good -stag, and without much difficulty I managed to get into a good -position within about 150 yards, and shot him through the heart. -He proved to be a good eight-pointer, and weighed 15 stone clean. -Shortly after this we spied a large herd of deer which were very -restless, continually on the move. There were several good stags -in the herd, and these were roaring and fighting and driving the -hinds about. Two of them in particular, which looked like the -heaviest, engaged in a battle which lasted for some time; but -gradually one of them showed signs of being worsted and, watching -his opportunity, suddenly turned tail and bolted. It is rarely -that battles of this kind end fatally--only once have I met an -eye-witness of such an occurrence. The battle was between a switch -and a ten-pointer. The combatants were fighting on the side of a -hill and were very evenly matched. My informant, the stalker at -Attadale, said that after some time the switch, taking advantage -of being on slightly higher ground, charged his adversary and, -getting past his guard, pierced his side with his antlers. The -ten-pointer immediately fell to the ground dead. The stalker ran up -and found that the dead stag had been pierced through the heart by -his conqueror. - -The stag with the best horns is generally not the best fighter and -is frequently driven out by a switch-horn or “caberslach,” whose -long skewer-like antlers are the most effective horns for fighting. -The best fighter of all is, however, the hummel--a stag which has -no horns at all, and which is in consequence a very heavy beast. - -It is astonishing how a stag will sometimes acknowledge himself -beaten without any fight at all. I remember when stalking at Fealar -that I had been trying without success for nearly two hours to get -a shot at a big black stag which was in pursuit of a large number -of hinds and was constantly on the move, skirmishing with smaller -stags and driving them away. Suddenly we heard the sound of great -roaring and saw coming from the direction of Mar Forest a huge red -stag which evidently had for its objective the hinds who were in -charge of the black stag. The newcomer kept running for a short -distance and then stopped to roar and grunt. We thought that by -running hard we might reach a point near enough to get a shot at -him. We accordingly ran as fast as we could in order to try to cut -him off, but in vain. Before we could get within shot of him he -had passed this point we were making for. As soon as he got within -sixty to seventy yards of the black stag, who was waiting and -every now and then roaring defiantly in answer to his challenge, -the latter seemed suddenly to realize that the contest would be -hopeless and turned tail and bolted ignominiously, being pursued -only for a short distance by his adversary, who then rounded up the -hinds and drove them off. - -But to return to my story. We tried to stalk the victorious stag, -which seemed to be the best beast in the herd, but found it -extraordinarily difficult to get within shot of him. There always -seemed to be several hinds in the way, and, as it was now getting -towards two o’clock, we decided to have luncheon, in the hope that -in the meantime the deer would settle down, and that we should then -have a chance at the stag we were after. We did not waste any time -over lunch and very soon again had the deer in view. They were -still on the move and we followed them for some time. The stag -which we were after, which we made out to be a nine-pointer, was -evidently much troubled by two other stags only a little smaller -than himself, and presently, after chasing away first one and -then the other, these three stags were between us and the herd. -Now at last it seemed there was some chance of getting a shot at -the nine-pointer, but before we could get up to him he began again -to chase off the other stags, and then turned, and at a good pace -followed the herd which was moving away from us. The other stags -then also turned and followed in the same direction, though at a -respectful distance from the nine-pointer. Maclennan and I, by -running and crawling quickly, gradually diminished the distance -between ourselves and the deer, and at last, after a quick run -when out of their sight, crawled up a small hill and saw the three -stags, the nine-pointer watching the other two. The nine-pointer -was nearly 200 yards from us when he suddenly stopped and turned, -standing for a moment about three-quarters on. I saw that this was -my only chance, as the stags were just on the brow of the hill, -and in a few moments would almost certainly be out of sight. I -therefore decided to take the chance and fired. - -“You have him, sir,” said Maclennan, as the stag, evidently hard -hit, disappeared over the brow of the hill. We made our way as fast -as we could over the hill, but saw no sign of the stag. - -[Illustration: PREPARING FOR BATTLE. - -By FRANK WALLACE.] - -The ground was rocky and very broken, and I felt sure that he -could not have gone far, and was lying down hiding himself. We -began to search, when suddenly the stag jumped up from under a -rock about some eighty yards from us, and after running for about -500 yards farther lay down behind a rock, showing only the point -of his horns. I had not shot at him again, as he was end on, and -was evidently in such a condition that he could not go very far. -We followed up, keeping well out of sight, but found it impossible -to get a chance of shooting, so cleverly had he concealed himself. -Whilst hesitating as to what would be the best course to take, the -stag suddenly got up again and bolted, but this time he gave me a -fair chance of a shot, and I killed him before he had gone more -than a few yards. On getting up to him, we found that my first shot -was not sufficiently forward, but was a raking shot through the -body, and the stag could not in any case have gone very far. He was -a good beast with a strong horn, and later turned the scale at 16 -stone 9 lb. clean. After gralloching the stag, one of the gillies -went off to signal to the ponyman; and Maclennan, the other gillie, -and I proceeded to work our way back to the lodge, hoping to get -another shot on the way home. We soon spied a good stag with a -number of hinds, and, after a long stalk, I got a good chance of -taking a quick shot at a little over 100 yards and fired. The -stag disappeared. Maclennan thought I had hit him, but I was very -uncertain, and think I must have shot over him. A long and careful -search on the ground, which was very broken, showed nothing. There -was no sign of the stag, nor were there any marks of blood to be -seen, and I felt satisfied that I must have missed him, though -Maclennan and the gillie had thought otherwise. - -We again started to work our way back, and had not gone very far -before Maclennan suddenly stopped and brought his glass to bear -on the face of a hill about half a mile away. He then said there -was a stag with a fine wide head lying down, and that we ought to -be able to get close to him without difficulty, as the ground was -very broken. I proceeded to stalk this stag, and got without great -difficulty within about 180 yards of him, when I saw that he was -up and looking very suspicious, and that I should have to take my -shot as soon as I could. We quickly got the rifle out of the cover, -and crawled to another hillock about 100 yards from where the stag -was. Arrived there, I pushed the barrels of my rifle over the top -of the hillock and slowly raised my head. The stag was standing -nearly broadside on, looking straight at me. I fired. There was -a thud as the bullet struck him, and he turned and galloped off, -disappearing round a corner of the hill. I felt confident that -the bullet had gone home; and we found the stag, who had been, as -I thought, shot through the heart, lying dead about sixty yards -from the place where he had been standing when I fired at him. He -was a ten-pointer, and had a fine wide head with a good horn, and -when we got him home we found, curiously enough, that his weight -was exactly the same as that of the first stag that I had shot--15 -stone clean. - -Leaving the gillie to gralloch the stag, Maclennan and I now -proceeded homewards, keeping a sharp look-out, and presently we saw -a considerable number of stags, which were moving across the valley -from one hill to another. We saw that if they were not disturbed -they would probably cross a little hill not far from us, at a point -from which we could, if we moved quickly, get to within shooting -distance. So, running and walking quickly, we reached a spot about -140 to 150 yards from the point at which we expected the stags to -pass, and arrived just in time. The stags were moving slowly almost -broadside to us in single file, and were passing over a little -knoll, at which point I had a fine chance of a shot. - -“Take the second one, sir,” said Maclennan, who had his glass on -them. I was just about to fire when he said: “No, not that one, but -the third; he’s better.” Again I was on the point of shooting when -Maclennan said: “Wait, sir, wait; take the fifth, he’s the best.” -Directly the stag topped the knoll I fired, and he ran a few yards -and fell down. On coming up to him I found it necessary to give -him another bullet through the neck. We found that this stag was -by far the best we had seen that day. He was a royal, in splendid -condition, and weighed 17 stone 6 lb. clean. He had a magnificent -head, with very thick black horns, and long points with white tips. -After gralloching him, and tying a handkerchief to his horns to -scare the eagles and foxes, we made our way back to the lodge. I -had several good days in the forest subsequently, with one or other -of the regular stalkers, but none more enjoyable than this one, in -which, without the assistance of a regular stalker, I had the good -fortune to kill four stags averaging over 16 stone clean, without -heart or liver. - -[Illustration: “TAKE THE FIFTH, HE’S THE BEST.” - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - - - - -[Illustration: ON THE TOPS] - - VI - - A STALKER’S PERIL - - -The accident to the head stalker which I mentioned in the preceding -article shows that stalking, like almost every other sport, has its -dangers, and every one acquainted with the pursuit of deer knows -the necessity of exercising great care in approaching them after -they have been shot. - -A serious accident is, however, very rare, but sometimes even the -most experienced stalkers, as in the instance referred to above, -incur risks which they ought not to take. - -Far more serious than the accident which I have described was one -which occurred several years ago, recorded by a former neighbour of -mine in the north, the owner of a well-known deer forest. I give -the story in his own words, as well as I can remember. “It was late -one day in the forest of Fannich, where I was stalking as the guest -of one of my relatives who was at that time a tenant of the forest. -After a long and difficult stalk, I had succeeded in getting up to -the stag and shot it. The stalker, Duncan, an excellent man of long -experience, approached the animal to give it the _coup de grâce_, -and, with his open knife in his right hand, seized one of the -stag’s forelegs with his left. Instantly the stag gave a tremendous -plunge and threw Duncan back. The knife went into Duncan’s thigh, -and he bled profusely. Both of us made frantic efforts to stop the -bleeding, but without avail. The gillie, who was behind, came up, -and we did all we could, but having no medical training, or even a -knowledge of first aid, were unable to render useful assistance. -Duncan got weaker and fainter, and was apparently bleeding to -death. He was, however, perfectly cool and collected, said there -was no one to blame but himself, that he was awfully careless, -and ought never to have taken hold of the stag in the way he did. - -[Illustration: IN THE FOREST OF FANNICH. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -“He appeared to be rapidly getting weaker, and said quite quietly -that he thought he was dying, and asked me to take some messages -for him to his wife and children, and then seemed to be losing -consciousness. It was getting dusk, and the gillie urged me not to -wait any longer, as I could do no good, and unless I started for -the lodge at once I should not be able to find my way. So with a -heavy heart I said good-bye to poor Duncan and started homewards. -From time to time I turned to look back at the two men, and at -last, when I reached the top of the last hill I had to cross before -losing sight of them, I turned to take one final glance. When I -looked round, however, I was startled to see, close to the place -where Duncan had been lying, the figures of two men walking slowly. -There was no mistake about it--they were Duncan and the gillie. I -ran back again, and found that soon after I left them the bleeding -had stopped quite unaccountably, and Duncan, though still very -weak, had gradually revived and finally insisted on trying to walk. -We persuaded him to rest, and, leaving the gillie beside him, I -went back to the lodge as quickly as I could and sent up a pony. -Duncan got safely home, and when the doctor saw him he said it was -a marvellous escape, for if the knife had gone into Duncan’s thigh -two inches from the spot where it entered, nothing could have saved -his life.” - - - - -[Illustration: Nearing the End.] - - VII - - THE LUCK OF SALMON FISHING - - -I have always sympathised with the author of the lines known as -“The Angler’s Prayer,” lines which are not so well known as they -deserve to be: - - Lord, suffer me to catch a fish-- - So large that _even I_ - When talking of it afterwards - May have no need to lie. - -In the spring of 1921 came the tragedy of my life as a fisherman. -I had five days’ fishing in the famous river Wye. The river was -dead low and my chances of success very small, but I kept steadily -at work during the time at my disposal, and on the fourth day had -the good fortune, by means of the attractions of a Mar Lodge (size -4/0), to hook a salmon which was not only the largest salmon I had -ever seen, but also the largest seen in that year on the beat I -was fishing--a most exciting struggle of over an hour terminating -in a wild rush of over 100 yards, the wildest rush I, or the keen -fisherman I had with me, have ever seen, a grand leap high up into -the air of this splendid clean-run fish, and the line came slowly -back, the cast having broken a foot from the end. Elsewhere (pp. -12-22, _supra_) I have told of how this splendid fish, no doubt -exhausted by the struggle, was shortly afterwards killed by a far -greater fisherman than any mere mortal man--an otter. Its estimated -weight, as far as could be judged from its remains, was about 40 -lb. The day was Friday, April 1, an appropriate day and date for -such a catastrophe. In the early part of the following year I -received an invitation from the same kindly host to try my luck -again in April on the same river, but on another and more famous -beat. I gratefully accepted the invitation, and set forth in high -hopes and, curiously enough, with a strong sense of expectation, I -might almost say the assurance, of great events. - -For several days after my arrival the river was so high that -fishing was hopeless, but on the morning of April 18, though still -high and coloured, it had run down to such an extent as to be in -fair condition. - -My host was most kind in wishing to give me every possible chance -of getting a good fish, and had arranged that I should take with -me his butler, C., a first-rate hand at gaffing salmon, who had -been with me in the preceding year when I was so unfortunate, and -was very keen to help me to kill a big fish. My host sent me to -try, first of all, a pool which had a great reputation. This pool -is about a mile long, and has to be fished from a boat, trees and -bushes running throughout its entire length along both sides of -the bank. My host had the fishing on one side of the river only, -and on reaching the head of the pool we found some one fishing -from the other side. After waiting until this rod had fished some -way down the pool, we began operations. I fished the whole morning -with the fly, but with no success, and about half-past one, as -the river was still so high, we decided to try the minnow, a much -more favourite lure than the fly on this particular river in the -spring. At my third cast I got a pull, and was fast in what was -obviously a heavy salmon. I never had a more lively fish to deal -with. It jumped fourteen times clean out of the water, and, making -a constant series of wild rushes, took me at a great pace down the -river. Some ladies of our party arrived at the head of the pool -about half an hour after I had hooked the fish, and inquired of the -fisherman on the other bank whether he had seen anything of me. The -reply was, “I saw him fast in a big fish about half an hour ago -going round the bend of the river on his way to Hereford.” Though -I did not get to Hereford, which was nearly thirty miles distant, -the fish took me about three-quarters of a mile down the river -before I succeeded in killing it, after over an hour’s battle. It -was a beautiful clean-run hen-fish of 21½ lb. By this time it was -nearly three o’clock, and after a hasty luncheon we decided to -fish down the lower part of the pool. On our way we had to pass a -point where C. had seen a fish rising as we came up in the morning. -I fished this place with great care, and about my second cast as -the minnow swung round I got a pull and hooked the fish. I had a -good deal more of my own way with this fish than with the one I -had previously killed, and in about twenty minutes it was in the -boat. It proved to be another clean-run hen-fish, and weighed 18½ -lb. The question now was whether we should fish another pool lower -down the river or try the head of the same pool again. I decided in -favour of the latter course, and we accordingly rowed up to the top -of the pool. It was by this time half-past six. My third cast I was -into another fish, which did not show itself for a long time. It -took me down the river like the fish I had hooked in the morning, -but was not nearly so lively in its movements. It kept low down in -the water and adopted boring tactics. After rounding the corner, -as my fellow-angler would have said, bound once more for Hereford, -the fish made a violent rush and plunge, showing itself to be a -very big fish and looking not unlike the fish I had parted company -with a year ago. We continued to go steadily down the river, the -fish making strong rushes, but keeping down and moving about in -a stately, heavy fashion. We gradually reached the spot where we -had gaffed the 21½-pounder in the morning, our movements being -watched by the ladies of our party from the opposite bank. The fish -showed little sign of giving in, and about 8 P.M. the spectators -on the bank, seeing no likelihood of the battle being ended at -present, went home. About ten minutes later the fish began to show -unmistakable signs of exhaustion. After it had turned on its side -two or three times, I managed to bring it near the boat, which C. -had moored near the bank. Just before the fish came within reach -of the gaff it made another short rush, and once more turned on -its side. Again I coaxed the great fish towards the boat. Nearer -and nearer he came, and then in a moment C. had the gaff in him, -and with a mighty effort lifted him into the boat. The fish was a -cock-fish, and weighed 38½ lb. After examining him we came to the -conclusion that he was about the same size as the one I had lost -in the preceding year, but probably longer. He had evidently been -wounded in his side by a seal a fortnight previously, and though -this wound had healed, it must have caused the fish to lose several -pounds’ weight. When hung up beside the other fish of 21½ lb. and -18½ lb. he looked huge, and had the advantage of some inches over -my little grandson, who was nearly five years old. His length -was 50½ inches and girth 24 inches, and had it not been for the -wound inflicted by the seal he would, no doubt, have turned the -scale well over 40 lb. So ended what was for me a day never to be -forgotten. I had six more days’ fishing, and killed five more -fish, two of them with the fly. The other five fish weighed 22½ -lb., 17½ lb., 17½ lb., 16½ lb., and 15½ lb. respectively. - -[Illustration: “HE HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF SOME INCHES OVER MY LITTLE -GRANDSON, WHO WAS NEARLY FIVE YEARS OLD.” - -From a Photograph by Mrs. NOEL WILLS.] - -Strange that I should have had such good luck. Strange, surely, -that though others far more skilful and experienced than I am -should have fished the same beats in that river and fished many -more days than I did in each year, such a great fish should have -come my way in two successive Aprils, on each occasion by far the -largest seen or heard of in the season on the beat in question. An -old friend of mine, who has fished the same river for many years, -and is an angler of great experience and success, told me that he -has never killed any fish in that river or anywhere else larger -than 25 lb. Surely, indeed, I was the spoilt child of the fishing -deities. - -At the close of this red-letter day two thoughts crossed my -mind--first, whether the fact that so many of my kind friends had -earnestly wished that I might on this occasion kill a fish as large -as the one I had lost a year ago had really been a factor in my -good luck. Who can tell? The other thought which crossed my mind -last year also when the great fish parted company with me was that -every fisherman must surely be “a man that fortune’s buffets and -rewards has ta’en with equal thanks.” Yet, as one of the keenest -fishermen and gillies I have ever known, and who has now gone to -his long home, used to say, “It’s easy talking and no easy doing.” - -A few days later my host added still more to my indebtedness to -him by giving one of my daughters, who had never killed a salmon, -though a very successful angler for big trout, the chance of trying -the river. - -On her first and second days she drew a blank, but on the third day -killed three fish weighing 20 lb., 19 lb., and 15 lb., all on the -same fly, a silver doctor. Who says there is nothing in luck? The -day I killed my big fish was the third day in the third week of the -third month of the fishing season; he was the third fish killed on -that day, and I hooked him at my third cast. My daughter killed her -three fish on the third day she was fishing. Well might Falstaff -(_Merry Wives of Windsor_, Act V., Sc. 1) say: “This is the third -time--I hope luck lies in odd numbers.” My daughter’s performance -was far more satisfactory in every way than mine, for fishing -with the fly is, of course, incomparably superior to fishing -with the minnow--at least, nearly every angler I have met says -so. I venture to think, however, that my friend, Arthur Chaytor, -K.C., one of the most accomplished and skilful of salmon fishers, -in his delightful book, _Letters to a Salmon-Fisher’s Sons_, is -altogether too severe in his castigation of minnow-fishing. “Avoid -minnow-fishing for salmon,” he says (page 89), “as a canker that -will eat into some of the very best days of your fly-fishing.” But -need it do so? “It is a dangerous thing for you to begin its use.” - -Then in a most entertaining passage he describes how “the river -has cleared and has become perfect for the fly. It ought to be a -tip-top day, but you are tempted of the devil to try just for an -hour the phantom minnow ... and then you go on with the minnow all -the day long ... dragging out the fish ... and at the end of the -day feeling that you have been rather a butcher than a fisherman -and that you might almost as well have used a net.” This means, of -course, that success in minnow-fishing is simply a matter of luck, -and does not depend on the fisherman’s skill. In a later passage -he describes in most forcible and amusing language “the relapse -to minnow, when after a good day minnowing you find next morning -that the water is right for the fly and you resolve to make it -a day of fly only. You put on your best fly and you begin, full -of hope. For an hour or two you cover much water without a single -rise, and you begin to doubt whether the fish mean to take at all -to-day. Soon, just to see whether they will move at all, you put up -the spinning-rod just merely to have one try down the pool. A fish -takes the accursed thing and you are lost. Abandoning all sense of -decency, you pursue the horrible craft, and at dusk you stagger -back to the fishing-hut with half a dozen great fish upon your back -and with your conscience hanging about the neck of your heart, -which keeps on protesting in vain that this was really no day for -the fly.” - -Even Chaytor, however, admits that “in a cold, wet season, when -the river is in flood for weeks together, with only odd days when -fishing is possible, the minnow can be really and legitimately -useful.” On the other hand, in contrast to the above warnings and -diatribes, Mr. J. Arthur Hutton, who is so well known, particularly -in connection with the Wye, and is, of course, a most experienced -and successful salmon fisher, as well as one of the most learned -in the life-history of the salmon, describes spinning for salmon -as “a form of fishing requiring a very large amount of skill and -experience which may provide one with sport on those many occasions -when the fly is useless ... a fine art which requires much practice -and long experience, far more so than fly-fishing.” “For every good -hand with the spinning-rod,” he says, “you may find twenty who are -excellent fly-fishermen.” - -I remember a friend of mine in the north, whose old keeper had been -with the family for many years and known him since his boyhood, -telling me that he knew so well the old man’s contempt for and -abhorrence of minnow-fishing that he did not dare to use the minnow -when the old man was out with him, and never allowed him to know -that he did use it. This old keeper would have applied Chaytor’s -epithets to minnow-fishing on every occasion, but would never have -agreed with him for a moment that even on rare occasions it can be -legitimately used. - -Those like the old keeper--and I doubt if in these days there are -many such--might, to use Mr. Hutton’s words, “seriously consider -whether they might not add largely to their sport and also to their -opportunities of fishing by learning to spin for salmon. The river -is not always in fly order; there are many occasions on which the -water is too high or too much coloured for the fly when salmon -might be caught with a minnow or other bait. In the same way, in -deep sluggish pools, when it is almost impossible to work a fly -effectively, a bait properly used may effect wonders.” - -What, then, is the conclusion of the whole matter? It is this, -paraphrasing the words of the famous authority on all things -piscatorial, Mr. H. T. Sheringham: “It is certain that good luck is -the most vital part of the equipment of him who would seek to slay -the big (salmon). For some men I admit the usefulness of skill and -pertinacity; for myself I take my stand entirely on luck.” - -[Illustration: SLIGACHAN, ISLE OF SKYE. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - - - - -[Illustration: (The Dying Stag)] - - VIII - - A STORMY WEEK IN THE FOREST - - -Amongst my stalking experiences I shall always remember a week -which I once had early one season in a famous forest on the west -coast, through the kindness of my friend the proprietor, to whom I -have been indebted for many excellent days’ sport. I have had long -experience in stalking, but have never known worse weather than -we had in this particular week. The rifles consisted of my host, -Stuart a fellow-guest, and myself. I was out stalking six days. On -Thursday, our first day, we killed five stags between us. My host -and Stuart each got two, while I got one. So far as my experiences -on that day were concerned, I had no opportunity of a shot until -near the end of the day, when we came upon two stags, one of which -I shot. As it was late in the day and I had only one pony, I did -not shoot at the second stag. The following Friday, Saturday, and -Monday were terrible days of mist and storm. The mist never left -the tops of the mountains all day long, although there was a strong -wind blowing--it appeared to come up from the sea in great banks; -and although we waited on each day for it to clear off, we did so -in vain. On Friday and Saturday I never had a shot. - -[Illustration: “LYING ON A RIDGE WE SPIED SOME DEER.” - -From a Photograph by the Author.] - -On Monday, until late in the day, it looked as though I was to -have the same experience. About four o’clock, however, having been -lying on a ridge overlooking a wide, deep corrie, the mist suddenly -lifted for a very few minutes and we spied some deer moving -downwards on the far side of the corrie, and amongst them what -appeared to be two or three good stags. There were also a number -of hinds rather nearer to us than this lot of deer. We decided -that the only way in which we should be likely to get a shot at -the stags would be to go right round the upper edge of the corrie -and try to get in between the hinds and the other lot of deer -amongst which were the stags. This entailed a most uncomfortable -walk; the wind was so strong that one could hardly stand, it -was quite impossible to keep a cap on one’s head, and it rained -or hailed incessantly. At last we got round, and went down to the -lower ground; we then managed, with a good deal of difficulty, to -crawl safely past the hinds, and found that the other lot of deer -were moving slowly, feeding downwards. After a time the deer lay -down on a small hill in a sheltered place, and we crawled up to the -top of an adjoining hill about 140 yards distant. We there made -out that there was one good stag, an eight-pointer, who was lying -down, and whose horns only could be seen from the place where we -were lying. I got into position to shoot in case the stag should -rise and give me a chance. It was now about half-past five, and we -thought, considering how late it was getting and the conditions -of the weather, that we should not be kept waiting very long. The -stag, however, did not move for about half an hour, when he got up -and turned round, and immediately lay down again. Time went on, -and what with the cold and wet I began to shiver, and felt that I -must do something to alter the condition of things. It was close -on 6.30, and we were five miles from the point where it had been -arranged that Stuart and I were to meet the car, if possible, at -six o’clock, and in any case not later than seven. I told the -stalker that he must get the deer up somehow or other, and that he -had better whistle them up; he strongly advised me not to do this, -but to wait a little longer, as, if we did so, they would probably -bolt and not give me a chance to shoot. I, however, persisted, and -said we could not keep Mr. Stuart waiting any longer; besides, I -was getting colder and colder. I therefore whistled; the deer took -no notice. “A little louder,” said the stalker. I whistled louder. -Two of the smaller stags got up, and then the eight-pointer on the -far side of the hill slowly got up, looking in our direction, and -exposing his body over the edge of the hill, a fair broadside shot, -at about 140 yards. I fired. “Just over his shoulder,” said the -stalker, and the stag still stood, as stags often will do when the -bullet passes over them. I fired again and the stag instantly fell. -“Good shot,” said the stalker. I unloaded the rifle and handed it -to the stalker, who began to put it into its cover, when suddenly -the stag jumped up and galloped off. The bullet had no doubt grazed -the spine, causing temporary unconsciousness. When a stag drops -instantaneously, as this one did, he is often only stunned, and -it is well to be on the alert and get up to him at once, ready if -necessary to shoot again. This was no new experience to either of -us. The old stalker had been over fifty years in the forest and -had seen the same thing happen many a time; nor was it new to me. -We watched the stag as he galloped away apparently none the worse -for his narrow escape, and I certainly felt very foolish. The old -stalker kindly began to make excuses for me. “The line was right, -but you were just a little high,” he said. “Your pozeesyon was not -good. You had been lying long, cold and shivering, in the wet. Yon -cartridges are lighter than yer regular ones, and that is why you -shot over him.” “No, no,” I replied, “I missed because I could not -shoot straight; it is a bad business; anyhow, it is better than -having wounded him badly and then lost him; it is a comfort to -think he is really very little the worse--now we have got to get -back as quickly as ever we can.” And then in the gloom and mist, -running and walking and tumbling, away we went. The last mile was -down a hill path filled with loose stones. At last we reached the -end of the road, and saw the car coming up from a point about a -mile lower down the road where Stuart had arranged to meet us. -“Well,” I said, “I hope at any rate that Mr. Stuart has got a -stag, if not two.” The stalker had been looking carefully at the -road. “No,” he said, “Mr. Stuart has no stag the day.” I said, -“How do you know that?” “Oh,” he said, pointing to the marks on -the road, “his ponies have gone home trotting--look at the marks -of their hoofs--and if Mr. Stuart had got a stag the pony would be -walking.” As soon as the car arrived we found that the stalker was -right, and that Stuart, who had only arrived at our meeting-place -a few minutes before, had got no stag, never having had a shot. -On reaching the lodge about 8.30 P.M. we found that our host had -not yet returned from the river, where he had gone to try to get -a salmon, and it was not until an hour later that he returned. -He too had had bad luck, having hooked a large fish which it was -impossible to follow, and which had taken out in its first rush -at a terrific pace some fifty yards of line, and then, a strain -being put on, broke the casting line, which, it subsequently turned -out, had been used in the spring fishing and had not been properly -tested before being used again. Thus closed the third chapter in a -day which illustrated the truth of the proverb that “misfortunes -never come singly.” - -The following day, Tuesday, showed no signs of improvement in -the weather. Thick mist on the tops, steady rain, and a wind, as -usual, in the wrong direction. Stuart was obliged to drive some -miles off to see a friend, but I determined once more to try the -hill. This time I was sent out on the home beat. I started off with -the stalker and an old gillie named Angus, who had had so much -experience that he would have made an admirable stalker, and who is -always very keen. I also had two ponies and a pony boy. The pony -path goes straight up the mountain-side for two and a half miles. -By the time we reached the point where the path stopped we were -close to the edge of the mist, and the outlook seemed hopeless. We -decided to cross over the opposite hill and go down on the other -side, hoping that by that time the mist might have lifted. We left -instructions with the pony boy to wait for two hours, and then if -he heard nothing from us to go back right round to a point on the -other side of the hill and wait there. On our way up the hill I -found some beautiful little bastard pimpernel in flower, not very -common in this part of the country. As we worked our way up the -mountain-side the wind became stronger and the rain heavier. It was -intensely cold, and very difficult to see what was in front of us. -Having arrived at the ridge, nearly 3000 feet up, we tried to spy -the corrie below. What with the tremendous wind and driving rain -this was a matter of the greatest difficulty, and in conditions -of this kind I always think there is a better chance of picking -up deer with first-rate field-glasses than with a telescope. I -managed, with my field-glasses, to discover two stags feeding in -a sheltered part of the opposite side of the corrie, and, after -shifting our position in order to get a better view of them, we -found that there were some hinds feeding below them. We came to the -conclusion that the only chance of obtaining a shot at the stags -was by getting in between them and the hinds. After some trouble -we succeeded in doing this, but old Angus, who knew the corrie -well, said that the wind at this place was very uncertain, and that -it was a question whether the stags would not get our wind. He -had hardly uttered this warning before there was a fatal puff in -the wrong direction, and away went the stags long before we were -near them. We decided to go on and try the next corrie. It is -difficult to imagine a greater contrast than the comparative warmth -and peace which we were now enjoying as compared with the strife of -the elements outside the corrie. The rain, too, had stopped, and I -said to the stalker, “No wonder the deer came here; what a haven of -rest!” - -[Illustration: THE FIVE SISTERS OF KINTAIL. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -We now worked our way across the ridge, and then spied the big -corrie below. We discovered two lots of stags. Those in the first -lot were moving on. The others were lying down in a place where -they could be stalked without much difficulty; we therefore crawled -some 400 or 500 yards, and, creeping cautiously up to the top of a -little hill, saw the stags had got up and begun to feed. There was -one quite clean about 90 yards below us, and another also clean -about 130 yards from where we were lying. I fired at the near stag, -who fell dead at once; I then covered the other stag and pulled the -second trigger--result a missfire. I hastily reloaded and fired, -killing the stag. We then went down to the stags which I had shot. -The first was a six-pointer, whose horns and teeth showed him to be -an old warrior. The second, a nine-pointer, was a younger beast, -rather heavier. Both stags were in good condition, and weighed 13 -st. 9 lb. and 14 st. 3 lb. clean. After gralloching the stags, we -dragged them down the hill to a point from which we could signal to -the pony boy. The ponies had long been used for carrying stags, and -stood quietly whilst the stags were put on them. We soon reached -the pony path, and after a walk of five miles reached the lodge. - -The following day, Wednesday, it rained and blew all day, and the -mists hung low on the mountains, so that it was quite useless to -attempt any stalking. - -The next day, Thursday, was the last day of my visit and that of -Stuart. Stuart was particularly anxious to kill one more stag -in the company of the second stalker, because he had killed his -first stag in his company sixteen years ago in this forest, and -had since then killed forty-eight stags in various forests. The -day looked anything but propitious; there was mist and rain, and -the wind was again in the wrong quarter. My host said he would go -fishing up the glen; Stuart was sent to try one of the far beats -in the company of his old friend the second stalker, whilst I was -left to try the home beat again. As we went up the hill the mist -gradually lifted, and we saw two huge golden eagles circling round -and round. We saw no deer up to two o’clock; but whilst taking -lunch we suddenly saw several stags coming round the side of a -distant hill. We hastily finished our lunch and set out on what -proved to be a long and exciting stalk. From time to time we had to -remain lying perfectly flat, not daring to move a muscle. Once we -thought every chance of success was gone, for an old cock-grouse -rose with his “Go-back,” “Go-back,” as we were nearing the rock -from which we hoped to get a shot. The sun, of which we had seen -nothing for so long, kept coming out and going in again. On a -long stalk of this kind it is extraordinary what one sees and how -ineffaceable is the memory of these sights--the eagle circling -over the high tops not far distant; the blue hare leisurely making -off, then stopping, sitting up and looking back; the ptarmigan, so -beautiful in its mottled plumage, running in front of us, stopping -now and again and peering around; the old cock-grouse rising with -his warning described above, which too often brings the stalk to -an untimely end; the many insects, some of them so strange and -weird, that we see as we lie flat gazing into a clump of grass -and moss; the granite boulders sparkling in the sunlight as if -studded with many diamonds--most, if not all, of these things I -saw in this particular stalk. Everything, however, comes to an -end, and so at last I succeeded in getting a shot at the heaviest -of the stags, who was standing on the side of a very rocky and -precipitous hill. He ran a few yards and fell down dead. It was, -indeed, fortunate that he fell where he did, caught between two -rocks, for immediately below these rocks nothing could have stopped -him from rolling down a precipice of several hundred feet, and, -as old Angus said, the venison would not have been worth taking -home and the horns would have been smashed to atoms. The stag, an -old one in good condition, was dragged down to a place where the -pony could come up, and, leaving Angus to find and help the pony -boy, the stalker and I started to work our way homewards across -the hill. We had been moving slowly onwards, spying from time to -time, when we discovered a large number of stags feeding below us. -A circuitous stalk brought us up to them, but in a very awkward -position. It was impossible to get a shot, except by coming up to -a point at the top of the hill below which they were feeding, and -we should then be much too close to them. There was, however, no -choice, and after a cautious crawl we reached a point from which -we could see the horns of stags moving away from us, at a distance -of not more than 30 yards. Crawling as flat as possible to the -top of the little hill, the stalker slowly raised his head, and -as slowly lowered it. He then whispered to me, “There’s a fine -stag there, but he won’t wait long, and you’d better shoot over my -back.” I cautiously raised the rifle over the stalker’s back in -the direction indicated, and, slowly raising my head, saw a fine -stag, with a good head, standing broadside on, about 70 yards away, -looking straight at me. As quickly as possible I covered the stag’s -heart and pulled the trigger; there was the unmistakable thud as -the bullet struck the stag, who instantly turned and disappeared. -“He’ll be all right,” said the stalker; “you don’t often hear a -bullet strike more distinctly than that one did,” and on reaching -the point where the stag had been standing we saw him about 80 -yards below, lying dead. He turned out to be a royal, with very -regular points and a good head, although he was going back and had -evidently been better. Like two of the four stags I had previously -shot, he was an ancient warrior. The mist, which had temporarily -lifted, now came down again thicker than ever, and the stalker -said that we should have an awful job to get the stag down, as it -was a heavy one, and the ground was very awkward. We gralloched -the stag, and took out the heart and liver in order to make him as -light as possible, and then set to work to get the stag down. This -was a very heavy job, and I could not help thinking, as I had often -thought before, what an excellent thing it would be if every one -who is going to stalk, whether proprietor, tenant, or guest, were -obliged some time or other to take part in dragging a stag to the -place where he is to be put on the pony, and help in putting him -on the pony. We succeeded at last in getting the stag down, and -the stalker then arranged to wait on the pony path lower down, in -order to meet old Angus and the pony boy, who would be bringing the -first stag I had shot and the ponies. I took my rifle, the luncheon -bag, and the sticks and glasses, and struck across the hill for the -lodge. On my way down I began to speculate as to the age of the two -old stags I had shot that day, and came to the conclusion that they -were probably not less than fourteen or fifteen years old. The old -Gaelic saying, which shows how little was formerly known as to -the age of a stag, came into my mind: - - Tri aois coin, aois eich; - Tri aois eich, aois duine; - Tri aois duine, aois feidh; - Tri aois feidh, aois firein; - Tri aois firein, aois dbaraich, - -which may be translated: - - Thrice dog’s age, age of horse; - Thrice horse’s age, age of man; - Thrice man’s age, age of deer; - Thrice deer’s age, age of eagle; - Thrice eagle’s age, age of oak. - -It is probably true to say that a stag in its wild state rarely -lives beyond sixteen or seventeen years of age. In those forests -which are on islands, for example Jura, stalkers have unusual -opportunities of observing and learning the history of particular -stags, and I recollect when stalking in North Jura two years ago -discussing this subject with John Mackay, the head stalker. He -told me that he had several times been familiar with a stag all -through its life, and in more than one instance had seen a stag -with a fine head gradually lose its points, until at last it had -only comparatively short upright narrow horns with two, short brow -points, the stag itself losing steadily both in size and weight -and becoming very light in colour. - -[Illustration: OLD ANGUS NEARING HOME. - -By V. R. BALFOUR-BROWNE.] - -I reached the lodge about 6.30. The stags weighed very nearly -the same weight--16 st. 2 lb. and 16 st. 5 lb. clean--the royal -being slightly heavier than the other. Our host returned about -eight o’clock, having waited an hour past the time at which he -had arranged to meet Stuart. The car was sent back for Stuart, -who, however, did not reach the lodge until half-past ten, after a -very long and strenuous day. He had, however, secured his fiftieth -stag after a most troublesome stalk. He was not able to get his -shot till past seven o’clock, at which time he was about seven -miles from the lodge. So ended a most delightful week’s sport, -notwithstanding the awful weather which we had had. - - - - -[Illustration: (A Salmon Loch)] - - IX - - A SALMON LOCH IN SUTHERLAND - - -Fishermen’s stories are said to be proverbially untrustworthy, and -the great majority of people--at any rate of those who are not -themselves fishermen--never seem to suppose that in the case of a -fisherman, as in the case of every one else, truth may sometimes be -stranger than fiction. - -I have been a fly-fisher since my earliest days, and have had many -good days both with the salmon and the trout, but I have never had -a day full of such surprising contrasts as the day which I had with -a brother of mine many years ago in the early part of September, on -a loch through which flows one of the best of the smaller salmon -rivers in the North of Scotland. Strange as were the events of that -day, I can vouch for the absolute veracity of the following story. - -The loch in question is not very large, and is not deep in any -part. It contains a good many trout about three to the pound, and -at certain periods of the year many salmon. We had a long drive -from X., where we were staying, and reached the loch about 10 A.M. -We had with us a gillie, a salmon-fisher of long experience and a -typical Highlander, in height about 6 ft. 3 in., whose name, like -his hair, was Sandy. We had not expected to have any salmon-fishing -while we were at X., but fortunately I happened to have with me my -salmon rod as well as a trout rod, and we arranged on this day that -we would fish with the two rods alternately, and that as soon as -one of us caught a salmon the other would take the salmon rod. - -When we arrived at the loch there was a good breeze blowing from -the west, with no sun. We put a medium-sized “Jock Scott” on -the salmon cast, while on the trout cast we put, as a tail fly, -a queer, nondescript fly, which Sandy fancied, and, as a bob -fly, a “March Brown.” These two latter flies were the ordinary -medium-sized loch-trout flies, and we thought it wiser, as we knew -that there were a lot of salmon in the loch, to put only two flies -on the trout cast. My brother began fishing with the salmon rod in -the stern of the boat, while I tried in the bow for trout. I very -soon rose three or four trout, and managed to secure two, but my -brother had no luck with the salmon. We had not been fishing for -more than half an hour when the wind went down and the sun came -out. The surface of the loch became absolutely calm, just like a -sheet of glass, and fishing appeared to be hopeless. The salmon -now began to jump in different parts of the loch, and, although -Sandy said it was perfectly useless, we kept trying to cast over -them. At length, however, we gave it up, and sat waiting for the -breeze. Suddenly a salmon rose about twenty yards from the boat. -I said, “Come on, Sandy, put me over that,” and, taking up the -salmon rod, proceeded to cast over the place where the salmon had -risen. With great difficulty I got the line out, as it was dead -calm. I cast once, twice, and for a third time, and just as I was -getting to the end of my cast on the third attempt, up came the -salmon, rising apparently not with the intention of taking the -fly, but with the intention of drowning it. I struck at him and -hooked him, as we discovered later, by the tail, and a very lively -time he gave me. He played for about twenty-five minutes, during -which time he never showed himself, and we all thought he was much -larger than he turned out to be. He was a nice clean fish about 9¼ -lb. By the time we got him in the wind had risen, and we began to -fish again, my brother taking the salmon rod, whilst I fished with -the trout rod from the bow. I had not been fishing for more than a -few minutes before I rose something which did not show itself. I -struck, and exclaimed, “I’ve hooked him!” Away went the line off -my reel for about thirty yards, and at the end of this run the -fish, a salmon which looked considerably larger than the one we had -already caught, jumped right out of the water, high into the air. -Then began the longest and most exciting struggle I have ever had -with any fish. The rod with which I was fishing was a light 11-feet -trout rod; the cast was a medium-sized trout cast, and I had on -my reel about forty to fifty yards of medium-sized trout-line. -There is no doubt that I should have several times lost the fish -had it not been for the extraordinary skill and speed with which -Sandy followed him and managed the boat. Three times nearly all -my line was taken out, and once I had only a few inches left on -my reel. After his first rush the fish plunged deep down, and for -a time adopted boring tactics. I was able to recover most of the -line he had taken out, and then he made another run and a jump, -and for some time after that we followed him over the loch. On two -occasions he made the most determined efforts to get into some -weeds, and it was only by keeping a very severe strain upon him -that I managed to keep clear of them. I never played a fish which -jumped so many times or sulked less. On one occasion, after taking -a large amount of my line, he suddenly turned and headed straight -back again for the boat, and although Sandy did all he could to -keep out of his way, the fish startled us at the end of his mad run -by jumping suddenly clean out of the water within three or four -yards of the boat, and falling with a tremendous splash. - -Do what I could I did not seem to have any real effect on the fish, -who seemed to do almost exactly as he liked with me, except on the -two occasions when he tried to get into the weeds, when, expecting -every minute that we might part company, I was determined, whatever -happened, that he should come where I wished him to come. - -We saw that the fish had taken the bob fly, and this added to my -apprehensions, as I was afraid, particularly as I knew the loch was -not deep, that the tail fly would catch in something at the bottom -of the loch, and there would then be a catastrophe. Time wore on, -and my back and arms began to ache most prodigiously. Still the -fish seemed as strong as ever. My brother said he must have some -lunch, and whenever Sandy and I got the chance we managed to eat -some sandwiches. I began to wonder how much longer the fly would -hold, and whether this fish would prove to be one more of the many -good fish lost through the fly working out at the end of a long -fight. - -I could do nothing except hold on for all I was worth, keeping as -tight a line as I could, and, of course, lowering the point of the -rod whenever the fish jumped, as he frequently did. As time went -on, however, the rushes made by the fish were not so long, and he -seemed, at last, to have abandoned his leaping tactics, which had -given me so much anxiety in the earlier stages of the struggle. -The fish was gradually becoming exhausted, and the strain on the -rod and line seemed to be much greater. “He’ll be turning soon, -I’m thinking,” said Sandy. The end, one way or the other, could -surely not be far off now, and we discussed the question whether -or not we should try to land, but, on the whole, we thought we had -better not run the risk of getting into very shallow water. At last -the fish turned on his side, though he quickly righted himself -and made another short run. Sandy had got the boat in about three -feet of water, a few yards from the bank; he handed the oars to my -brother, seized the gaff, and got out of the boat. I slowly reeled -in my line; there was another short rush from the fish, and again -I reeled him up. Nearer and nearer he came to the boat, and again -turned on his side. Suddenly, in less time than it takes to tell, -Sandy had the gaff into him, and was struggling to the shore. -Safely landed, the fish was speedily given his _coup de grâce_. -He was a very red male fish, weighing rather over 10¼ lb., and I -had hooked him in the hard part of his upper jaw, which accounted -partly for the fact that I had so little power over him, and also -for the fact that the hook had kept its hold so well. “Now then, -Sandy,” I said, as I got out my flask, “if any man ever deserved -a drop of good whisky, you do.” “Shlàinte” (Gaelic for “Your good -health”), said Sandy. “It was a grand fight, sir; I’ve never seen -a better.” “How long do you think you were playing him?” said my -brother. “Somewhere about an hour, I should think,” I replied. -“Four hours and six minutes,” he said. “I looked at my watch -when you hooked him, and it was then just a minute or two before -half-past one; and I looked at my watch when Sandy gaffed him--it -was then twenty-five minutes to six. I counted the number of times -the fish jumped, and it was seventeen. I don’t suppose you noticed -it,” he added, “but there was a cart going off with peats, near the -loch, soon after you began to play the fish, and it came back again -not long ago.” We heard afterwards that the men in the cart thought -I was playing another fish when they passed us on their return -journey. - -The light was going as we pushed the boat out again. I handed the -salmon rod to my brother, and he began to fish from the stern of -the boat, while I fished again from the bow with the trout rod. -Sandy allowed the boat to drift slowly along the edge of some -weeds. I do not think that I had more than three or four casts -when, just as I was nearing the end of my cast, a salmon, which -looked as bright as silver, and about the same size as the one we -had just killed, rose at my tail fly, with a head and tail rise as -if it meant business; and, as it turned to go down, I felt the hook -go home. The fish did not run, but worked about near the surface -of the water, close to the weeds, as if it did not realise that -it was hooked at all. “Back the boat quickly, sir,” said Sandy, -handing the oars to my brother, and seizing the gaff. My brother -took the oars and backed the boat quickly in the direction of the -fish. I reeled up my line; there was a momentary vision of about -three-quarters of Sandy leaning out of the boat, a tremendously -quick lightning-like movement of the gaff, and the salmon, gaffed -with extraordinary skill behind the shoulder, was in the boat. - -I do not think that more than four minutes could possibly have -elapsed from the time that I hooked the fish to the time it was -in the boat. It was a beautiful, clean-run female fish, with a -small head, and in perfect condition. It was very lightly hooked, -and if it had run or jumped at all it would almost certainly have -got off. It weighed within a few ounces of the weight of the fish -which had given me such a tremendous battle, and yet, owing to the -extraordinary skill of Sandy with the gaff, and the speed with -which my brother had acted, this fish occupied us only as many -minutes as the other one had hours! - -We continued to fish for a short time, but it became dark so -rapidly that very soon we had to stop, and without a further rise -of any kind. - - - - -[Illustration: (Deer in the Valley)] - - X - - THE HOMING INSTINCTS OF WOUNDED DEER - - -In these days one hears so much of the homing instincts of animals -and birds that the two following authentic instances of deer, whose -habits are not so generally known as those of some other animals, -may be of interest. - -Stalkers, and those who know the habits of the red-deer, know well -that a stag when wounded will seek what he knows from experience to -be a haven of safety. Thus, if he has come in the rutting season -from his native forest and is wounded on other ground, he will -assuredly make for the sanctuary in that forest. So, too, if he has -been born and reared in a particular part of the forest and has -come to regard that place as his home, he will struggle to reach it -if wounded. One interesting illustration of this has come within my -own experience, and another was related to me by the stalker who -was with me on the occasion referred to. - -I was stalking in a forest upon part of which unusual conditions -prevailed. That part which was nearest to the lodge was enclosed -by a deer fence, but, owing to careful management, and the -introduction from time to time of fresh stock, there are some very -good heads in this part of the forest. I always prefer, however, -when I have the chance, to stalk on the open ground outside the -fence, although it means harder work, as it is the far beat and -part of it is on very high and precipitous ground. It has, however, -this great fascination--that one never knows what sort of stag one -may find there. The forest itself is an exceptionally good one, and -marches with several of the finest forests in the Highlands. - -[Illustration: THE SANCTUARY, KINLOCHEWE FOREST. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -On the day in question I was on the far beat and secured a good -stag after an exciting stalk. After seeing the stag safely put -on the pony in charge of the gillie, the stalker and I set off -towards the farther end of the beat in the hope of getting a second -stag. Not far from the march, on precipitous ground covered with -rough boulders of rock, we spied a good stag with a large number -of hinds. The deer were in an awkward position, and we found that -it was impossible to get nearer to them than about 200 yards. The -day was getting late, therefore this was probably our only chance. -The stag was moving about and might very soon be over the march, so -that there was no time to be lost. Getting quickly into the best -position I could, I fired, and evidently hit the stag very hard. -Directly I fired the deer disappeared as if by magic. The stalker -said he was quite certain the stag could not go far. On reaching -the spot on which the stag had been standing when I fired we found -marks of blood, and had no difficulty in following these for some -50 yards, by which time we were close to the march, and in full -view of a large corrie and other ground, all of which was in the -neighbouring forest. We saw what were evidently some of the hinds -making off across the march, but the stag and the rest of the -hinds were nowhere to be seen. We moved a little farther on where -we could get a view of other ground, when suddenly there was a -tremendous clatter of loose stones, and we saw the stag and some -twenty hinds about 120 yards from us. The deer stopped for a few -seconds, the stag looking straight at us, and then away they went. -We ran quickly to the point where they had disappeared, and saw the -hinds we had last seen with the stag going in the direction which -the other hinds had previously taken, but the stag was not with -them. “He cannot go far,” said the stalker. The ground was very -much broken up by large stones and boulders, and we both thought -that the stag must be lying hidden not far from us. We were quite -certain from the position we were in that we could not have failed -to see him unless he had turned back below the hill and gone into -the forest from which we had come. We noticed the hinds stopping -every now and then and looking back, as they so often do when one -of their number has been wounded and is behind them. By following -the marks of blood on the stones we traced the course the stag had -taken for about 200 yards, but after that we lost the tracks. We -made the most careful search, and the stalker went some distance -into the adjoining forest, but all in vain. The light was beginning -to go, and at last we decided to give up the search, for that day -at any rate. The stalker, who had had his glass on the stag when I -had fired at him, said he was quite sure from what he saw then and -from the way that the stag was bleeding that he had been mortally -wounded and could not live long. I felt very much depressed, for -if there is one thing that distresses me more than another it is -to leave a wounded stag on the ground; and though I thought that -the stalker with his experience was right in thinking that the stag -could not live long, particularly as I knew my rifle and felt sure -that I must have hit the stag somewhere not far from the heart, -the fact remained that one could not be quite sure what had really -happened. This was the last day of the season, and I was leaving -on the following morning. The stalker promised me that he would -search the ground on the following day, and that he would also -tell the stalkers in the neighbouring forest, and that if he heard -anything of the stag he would let me know. “I shall certainly know -the head if it is ever found,” he said, “for when the stag looked -straight at me I could see the space between his forks at the top. -It was a ten-pointer, I think; the points were very regular, but -as far as the head goes it is not much to grieve over, for it was -on the narrow side.” “Still, it is a bad business,” I replied. “If -we only had had a tracker we should certainly have got him without -any trouble.” A really reliable tracker is indeed invaluable on an -occasion of this kind, but it is only in a few forests that dogs -are now used in following wounded stags. The noble deer-hounds -which were the trusty allies of our fathers on the hill have during -the last forty or fifty years been replaced in those forests where -dogs are still used by the golden retriever, or more often by the -collie, the two dogs last mentioned having been found more suitable -for pursuing wounded deer. The deer-hound was so high-couraged that -he would not bay the stag, but would pull him down or be killed by -him. A further objection was that he would hunt by sight rather -than by scent, it not being in his nature to put his nose to the -ground, and it was therefore practically impossible to train him as -a tracker. - -[Illustration: “THE TRUSTY ALLIES OF OUR FATHERS ON THE HILL.” - -From the Picture “After a Hard Day” by PHILIP STRETTON. - -By permission of Messrs. Landeker & Brown, Ltd. London, E.C.2, -Publishers of the large engraving.] - -I heard no more of the wounded stag until the following season, -when I once more found myself in the same forest. I asked the -stalker whether he had any news of the stag. He said: “That is a -question. The stalkers in the other forest never found any stag, -but a very curious thing has happened. About 20 yards inside the -fence, at the nearest point in that part of the forest which is -fenced in from where you shot the stag, that would be about a -distance of three miles, the skeleton of a stag was found last -April. The head stalker on that part of the forest tells me he -is quite sure it was not a stag that was shot inside the fence. -I have got the head here, and will show it to you.” I examined -it carefully. It was a good regular head of ten points, with -remarkably long forks at the top, and I thought it looked a better -head than that of the stag I had shot, and said so to the stalker. -He replied: “It is the same shape, and I well remember noticing the -space between the forks at the top. Not only that, but in April -when we found him there were no stags on that part of the ground -and had not been for some time; also by the bleached condition of -the horns, I am quite sure he must have died in October or early -in November, and he could not have died a natural death after the -winter was over. And as to his getting through the fence, at that -season of the year stags have a wonderful way of getting through -a fence if they want to do so. If he was mortally wounded after -he got outside he would be sure to go back to the place where he -was born and knew he was safe, and depend upon it he would find -his way back through the fence where he got out. One can never be -sure, but on the whole I think he is the stag you shot. You see -the only way he could have gone that day without our seeing him -was out of sight round that hill in the direction of the fenced-in -part of the forest. I am sure he was mortally wounded, he had seen -us; and after seeing us, being wounded, he would go straight on, as -you know, so long as his strength would carry him and he would go -straight to his old home. They’re wonderful in that way, deer are: -I shall never forget how I was taught that years ago when I was out -with the young chief at X.” - -I asked the stalker to tell me the story, which I give in his own -words: “About twelve years ago, when I was a gillie at X, I was -out one day with the chief’s son late on in the season, about the -end of the first week in October. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon -we saw a Royal stag and some hinds above the black shed, between -the lodge and the second stalker’s house, and after a successful -stalk, he fired but wounded the stag, just grazing him in the lower -part of the body. The stag did not give the rifle another chance, -but turned his head fair south, towards the top of the C----. We -watched him crossing the top, then we made for where we saw him -crossing, and we saw him about 300 yards away as he was going down -the opposite side, and he was still going south, then getting out -of view, into a hollow. The stalker did not lose his chance, but -made a sprint to get up to him, which he managed to do, but the -wily fellow was always keeping his back to his enemy, and making -fast for some private corner, where he hoped he would be safe. -The trigger was not pulled for him. Being in plain ground there, -and the Royal stag fast on the move, we could do nothing but wait -and watch where he would cross the next ridge, which was fully a -mile away. Once the stalker saw him cross, we made at once for -the spot he went out of our view, getting there as soon as our -legs could carry us, and after spying that part of the ground very -carefully, we failed to pick him up. That was in the centre of -the Glashan, a piece of ground about 1½ miles square, very level, -with shallow peat bags, and guarded on three sides with slightly -rising ridges. The distance between where the stag was wounded and -where we lost him was about seven miles. By this time the light -was failing, so we had to make tracks for home. One evening, a few -days later, when it was beginning to get dark, the head stalker was -out about the larder, and noticing a stag with some hinds above -the lodge, and putting his glass on him, at once knew the stag he -had the run after a few days before. I was just after getting home -from the hill, and he ordered me to go and shoot him. The rifle I -never fired before, and the sight although marked for 100 yards -I afterwards found to be a 70 yards sight. I got to about 100 -yards from the stag, but having the evening light, and being among -juniper bushes, I had to shoot off my hand, and missed him. There -was no other chance that evening, as the light was getting bad. Two -or three days after, about 10 o’clock in the morning, I was going -along to the E---- Bothy, about a mile from the lodge, when I saw -about twenty hinds and a stag amongst them, and after putting the -glass on him, I knew it was the same stag. I at once went back to -tell the head stalker, but finding him not at home, I took the -rifle. I got to about 120 yards of the stag, but shooting too low, -I grazed his foreleg below the heart; he did not give me another -chance then, but left the hinds and turned to the south across the -top. When I got to the top I noticed him about half a mile from me; -keeping him in view he went for about two miles south, then turning -south-west I kept him in view for three miles, then lost sight of -him, but I could understand by the movements of some hinds the line -he was taking. I made for the place where I lost sight of him, but -having got there I could see nothing. I followed up the burn that -rises at Cairn-an-S----, and after getting half-way up the burn, I -came out to the open to spy. I was spying for some time, and was -putting my glass in its case when I noticed a black object about -half a mile away, about the size of a blackcock. I used my glass, -and who was this but the Royal lying in the centre of the Glashan, -on quite level ground. He was lying down licking the scratch where -I wounded him earlier in the day. With great difficulty and after -a long crawl I got to about 70 yards of him, and shot him through -the neck. That was a lucky range, as the rifle was sighted for -70 yards. I was in an awful mess through crawling in burns and -gutters after him, but I was very keen on getting him, and as an -old chap once said to me, ‘When you have a difficult thing to do -you must not be minding your clothes.’ Well, I was pleased I got -him as I was sure he could not live very long. I considered what -to do; my first idea was to put him in some safe place, and come -for him next day, so I took him to a burnside into a hollow and hid -him, but before doing so I put a small chack with my knife above -his brow antler, to know him if ever I saw him again, as I did not -know who might be looking at me. I was in doubt whether I would -take his head off or leave it there all night. I at once changed -my mind, as it was so good a head I did not like leaving him out -there all night. I cut his head off, giving him a long neck for -being stuffed. That finished, I shouldered the Royal head, took him -back five miles to the E---- Bothy, left him there that night, and -took it two miles further to the lodge the next day, and to-day it -hangs in the chief’s mansion. The young chief was very glad to get -it. The head was a very good Royal, thick horns, points equal and -well-shaped. The distance between the place where I shot him -through the neck and the place we lost him the day the young chief -wounded him is hardly half a mile apart. That day the stag was -first wounded, he went whatever a distance of six or seven miles -to that quiet spot in the centre of the Glashan. The day I shot -him through the neck I followed him for about eight miles from the -place where I grazed his foreleg below the heart. He never saw me, -he never stopped, always making for that private spot, the place -in the centre of the Glashan. So this stag went two times to that -same place, as he hoped he would be safe there, and possibly that -stag might have been lying in the same bed both nights.” This shows -the distance a stag will go for safety, and that he goes back to -his old home, the spot where he thinks he is safe. And so I believe -that my friend the stalker must have been right in thinking that -the stag he had found in April was the stag I had shot in the early -days of the preceding October. - -[Illustration: “I WAS SPYING FOR SOME TIME.” - -From a Photograph by the Author.] - - - - -[Illustration: (The High Hills)] - - XI - - THE METHOD BY WHICH EAGLES AND HAWKS SECURE THEIR PREY - - -As is well known, the eagle lives largely on carrion such as -dead deer and carcases of sheep, differing in this respect from -the peregrine falcon, which lives exclusively on what it kills. -Generally speaking, the eagle secures its prey by pouncing on it -on the ground and carrying it away in its talons. He swoops down -at a great pace in a slanting direction, and in this way not only -captures hares and rabbits, but also grouse and ptarmigan on the -ground and young ducks on the loch. It is very interesting to -watch the great bird searching slowly along the side of a hill, -about 50, 100, or 150 yards above the ground; then he suddenly -pounces, and in a moment is up again and away with his prey in -his talons. So regularly does the eagle adopt this method of -capturing his prey on the ground, that I have met stalkers who -have told me that they do not believe that an eagle can overtake -any swift-winged bird such as grouse or black game. This is -certainly wrong, for the eagle does sometimes, though comparatively -rarely, adopt the other method of securing his prey--the method -which I have already described (see p. 64, _supra_)--that of -pursuing and catching his prey in the air, and in this way without -doubt captures blackcock, grouse, and ptarmigan. I have already -stated (see pp. 57-70, _supra_) that in my opinion the eagle in -his downward flight is faster than the peregrine. Even in his -horizontal flight, once he gets going he can fly very fast if he -chooses, but of course is not nearly so agile and cannot turn and -twist with the rapidity of the peregrine, and the result is that -when he overtakes his quarry he frequently misses him. - -Nearly a hundred years ago one of the most acute observers amongst -ornithologists wrote as follows: “In another part of the Western -Highlands of Scotland we had an opportunity of witnessing the -powers of flight of this bird in pursuit of its quarry. An old -blackcock was sprung and was instantly pursued by the eagle (who -must have been on a neighbouring rock unperceived) across the glen, -the breadth of which was at least 2 miles. - -“The eagle made several unsuccessful pounces, but as there was no -cover and the bird large, it probably fell a victim in the end.”[28] - -Lastly, as I have already said in the pages just mentioned where I -have fully discussed the matter, the eagle on rare occasions swoops -down at a terrific pace on his prey in the air, striking it to -the ground but not clutching it or, to use the falconer’s phrase, -binding on it. - -The eagle has a great partiality for hares, cats, young fox cubs, -and young lambs. I remember James Macintosh, head stalker at Loch -Rosque, telling me that on two occasions whilst waiting at a fox -den he had shot an eagle. He added that, whilst the old foxes -are away, the cubs, when they get hungry, sometimes make such -a noise that they can be heard at a considerable distance, and -that he believed this attracts the eagles, particularly if their -eyrie in which they are rearing their young happens to be in the -vicinity. He went on to say that he thought this accounted for his -sometimes finding fox dens containing only one or two cubs instead -of the usual number of three to seven. There is no doubt that -eagles sometimes attack deer calves, fixing their talons in their -victim’s neck or back and striking the calf with their wings. They -frequently hunt in pairs, and have been seen to drive the calf over -a precipice. - -On rare occasions eagles have been known to attack a full-grown -stag. In certain parts of the Highlands they have lately increased -in numbers, and perhaps as a consequence, their ordinary food not -being so plentiful, have become bolder. - -Only last year I was stalking in a forest where a few days earlier -a stalker had witnessed a most unusual incident. The following is -his account of what he saw: - -“A gentleman and I were out stalking on the 25th of September, and -while the gentleman was having lunch, I went off about 200 yards to -have a spy. I got a stag lying at the foot of a rock. While I had -the glass on him, an eagle suddenly swooped down and attacked him. -The stag went headlong into a bog, but managed to get up. I then -ran back for the gentleman thinking we would have a shot, but by -the time we got back the stag and eagle were over the sky-line and -the eagle still following while going over the sky-line, but after -that we don’t know what happened, as both eagle and stag went out -of sight.” - -Donald Matheson, who has had a lifelong experience in the forest -and has only recently retired after having been for many years -stalker at Glen Shieldaig to Mr. C. J. Murray of Loch Carron, told -me that on one occasion, but on one occasion only, he saw an eagle -attack an adult stag. - -“It would be, as far as I remember,” he said, “between the 6th and -10th of October in the year 1888 when I was spying one morning -at the forest stables. I picked up a stag on the top of Glen -Shieldaig, quietly feeding on the Glaschnoc side, and while having -my glass still on the stag an eagle swooped down on his head. The -stag fell on his hind-quarters, but was soon on his feet again and -ran for his life while the eagle was fixed on him. The stag made -for a thick clump of birch-trees, and immediately the stag got -under cover the eagle could not keep its hold, owing to the thick -branches of the trees, and left the stag. The eagle kept hovering -for some time above the wood where the stag was concealed, but at -last flew away.” - -Whilst stalking in the neighbouring forest of Applecross two years -ago, Colonel the Hon. Claude Willoughby had a most interesting -experience, a description of which he has kindly given me -permission to reproduce here: - -“On 30th September, 1921,” he writes, “I was stalking with Alick -Mackenzie on Applecross. We had come through Corrie Chaorachan into -Corrie Na Na and spied a stag with hinds on the west face above the -loch. The wind was west, and after a difficult and exceedingly good -stalk across the Corrie and above these deer, avoiding hinds, also -another stag with hinds, we arrived at a point within 150 yards -of the stag we were after and found him lying down. Owing to the -light and the distance, I determined to wait for him to rise before -shooting. After waiting half an hour, hinds which we had seen -beyond the place where he was lying came galloping past him. He -rose and I shot him; he fell dead. We at once saw that the reason -of these hinds galloping was that an eagle was after a calf which -had separated from the herd. We saw the eagle land on the calf’s -back twice, but the calf escaped. - -“The eagle then attacked a hind in the herd. A kestrel hawk now -joined in, and mobbed the eagle. This attack lasted only a short -time. The eagle then circled round my dead stag, the kestrel soon -after disappearing. The eagle settled on a rock about five yards -from the dead stag, and remained there until we showed ourselves. -All this took place within 200 yards of us. - -“On the Tuesday following Lord Derwent was also stalking on -Applecross, near Corrie Attadale. He and the head stalker Finlayson -saw an eagle attack a calf, which it knocked down twice, but the -calf escaped.” - -[Illustration: THE APPLECROSS HILLS, AND A HIGHLAND FISHING -VILLAGE. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -There has been much difference of opinion, and from time to time -considerable controversy as to how the peregrine kills its prey. -Some stalkers and ornithologists believe that it is done with the -edge of the wing, a smaller number with the beak, whilst others -think it is done with the talons. The last-mentioned view is that -which is, I believe, universally held by falconers, who after -all have many more opportunities of seeing how it is done than any -other class of men. I have frequently discussed this question with -naturalists and stalkers, keepers and others interested in this -subject, and have listened to all they could tell me. I have also -had the great advantage of hearing at first hand from falconers -of experience their views and their reasons for them. Further, I -have myself been so fortunate as to see the wild peregrine pursue -and stoop at its quarry. I have seen it strike and kill it and -on occasion miss it. In addition to this, I have read everything -I could find on this subject, both in the older and more modern -books of authority. I am satisfied myself that the view held by the -falconers is the true one, and I cannot state their conclusions -better than, or indeed so well as, by quoting from three letters -that I have received. The writers of these three letters have -kindly given me permission to quote their Views. - -Major C. E. Radclyffe, who has had almost unrivalled experience as -a falconer, writes as follows: - -“All forms of falcons and short-winged hawks, such as sparrow-hawks -and goshawks, always strike their quarry with _their feet_, and -never with anything else. The killers are those which ‘bind to’ -their quarry in the air, that is, pick up a bird in their feet, -and never let go of it until they come to the ground. A really -experienced old trained falcon does this nine times out of ten. - -“Sometimes, however, when stooping from a great height, the impetus -of the falcon is so terrific that she seems to know if she ‘binds -to’ her quarry, the impact will be so great as nearly to tear her -legs from her body. Thus, when stooping at a heavy bird like a -grouse, or a pheasant, at great speed, the falcon slightly throws -upwards on her impact with the quarry, and delivers a raking blow -with her single long back talon. By this means (her back talon -being sharp as a razor) I have seen a grouse ripped open from its -tail to its neck. I have seen its wing broken and I have seen its -head cut off. - - * * * * * - -“All falcons are very careful not to risk touching anything with -their wings, hence a falcon will never really stoop at a bird -on the ground with an idea of catching it, but they will keep -stooping just over a bird they can see on the ground in the hope -of flushing it, and then they will catch it in a minute. - -“I have seen falcons and hawks break their wings by striking the -smallest twig on the branch of a tree when misjudging a stoop at a -bird. - -“Therefore, you can imagine how easily a hawk would smash its wing -if it attempted this, to hit a heavy bird like a grouse or pheasant -going at terrific speed. - - * * * * * - -“If you threw a lawn-tennis ball against a falcon’s wing coming -at you at the rate of over a hundred miles per hour, and hit its -wing-bone, that hawk would never fly again. - -“I have many times in my life, when casting lightly with a very -small trout rod, just touched the wing of a swift or swallow with -the tip of the rod. I never broke a rod thus, but nearly always -broke the bird’s wing. I think, when you come to consider these -things, you will see that a hawk dare not strike the smallest bird -with its wing. - -“It uses its beak only to finish off a bird on the ground, and this -she does by breaking the bird’s neck with its beak. - -“I have lived amongst wild and trained hawks all my life, and I -can assure you the above facts are true.” - -The reference in the above letter to the peregrine killing a -grouse by striking it with its talon reminds me of the following -interesting note in _Birds of Great Britain_ (5 volumes), published -by the author, John Gould, F.R.S., in 1873. - -“Evidence forwarded to Mr. James Burdett, keeper to the Earl of -Craven.... On dissecting a coot I saw taken and dropped by a -peregrine falcon, I found the neck dislocated at the third joint -from the head and an appearance as if the sharp point of the hind -claw had penetrated the brain at the occiput.” - -Captain C. F. A. Portal, D.S.O., writes as follows: - -“I have seen many dozens of game-birds struck down by trained -peregrines within 50 yards of me, and I can definitely state -that the hawk _invariably_ aims a blow _with the talons_ at his -quarry.... - -“So true is a peregrine’s aim that he generally gets home with -both his _hind_ talons somewhere near the middle of the quarry’s -back, but often he hits a wing and breaks it, and occasionally he -breaks the neck in the same way. I have examined hundreds of birds -(partridges) killed by hawks, and I have always found the mark -of two hind talons or one of them. The decapitation is generally -performed within a few seconds of the hawk’s alighting on the dazed -or crippled victim. It is performed by one powerful wrench of the -beak. No peregrine will eat or even pluck a living bird.... In my -experience it is a rare thing for a peregrine to strike a bird dead -in the air. It does occasionally happen that the blow falls on the -head or neck, but what generally happens is that the bird is thrown -violently to the ground with a wing broken or the back dislocated. -The concussion with the ground dazes it, and the hawk quickly drops -down upon it and kills it with its beak. - -“The merlin often kills comparatively large birds (_e.g._ the -thrush, fieldfare, golden plover, etc.) by strangling them, as its -beak is not strong enough to break their necks. It kills larks, -etc., in the same way as the peregrine kills his quarry, that is, -by sudden dislocation of the neck. - -“The sparrow-hawk kills its prey by gripping it with its feet and -driving the claws into its body; this is a slow death sometimes, -and the sparrow-hawk has none of the true falcon’s scruples about -plucking (and even, I fear, beginning to devour) a living bird. - -“I do not like the sparrow-hawk for this reason, though, of course, -the falconer can generally prevent cruelty by killing the quarry -himself.” - -Captain G. S. Blaine, another falconer of great experience, also -has no doubt on the matter. In a letter to me on this question he -writes: - -“A peregrine strikes with its talons only. Of this I am certain, -having seen the blow given to countless quarries at close quarters. -How the other idea (that of striking with the wing) could -possibly have originated I do not know. It is quite obviously -impracticable.... If a peregrine administered the terrific blow -which she delivers when striking a quarry with her wing, breast, or -beak, she would be knocked out at once, and permanently injured. A -peregrine can easily, after recovering from her stoop, turn over -again and catch the quarry in the air. I have seen this often -done, when the bird had been struck high up in the air. If near -the ground, it would fall before the hawk could get hold of it. -Many also often catch and hold a quarry without knocking it down. -This is the way most successful game hawks catch grouse or -partridges. When struck, the blow is delivered on any part of the -body--it may be the head and it may be the back or the wing which -may be broken.” - -[Illustration: DEATH OF THE MALLARD. - -By J. WOLF. - -Reproduced by kind permission of Messrs. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, -from _Game-Birds and Wild Fowl_, by A. E. Knox.] - -In _Reminiscences of a Falconer_ (John Nimmo, London, 1901) Major -C. H. Fisher writes: - -“The blow is given by the falcon’s strong and sharp hind talon of -each foot--usually sharp as a needle and driven at great speed by -a bird weighing over 2 lb.” - -As illustrating the falcon’s stoop Major Fisher describes how he -saw a wild falcon strike a greyhen twice. He says (p. 97): - -“As illustrating the force of a falcon’s stoop, I may mention an -incident which occurred to me on the banks of the river Orrin when -fishing. From some bracken I put up three greyhens. Down came -a wild falcon from the sky at the middle bird. I saw and heard -the blow. The greyhen staggered on, leaving the usual tribute of -feathers behind her. Up rose the falcon in the grand and stately -style so few trained hawks can ever adopt or regain (so much do -they lose by captivity); over and down she came, and down fell the -quarry, as dead as though shot by a bullet.... Down too went my -long rod and off went I.... On this occasion I took possession -... of the wild hawk’s prey. On examining the effect of her two -blows, I found that three ribs on one side were clean cut through -and separated from the backbone as by a chop with a heavy knife and -strong hand, and one talon had entered and split the base of the -skull, from which the brains were protruding.” - -One of the foremost advocates of the contention that the fatal blow -is inflicted by a stroke of the wing is Mr. Tom Speedy, who deals -with this subject in his _Natural History of Sport in Scotland with -Rod and Gun_ (pp. 102, 103). He bases his argument first on the -supposition that when the fatal blow is struck on the back of the -quarry, the skin is only bruised and not torn. He writes: - -“A keeper friend of mine near Kingussie witnessed a grouse struck -down by a peregrine, and as there was not a mark on it he sent it -to me. Carefully plucking it, I noted that with the exception of a -bruise along the spine there was no other mark on it; yet the blow -had been sufficient to cause instant death. This comports with my -own observations, and it is difficult to understand how this blow -could be struck by these terrible talons without the skin being -torn. As the heads of grouse are frequently cut off when struck by -a peregrine, it is the opinion of foresters who have watched them -with their glasses that it is done by the wing. Falconers deny -this and maintain that it is done by the hind talon. How, then, it -may be asked, can this be done when there is not a scratch on the -victim, but only a bruise indicating where the blow was struck?” - -The answer to this argument is that there is absolutely reliable -evidence to the contrary--in other words, that sometimes the skin -is torn. - -Major Radclyffe in his letter referred to above writes: “I have -seen a grouse ripped open from its tail to its neck.” - -Captain Portal says: “I have examined hundreds of game-birds killed -by hawks, and have always found the marks of the two hind talons or -one of them.” - -Sometimes, no doubt, as in the instance referred to by Mr. Speedy, -there is a bruise along the spine and the skin is not torn, but -this is no doubt to be explained, as is pointed out by a writer -cited below, by the way in which a falcon shuts its feet when -stooping, the hind talon on each foot closing over the fore -talons, thus forming a kind of keel--and the bone on the back of -the grouse is strong enough to prevent more than a severe bruise. - -Mr. Speedy continues: - -“It is argued that it is impossible the bird could be killed -by a blow from a hawk’s wing, as the wing would certainly be -injured. I have seen a retriever stunned by a blow from the wing -of a swan, and but for my being in close proximity in a boat it -would certainly have been drowned. Those who have put their hand -into the nest of a wood-pigeon are familiar with the blow even a -half-fledged bird can give with its wing. I have been struck with -the fight a wounded wild goose can put up, and the blows it can -inflict on a retriever with its powerful wings.” - -But, with all respect, surely the blow of a large powerful bird -like a swan or a goose delivered in this way is a very different -thing to the blow which is delivered by a peregrine when stooping -at its quarry at the terrific speed with which it then flies, and, -in my opinion, the view taken by experienced falconers, such as -those quoted above, that the wing would most certainly be broken or -badly injured, is the correct one. - -Finally, Mr. Speedy says: - -“When a falcon strikes a bird in the air there is a loud ‘clap’ -which I have heard several hundred yards away. This would not be -the case if struck by the talons.” - -I venture to think, however, that the argument based on the sound -caused by the impact carries Mr. Speedy’s contention no further. -Would not this loud “clap” naturally be expected if the peregrine -struck its quarry in the manner described? - -In conclusion, then, what is the correct view of the matter? In the -words of a recent writer:[29] “The truth ... seems to be that the -falcon shuts its feet when stooping, the hind talon on each foot -closing over the fore talons, thus forming a kind of keel. When -the falcon strikes a grouse, the latter may be partially or wholly -decapitated, or it may be severely bruised on the back. The neck -of a grouse is soft, and the ‘keel’ of a peregrine’s hind talon -is sufficiently sharp to cut it, whereas on the back of a grouse -the bone is strong enough to prevent more than a severe bruise. -The shock of impact must, however, be tremendous, for a bird so -struck hurtles to the ground at once. When the peregrine strikes, -one hears a loud ‘clap’ audible at a considerable distance, and it -is this noise that has given rise to the theory that the falcon -strikes with its wing. If the peregrine used the latter, however, -in all probability the wing would be seriously damaged or broken, -because the pace at which a falcon stoops must be seen to be -believed.” - -There is another interesting fact in regard to this fine bird which -is not generally known. There seems little doubt that he deserves -the description which has more than once been applied to him--that -of a wanton murderer. Thus Charles St. John in his classic work, -_Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands_, says (chap. -x.): “The peregrine seems often to strike down birds for his -amusement, and I have seen one knock down and kill two rooks, who -were unlucky enough to cross his flight, without taking the trouble -to look at them after they fell.” - - - - -[Illustration: (Rage)] - - XII - - INSTANCES OF WOUNDED STAGS ATTACKING STALKERS - - -It must often have occurred to every one who has had experience in -stalking what a very different sport stalking would be if stags -realised their power and had no fear of man. It is, of course, well -known to every one who is interested in the habits of deer that -a tame stag in the rutting season is one of the most dangerous -animals, and some years ago a tragedy occurred in Ross-shire, when -a stalker was attacked and killed by a stag which he had himself -brought down from the forest as a calf and which knew him well. I -have often asked experienced stalkers whether they have ever known -an unwounded stag attack a man, but with one exception I have never -heard of any such case. - -The one instance to the contrary is that given by Mr. Frank Wallace -in his delightful book, _Stalks Abroad_. In describing his stalking -in New Zealand, Mr. Wallace gives what he describes as the only -really well-authenticated instance which he can vouch for of a wild -stag attacking a man, and adds that most likely the darkness and -time of year had something to do with the stag’s boldness. He thus -describes the incident: “It was dark by the time B. and his guide -reached the river-bed, which at the point they struck it is very -wide. They had scrambled along over the boulders and rocks with -which their course was strewn for some distance, when they saw a -dark object lying on the stones in front of them. This presently -resolved itself into a sleeping stag, who, hearing them approach, -jumped up and disappeared. They had not seen the last of him, -however, for a little later they encountered him again, apparently -very annoyed at having been aroused from his beauty sleep and -determined to wreak vengeance on some one. Seeing them, he seemed -to think they would be suitable objects on which to make a start, -and advanced with lowered head. B. threw a stone and hit it in the -flank; but this had no effect, and the animal advanced a few paces -nearer and stood swaying its head from side to side a few inches -off the ground. As some one had to go and the stag seemed disposed -to give no quarter, B. fired a shot, but without effect. The stag -still advanced, until a second shot took him in the chest and -finished him off. I saw him the next day where he had fallen. He -had a small head of six points, and was obviously a young beast.” - -There are no doubt rare instances of a wounded stag attempting -to attack a man.[30] I myself have never known such an instance, -and, although I have often asked old stalkers whether they have -ever known of anything of the kind, I have only once met with -any one who has had such a personal experience. The head stalker -of a well-known forest recently told me that on two occasions -he had known of wounded stags attacking a man. The story of his -experiences interested me so much that I asked him to write it down -in his own words. This he did, and the account he sent me was as -follows: - -“I enclose here a long detail about the only time I happened to see -wounded stags attacking. You will find it a long story, but it so -impressed itself on my mind I could not help giving the movements -of each day in full. Twice in my experience of twenty-four years -I have seen a wounded stag attacking a man. The first happened on -September 25, 1902, when I was stalking with Mr. A. In our start -in the morning to the first spying place we usually on the way -moved some hinds, but did not trouble about this, as seldom stags -were seen so low down till October and stormy weather came. But -this morning, when near the spying place, what was my surprise to -see to our right lying on a flat, mossy bank a fine big stag with -ten points. He did not see us, and we were preparing to stalk him -when some of the hinds we moved passed a little beyond and carried -him away, so we sat down and kept our glasses on them for a long -distance till they settled and began to feed, but the stag kept -on walking slowly and climbing till he went out of sight over -the ridge beyond. We had to make a long detour to get past the -hinds, and when we got to the top and spied we found our stag -some two miles away lying with a few small stags close to the -march in a position fairly easy to stalk if he waited for about -half an hour. We at once dipped down into the corrie at his right -and moved along till opposite him. We then climbed till within 80 -yards; he was still lying, so Mr. A. came to the conclusion to -take him before getting up in case he would lose him on the march. -Mr. A. fired, and hit high near the spine. The stag got up, but -fell without making a step. I ran up to bleed him, and, crossing -below, I noticed his head up again, and hurried up, when he made -a straight bolt at me. With a quick jump to one side, I got clear -of his head by a few inches. He toppled down the face and fell in -a hollow. I think it was then he broke his back, as he could only -raise his forepart. I called on Mr. A. to come up and finish him, -as he was a dangerous beast. When he came in sight to one side and -raised the rifle the stag half turned towards him and gave a loud, -defiant roar, which was cut short by a bullet through the neck. -He weighed 18 st. 2 lb.; the head had a wide span and long, but -the horn was rather thin and smooth, which showed he was past his -prime. Whether he roared because he could not manage to get at the -man or with fright when he saw the rifle it is hard to guess, but -I remember thinking how like his roar was to the roar of two stags -at each other on opposite sides of a corrie. - -“The second time was in 1907, about October 1st. This season we -got some heavy stags on my beat. The heaviest was 20 st. 5 lb., -and Mr. B., with whom I was then stalking, was keen to make a -record average weight. One day we were spying near the far end of -the beat, and saw a stag travelling on to our ground. At first we -could not make out what he was, until he joined a bunch of hinds -and showed us his broadside, when at once we saw he was a fine -big beast, and, although neither of us said so, I believe we both -thought at the time it was bigger than our 20-stoner. The day was -getting late, and it was hard to stalk him where he was, and so -near the march, if a failure, so we left him in peace, hoping for -favourable wind and weather next day. Next morning we were early on -the move and over the tops at best pace till we came to the spying -point. We saw the same stag and hinds on the same face, but lower -down, and, if anything, harder to get at. We went round the top of -the corrie to get straight above them. The place was a green steep -face without a particle of cover, but fine and smooth to slide down -at a steady, flat crawl. When within 300 yards I raised my head up -to spy out the best way. What did I see right in our path and under -a small bank, and not over five yards away, but a small knobber! -To pass to either side without him seeing us was impossible. I -turned to Mr. B. and asked him what he proposed we should do, but -got no answer, and I then said I would pitch a small stone to make -him move somewhere. I saw Mr. B. nodded assent. Then, after having -a look to study the little stag’s position, I lowered down and -pitched a stone on a guess, when I heard a sharp click like as if I -hit him on the horn. He got sharply up and ran down at a terrific -pace towards the near hinds, and they ran for a short distance -down, when they suddenly all stopped and began to look sharply up -towards us. I may admit I got palpitation, and from what I heard at -my back I was getting no praise for my aim. Then we noticed the big -stag, which was lying below and on the far side, rise, and, giving -a loud roar, he made straight for the knobber, and drove him out -and up towards us. But the little fellow got round him, and ran -again into the hinds with the big stag in hot pursuit. The big stag -drove him down and across the river, which was the march. He stood -on the bank and gave a parting grunt, and then began to drive his -hinds up towards us. We at once began to crawl slowly down so as to -get the cover of a small hump that was between us, which we managed -to do in good time and get the rifle ready, for shortly we saw the -first of the hinds appearing about fifteen yards to our left. They -at once noticed us, but as we were then turned into two stones they -only shied off a little and moved slowly uphill, except one, which -began to circle round to get into our wind. I kept my eye on her to -see when she would give the alarm, when we were to move over the -hump and chance the stag being within shot. But before anything -happened I felt a touch from Mr. B., and, looking round, saw the -top of the big stag’s horns appearing quite close. When he noticed -us he stood with a ferocious look towards us. Mr. B. quickly took -aim and fired. I saw the blood gushing from the stag’s throat, low, -and near his foreleg. He staggered and fell. Mr. B. getting up -suddenly threw his rifle down and ran over to bleed him. I went to -pick up the rifle, and then, turning to have a look at our trophy, -lo! there was the stag up and Mr. B. holding on firmly to both -horns, his arms well out and rigged and kept well back close to his -shoulders, the stag giving nasty digs and always trying to get into -him. I saw at once that things were not looking well, so I loaded -the rifle so as to disable the stag by shooting him through the -haunches. When I stepped near for fear of accident they began of a -sudden a merry go round and round, so fast that I dare not shoot. -They went round and round six or seven times. I saw something would -have to be done quickly, so, putting the rifle away, I stepped -close and plunged in on the opposite side, taking hold of his -horns, so with the weight of 30 st. between us we pulled the noble -brute down, when Mr. B. managed to put the knife into his throat. - -“Now this stag was losing a lot of blood all the time, and must -have been losing his strength, which I consider saved us, and in my -opinion the stag was keener to get into the man than to get away, -for I noticed he always circled towards him. Mr. B., as a rule, -always bled his own stags, and this time, after taking hold of the -horn to bleed him, the stag got up suddenly, and Mr. B. stuck to -him, and then Mr. B. found he could not safely let him go, as he -saw at once the stag would turn on him if he got the least chance. -He said to me after it was all over, ‘That was a very near thing,’ -and so it certainly was.” - -My friend Vincent Balfour-Browne has reminded me that the latter -instance of a wounded stag attacking a man is similar in some -respects to Charles St. John’s thrilling story of the Muckle -Hart of Ben More in his _Wild Sports and Natural History of the -Highlands_, in which case, to use Balfour-Browne’s words, the stag -was certainly keener to get into the man than to get away. - - - - -[Illustration: (Flying Ducks)] - - XIII - - TRAPPED - - -I never hear any one mention Spring-Tide without thinking of an -experience which I had whilst duck-shooting on the north-west coast -of Scotland. - -On the afternoon of a certain autumn day I went out to try to shoot -wild duck, the plan being that I should be landed with my gun and -spaniel on a rocky islet in a certain sea loch, and that I should -wait, taking what cover I could amongst the rocks, whilst the boat -from which I was landed should be rowed up to the head of the -loch in order to flush the wild duck of which there were always -numbers there at that time of the year. It was known that on being -disturbed the duck would fly down the loch towards the open sea, -and some of them would probably cross the rocks on which I was -waiting. - -It was a fairly quiet though misty day when we set out, but there -were clouds gathering in the east, and it looked as if there would -be a storm before long. In due course I was landed on the little -island, which was quite small and consisted of low-lying rocks. I -said to my old fisherman, who with another man was rowing the boat, -“Are you sure that these rocks are never covered by the sea?” and -he replied, “Ach, no, it is arl richt.” - -Away went the boat, and in it besides the two men rowing were an -old friend of mine, who was a cautious Scot, and two ladies. - -[Illustration: AMONG THE WESTERN ISLANDS. - -From a Photograph by Miss DIANA DARLING.] - -Not long after it was out of sight the wind rose and rain began -to fall. After a time some duck passed out of shot, then a single -bird which I killed, then after another interval a big lot well -out of shot, and then at intervals two single birds, one of which -I brought down. The spaniel had enough to do to retrieve the birds -with the strong tide and high wind. Just after this a storm of wind -and rain swept down the loch, and the sea became very wild. I was -still thinking about the duck, but felt no anxiety after what the -old fisherman had said. After a time, however, I began to feel -some apprehension, as the tide was rising very rapidly and there -was only a comparatively small part of the island uncovered. I -thought I had better make up my mind as to which was the highest -point on the island, and particularly where I should have the best -chance of retaining my footing if the sea rose much higher. I -selected what seemed to be the best place for this purpose, with -some short rocks in front of me, and took up my stand peering into -the mist from time to time for a sight of the boat and hoping every -moment to see it. There was now so small a part of the island -uncovered that I was getting very wet from the waves, which were -breaking with some force, and my dog was very excited, barking and -whining and making a great fuss. - -Things were becoming very serious, and I could see that unless the -tide turned within a few minutes the rocks would be covered. The -water rose so high and so rapidly that I was now standing in water -and the ducks I had shot were washed away. Still no sign of the -boat, and the tide still rising. - -The waves by this time were breaking over the rocks, and for a -few moments I was thoroughly alarmed, as I realised that if the -tide rose a little higher I should probably be washed off, and -though I could swim I had no reasonable hope of being able in -that sea to swim the considerable distance which separated me -from the mainland. However, the feeling of fear was very short, -and was followed by a grim determination to hold on for all I was -worth, and, strange as it seemed to me afterwards, a pleasurable -excitement in what I realised was going to be a desperate effort -to keep my footing. There were very few points of the rock left -uncovered now, and the tide was still rising, when suddenly out of -the mist I saw the boat coming, rising and falling in the angry sea. - -To cut a long story short, it was a most dangerous and difficult -job to take me off the rocks without upsetting the boat, but it -was managed all right by the two men, the older of whom was a very -experienced seaman. In less than three minutes after they got me -off, the point of rock that I had been on was covered and there was -nothing of the island to be seen. - -My friend, to whom I shall be ever grateful, declares that he saved -my life, and this I think was the fact, for when the wind got up -he insisted on the men going back to the island at once, feeling -very nervous on my account, and they had a tremendous pull to get -back in time as the sea was very rough and the tide was running -strongly against them. - -[Illustration: WHERE STROME CASTLE LOOKS OVER THE SEA TO SKYE. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -The cause of the rocks being covered by the sea--a very rare -occurrence--was an unusually high spring tide coupled with a -strong gale from the opposite direction, which made the waves much -higher than they would otherwise have been in a loch which has the -reputation of being one of the most dangerous lochs on the west -coast for squalls. - - - - -[Illustration: OCTOBER] - - XIV - - THE LAST STALK OF THE SEASON - - -It was the last day of the stalking season in the forest of -Fealar, where it had been my good fortune to spend the first ten -days of October. I had been out stalking for eight days, during -two of which I did not get a shot, but, with the exception of the -preceding day, which had been a black Friday for me, I had been -very lucky, having shot eight stags, and three of these I had -stalked without the aid of a stalker, which had added greatly to -my pleasure. But it was a melancholy fact that the last day had -arrived, and what had it in store for us? On the preceding day I -had had a series of misfortunes, and when I got up and looked out -of my bedroom window the prospect was not a cheery one. A thick -mist enveloped everything all round the lodge, which is one of the -highest, if not the highest, of all the shooting lodges in the -Highlands, 1764 ft. above the level of the sea. On coming down to -breakfast my host said to me, “Well, I don’t think it is any use -going out to-day. What do you say?” But I knew quite well that my -host, one of the keenest and best of sportsmen, was only poking fun -at me on this the last day of the season. By ten o’clock the mist -had slightly lifted. There was a steady drizzle; the high tops were -still covered; the wind was east to south-east--the wrong wind for -this forest--and the prospect was certainly not inviting. However, -we determined to make a start, and I was sent out on the beat of -the head stalker, Macdougall. We had not gone more than a mile from -the lodge when we saw a shootable stag with some hinds, and after a -stalk up a burn and a considerable crawl over a peaty bog, we got -to a point within shot of them. Macdougall was just getting the -rifle out of its cover when something disturbed the deer, and away -they went. Macdougall said he thought I must have shown myself, -though I was not conscious of having done so. At any rate, I had -succeeded in getting wet through in my efforts to keep flat and -out of sight. - -The weather continued thoroughly unsatisfactory. It was impossible -to spy, and for the following hour we saw nothing. About the end -of that time it cleared up a little, and we spied about a mile -off a large herd of deer, between 200 and 300, and amongst them -what appeared to be some very fine stags. We had to make a long -détour, and then, by walking and crawling along the side of a -burn, we succeeded in getting within what we thought must be a -very short distance of some of the stags, judging from the sound -of their roaring. We crawled up the bank of the burn, and found -ourselves within about 200 yards of one end of the herd, where -there was a fine 10-pointer continually on the move, rounding up -the hinds. Macdougall said he thought we could get in much nearer -by going back into the burn and crawling further up it. This we -did, and then, after crawling a little way up the side of the hill, -we got to within 100 yards of the 10-pointer. Almost immediately -after I had got the rifle into my hands the stag, which had been -perpetually on the move, stood for a moment broadside on, giving -me a splendid chance. I fired, and the stag bounded forward a -few paces, and then fell dead. He had a fine, regular head of -ten points, certainly the best head I had obtained this season, -although I had been fortunate in shooting a good many stags. It was -by this time just twelve o’clock. Macdougall said we had better -have lunch in order to allow the deer to settle down, and added -that he did not think they would go very far. He said he was quite -sure that there were at least other two very fine stags amongst the -deer that had gone forward. - -The stag was soon gralloched, and the gillie was sent back for the -pony. We did not take long over lunch, and then set off in the -direction in which the deer had gone, being guided by the perpetual -roaring of the stags. After going some little distance we located -the deer on the face of a hill rather less than two miles from us. -Though there was still a drizzle and the light was bad, the wind -had risen, and the mist had to some extent cleared from the lower -ground. - -After walking and crawling along the bed of a burn for about half -a mile we got into a position from which we were able to spy the -deer, as it had ceased raining and the light was better. We made -out that there were two lots of hinds on the face of the hill -with stags in both lots, and between them five stags. The largest -of these stags had a very fine head, and, as often happens in the -case of a big stag, had in attendance on him a smaller or sentinel -stag. The stalker said he thought the big stag was a Royal, but was -not quite sure. This stag and the others which were with him had -evidently been driven away from the hinds by a heavy 10-pointer, -who was the master stag, and who was making a great disturbance, -chasing the smaller stags away, and rounding up the larger lot of -hinds. - -After a very laborious crawl, sometimes on all-fours, sometimes -flat, sometimes in the burn, sometimes out of it, for about -three-quarters of a mile further, we reached a point in the burn -about 600 or 700 yards below the five stags which I have before -referred to. In the meantime the wind had risen, and the weather -was now very rough and stormy. Macdougall whispered to me that -we should have to crawl up the hill in full sight of the deer, -and this we proceeded to do for some 500 yards, watching the deer -with the greatest care, and whenever one of their heads went up -instantly becoming as motionless as statues, and so gradually -getting up the hill until at last we got behind a little tussock. -The little stag was in front of the four stags, close to him was -the big stag, and some little distance behind the latter were the -other three stags. Macdougall pulled the rifle out of its cover and -beckoned to me to crawl up. He then whispered, “You’ll have to take -him now, sir; it’s the only chance you’ll get. We can’t possibly -get a yard nearer.” “Take him now,” I said; “why, how far off do -you say he is?” “Oh, maybe 330 yards,” said Macdougall. “He’s too -far,” I said. “I shall probably wound him, or more likely miss -him.” Macdougall’s reply was, “I think you can manage him, sir, -and, anyhow, it’s your only chance; we cannot get nearer.” “Why not -try to get to that next knobby,” I asked, “about 100 yards further -on, behind which the big stag is just going?” Macdougall said that -if we tried to do that the other three stags behind the big stag -would be certain to see us and would bolt and put the whole lot -off. “Well,” I replied, “if they do, we shan’t be worse off than if -I fire now and miss. Come on, let’s do the bold thing, it sometimes -pays.” Macdougall shook his head and said, “It’s no wise, I’m -thinking.” “Come on,” I said. “Well, sir,” said Macdougall, “if -you will have it, we’ll try, but I don’t think it will be any good; -we shall have to crawl as hard and fast as ever we can up the hill, -quite flat the whole way.” Away we went as hard as we could, and -it took me all my time to keep up behind Macdougall, who propelled -himself along at a prodigious rate. Arrived behind the knobby, -we very carefully raised our heads, and found that Macdougall’s -prophecy had fortunately proved only partly correct. The three -stags behind the big stag and his fag, the little stag, had seen -us and had bolted, but instead of going forward, as Macdougall had -expected, they had turned tail and made off in the other direction, -with the result that they had only put off the deer behind them and -none of the deer in front of them. Macdougall hurriedly whispered, -pulling the rifle out of the cover: “The big stag is still there, -sir, but he and the wee staggie are getting varra suspeecious, and -you’ll have to take him varra quick. He’ll be about 220 yards.” -“Well,” I said, “I must get my breath; I’m absolutely blown,” the -fact being that at the moment I felt absolutely done to the world -and was quite incapable of shooting straight. The big stag had -slightly moved and was now standing about three-quarters end on, -a very difficult shot. I raised the rifle, sighted the stag, and -pressed the trigger. There was a sound of a little click, and that -was all. “A misfire!” I muttered below my breath. “Are you sure you -loaded the rifle after lunch?” “Yes, sir, I am,” said Macdougall. -“Very well, then,” I replied, “I’ll try him with the second -barrel,” and raised the rifle. “Don’t fire,” said Macdougall; “we’d -better make sure.” With some difficulty, owing to the position I -was in and the necessity of keeping as flat as possible, I opened -the rifle, and lo and behold it was empty! I loaded it as quickly -as I could. Meantime, the stag had moved on a few yards, and was -now standing broadside on. I put up the rifle, took a steady aim, -and fired. There was a thud; the stag gave a start and then moved -slowly forward. “You have him,” said Macdougall. I said, “I don’t -know that.” “He’s varra sick,” said Macdougall, “and will never get -over the hill.” The stag had evidently been shot in the stomach. He -was looking very sick, poor beast, and was walking slowly forward, -stopping every now and then. All the other deer had disappeared as -if by magic except the little stag, who kept some distance in front -of the big stag, constantly looking round at him, evidently loth -to leave his lord and master. I said, “I’d better fire again,” and -put up the 250 yards sight, as I estimated that the stag was now -nearly 300 yards from us, and fired. “Over him, sir,” whispered -Macdougall. “We must get a bit nearer,” I said. “I’m afraid if we -move he’ll see us and begin to run,” Macdougall replied. “Well,” -I said, “we’d better try and get round him.” So we crawled right -round behind the stag, who kept on moving slowly and then stopping, -and got to within about 220 yards of him. “Tak’ your time, sir,” -said Macdougall. The stag gave me a good chance, broadside on; -and I fired, believing that I was quite steady. “Missed him, -sir,” said Macdougall; “I saw something fly up behind him.” “I’m -not so sure,” said I, and as I spoke, the stag, who when I fired -had bounded forward three or four paces, staggered and then fell -and rolled over and over down the hill, shot through the heart, -as we subsequently found. Macdougall seized my hand and shook it -vigorously, saying, “I hope, sir, he’s a Royal. I believe he is.” -As we were getting up to the stag I said, “I see three on one top, -but not on the other.” “Ach, yes,” said Macdougall, “he has three -on both tops. Yes, sir, he’s a Royal, and we shall have to fine you -a bottle of whisky according to the custom of this forest.” “You -may be quite sure I shall not mind that,” I replied. On getting -up to the stag we found that his head was a fine wild one, with -exceptionally long horns. My first bullet had passed through the -second compartment of the stomach, or, as it is called in Gaelic, -currachd an righ, close to but a little below the heart. - -[Illustration: “THE BIG STAG IS STILL THERE.” - -By FRANK WALLACE.] - -Currachd an righ means in English “the King’s cap,” though it is -sometimes called “the King’s night-cap.” Turned inside out it -resembles in shape and dice pattern the old-fashioned night-cap. -It is said that certain internal parts of the stag and other -ingredients cooked in this “bag” or “currachd” was a favourite -dish in the olden days, “fit for a king,” or such as only a king -could afford. That may be why it is called “currachd an righ.” The -corresponding small bag in the stomach of the sheep is also called -“currachd an righ,” and in English “the King’s hood.” The same word -is used in Gaelic to signify Hood and Cap. _Night-cap_ translated -literally is “currachd oidhche,” but in Gaelic the word “oidhche” -or “night” is omitted; presumably because there was only one kind -of cap. - -“Poca buidhè,” which means yellow bag, is the Gaelic name of the -first compartment or large bag of the stag’s stomach, and is a name -used only in the case of the stag. - -Macdougall signalled for the pony, and then gralloched the stag. -It proved to be a very troublesome job to get the stag on to -the pony, although the latter was usually very quiet under such -circumstances. Macdougall said the reason for his being so restive -was that he could see the very long horns. After helping the -gillie and the pony-man to put the stag on the pony, Macdougall -and I tried to find some other stag, but in the time still at -our disposal we saw nothing more except a few hinds. Curiously -enough, the weights of the 10-pointer and the Royal were exactly -the same to an ounce--namely, 15 st. 7 oz. clean, without heart -and liver--and were the two best heads of the season in the forest -of Fealar. Macdougall, who was a stalker of long experience, told -my host that he had never had so strenuous a stalk as the stalk -after the Royal, and he said to me on the way home, “I shall -never believe in thirteen being an unlucky number again, sir, -for I found just after we had started that we had only thirteen -cartridges, and very nearly went back to leave one of them at home.” - -On our way down from the hill there kept ringing in my ears the -familiar lines of Ruskin in _A Joy for Ever_, lines so true in the -experience of those of us who are no longer on the threshold of -life: - -“It is wisely appointed for us that few of the things we desire can -be had without considerable intervals of time.” - -My host had also shot two stags, though he had not met with the -wonderful luck I had had. No one could have been more genuinely -pleased at my good fortune than he was. So ended for me the last -day of the stalking season of 1913, which was one of the most -enjoyable and lucky days I have ever spent in the Highlands, and -will always be to me a red-letter day. - - - - -[Illustration: A Real Nice One.] - - XV - - THE LOCH PROBLEM - - -For some twelve years I have been trying experiments on lochs -on my ground in the North of Scotland, and have written what -follows mainly because I hope and believe that the result of -these experiments may prove useful to some of those who love -trout-fishing as I do, and have the means at hand, possibly without -fully realising their opportunities, of increasing their sport and -that of their friends. I have spent much labour and a good deal -of money in attempting to improve the fishing in various lochs. -In some cases these efforts have proved useless; in others the -labour and money expended in stocking the lochs and increasing -the food supply have been altogether out of proportion to the -results obtained, but in one case, and one case only, the results -have been phenomenal, not only in my own experience, but also in -that of my keeper, who, like myself, has all his life been keenly -interested in and familiar with trout-fishing in the North. In -the case of those lochs where no good result has been achieved, -I have at least learnt something from my failure. The loch upon -which I experimented with such wonderful results must have been a -veritable larder of food for the trout when I put them into it, -for there was a large quantity of water lizards, leeches, frogs, -and above all, fresh-water shrimps; there were also various kinds -of insect life, water beetles, notably the coch-y-bundhu, and a -smaller beetle with a silver body which moves with a swift darting -movement. It is impossible for the trout to spawn effectively, -as there is no burn coming into or going out of the loch and no -water continually moving over a shingly bottom. The loch is not -more than six acres in extent, and is about 500 feet above the -level of the sea. At the time, just thirteen years ago, when I -began to put fish into it, there were no fish in it, and so far -as I know there never had been any, except some years ago when a -few trout were put in, but these had no doubt been caught or died -long before I began my experiments. I am also quite certain, for -the reasons already mentioned, that they had left no descendants. -Every year, in May or June, about 2½ acres of the loch are covered -with a common kind of rush, the “Horse-tail,” _Equisetum maximum_, -and about one-quarter of an acre with grass, which, I believe, is -a species of _Scirpus_. In the rushes and round them are patches -of a kind of surface weed which is common in Highland lochs, and -which, as every fly-fisher in the Highlands knows, is a great -danger to him. This weed, the scientific name of which is, I am -told, _Potamogeton polygonifolius_, covers an area of some 20 -square yards. Lastly, and most important of all, there is in the -loch a considerable quantity of the well-known Water Milfoil or -shrimp-weed, _Myriophyllum verticillatum_, which in this water -produced quantities of fresh-water shrimp. - -[Illustration: AN AUTUMN DAY, LOCH CARRON--LOOKING WEST. - -By Mrs. SCHRODER OF ATTADALE.] - -By August and September the rushes have, of course, largely -increased, and extend to nearly four acres, leaving a comparatively -small part of the loch which can be fished. The depth of the loch -is about 3½ feet all over with the exception of two places, a very -small part of it, where it is about 5 feet. Its bottom is for -the most part fairly hard ground, but on one side there is soft -mud, and on another side, for about an acre and a half, the bottom -is rocky. I began stocking the loch in 1910, and during the first -three years put into it small trout from burns and other lochs on -my ground, but in 1913 and 1914 put into it 150 and 200 Loch Leven -yearlings respectively. These yearlings were supplied from one of -the well-known hatcheries. In 1915 I put no trout into the loch, -but since, and including 1916, I have put in every year on an -average about eighty small trout taken entirely from burns--one of -which runs into the sea and contains the young of sea-trout as well -as small brown trout. The following table shows the exact numbers -of fish put into the loch, showing a total of 1062. - - 1910. Aug., Sept., Oct 62 (20 fair size) - 1911. July, Aug., Sept 61 (16 fair size) - 1912. July, Sept., Oct 20 - 1913. April 150 - 1914. April 200 - 1916. June, July 104 - 1917. June, July 105 - 1918. June, July 96 - 1919. August 74 - 1920. July 96 - 1921. July, August 44 - 1922. July 50 - -I have taken care that the loch should not be fished too much, and -nothing has been used but the wet fly. It has only been fished in -May and June and in August and September. In May and June, which -are, of course, the best months of the year, it has only been -fished for two or three weeks, and in August and September it is -very difficult to persuade the trout to rise, and a rare experience -to catch one. It has been suggested to me that I should introduce -rainbow trout into the loch, as they would rise freely in August -and September, when the large brown trout will not do so. - -In May and June there is a hatch out of flies from the weeds -on the loch and from the heather on the adjoining moorland. In -particular there is a hatch out of a large fly, of which I have -caught specimens. These I have sent south for examination, and am -told that they are all sedges, the largest being the large red -sedge, _Phryganea grandis_, those next in size being cinnamon -sedges. I have had flies dressed in imitation of these, and if one -is fortunate enough to be on the loch when the sedges are hatching -out, there is grand sport to be had, and sport which is greatly -increased by the presence of so many troublesome weeds. The loch -was not fished until 1913, three years after trout were first put -into it. Every fish caught under a pound, with very few exceptions, -has been returned to the loch, but it is a curious fact that the -fish rise very little until they reach about a pound in weight, -and so we have not been troubled much by catching the smaller fish -which would have to be returned to the loch. - -The following is the record of fish caught, showing a total of 216, -weighing 482 lb. 1 oz., and averaging nearly 2¼ lb. - - 1913. 6 trout, weighing 8 lb.; average 1⅓ lb.; largest 2 lb.; - smallest ½ lb. - - 1914. 19, weighing 29 lb.; average slightly over 1½ lb.; - largest 2½ lb.; smallest ¾ lb. - - 1915. 14, weighing 29 lb. 11 oz.; average just over 2 lb.; - largest 3½ lb.; smallest 1 lb. 1 oz. - - 1916. 20, weighing 58 lb. 9 oz.; average nearly 3 lb.; largest - 4 lb. 7 oz.; smallest 2 lb. - - 1917. 18, weighing 58 lb. 11 oz.; average about 3¼ lb.; - largest 4 lb. 10 oz.; smallest 2 lb. - - 1918. 44, weighing 98 lb. 5 oz.; average nearly 2¼ lb.; largest - 6 lb.; smallest ¾ lb. - - 1919. 13, weighing 28 lb. 4. oz.; average over 2 lb.; largest - 4¼ lb.; smallest 1 lb. - - 1920. 20, weighing 59 lb. 6 oz.; average very nearly 3 lb.; - largest 7½ lb.; smallest 1 lb. 2 oz. - - 1921. 30, weighing 48 lb. 13 oz.; average about 1⅝ lb.; - largest 4¾ lb.; smallest ¾ lb. - - 1922. 32, weighing 73 lb. 6 oz.; average slightly over 2¼ lb.; - largest 5 lb. 2 oz.; smallest 1 lb. - -The exact weights of the 20, 18, 20, and 32 fish caught -respectively in 1916, 1917, 1920, and 1922 (in which years the -highest average was reached) were as follows: - - 1916. 1917. 1920. 1922. - lb. oz. lb. oz. lb. oz. lb. oz. - 4 7 4 10 7 8 5 2 - 4 1 4 1 4 10 5 1 - 3 13 4 0 4 8 4 8 - 3 10 3 14 4 7 4 4 - 3 9 3 14 4 4 3 4 - 3 6 3 10 3 10 3 4 - 3 1 3 9 3 10 3 4 - 3 0 3 8 3 0 3 0 - 3 0 3 8 2 9 2 12 - 3 0 3 5 2 8 2 8 - 2 12 3 1 1 12 2 4 - 2 12 3 ½ 1 10 2 2 - 2 9 2 13 1 10 2 1 - 2 8 2 8 1 10 2 0 - 2 8 2 8 1 8 2 0 - 2 4 2 4 1 8 2 0 - 2 3 2 4 1 8 3 of 1 12 - 2 2 2 0 1 4 7 of 1 8 - 2 0 .. 1 4 5 of 1 4 - 2 0 .. 1 2 1 0 - -The fish caught have been remarkable not only for their weight but -also for their extraordinary beauty and condition. Those of us who -have seen them have seen many trout in our time, but have never -seen trout to compare with those caught during the first four or -five years after we began fishing the loch. Several of these, -which we measured, were as much in girth as in length from the -gills to the point of the tail where the flesh ends. They had small -heads and were most beautifully coloured. Their flesh was in colour -a deep red--no doubt due to the pigment in the fresh-water shrimps -which, as I have said, abound in the loch. - -It is an interesting fact that, although the loch was very little -fished by ladies, they secured the two largest fish, one of 7½ -lb., which took over three-quarters of an hour to land and gave -splendid sport, the other 6 lb. The former was a most extraordinary -fish. It was 22 inches in length, 16 inches in length from the -gills to the point where the flesh ends at the tail, and 16 inches -in girth. There is, however, no doubt that, with the exception of -this particular fish, the fish caught during the last four or five -years, whilst in excellent condition and comparing very favourably -with the ordinary large brown trout caught elsewhere, have not been -so extraordinary in their girth as in the first few years after the -loch was stocked. - -These experiments show the correctness of the opinion expressed -by one of the most experienced of writers on the subject of trout -culture, Mr. P. D. Malloch, who says in his well-known work on the -_Life History and Habits of the Salmon, Sea-trout, Trout and other -Fresh-water Fish_[31] (p. 186): “When a farmer rents a piece of -land for grazing he knows how many sheep or cattle it will pasture, -and that if he puts on more than the proper number they will not -grow. He also knows that if he introduce too few they will become -fat and too lazy to eat up all the pasture, and he will thus lose -part of the money paid for the pasture land. If the proprietor or -the tenant of a loch would consider the matter in the same way -as the farmer, he would obtain full value out of his lochs, be -saved a deal of grumbling, and find life more pleasant.” The same -writer also says (p. 157): “Many naturalists maintain that there -are different species of trout in the British Islands--Loch Leven -trout, Gillaroo trout, tidal trout, and many others--but from a -close study of all these trout for the last forty years, I have -come to the conclusion that there is only one species of trout in -Great Britain, and that in the different varieties the differences -are caused by the nature of the water in which they are found and -by the food they eat.” Thus, as would be expected, there is no -apparent difference between the so-called Loch Leven trout which -were put into the loch from the hatcheries and the little trout -from my own burns. Numbers of these splendid trout running up to -5, 6, and 7 lb. must be the brothers and sisters of the little -fingerlings of the same age in the burns. The best authorities are -apparently agreed[32] that the average life of trout is about ten -years (although there are authenticated instances in which they -have lived for a much longer period), that they reach their prime -in six or seven years, that they remain in their prime for a few -years longer, and then begin to lose condition and weight as old -age creeps on. Those of the trout put into the loch in 1910 and -1911 which I have described as of fair size were about three to -the lb., some rather larger and could not then have had many years -to live. Those from the burns were probably of different ages, but -it is highly likely that in 1913 and 1914, when the yearlings from -the hatcheries were put into the loch, there were very few of such -other trout as were still there that could live more than three or -four years longer. - -So far there has been little indication that any of the trout -caught have been cannibals--probably because they can obtain plenty -of other food, and since their transfer to the loch have not been -in the hungry condition in which they certainly were when they -lived in the burns. On one occasion we found when carrying some of -the little brown trout from one of the burns to the loch that one -of the captives on the journey in the small can in which they were -being carried had caught and succeeded in half swallowing another -little trout half its own size. - -Both Mr. Malloch (see pp. 130-132 of his work mentioned above) -and Mr. Hamish Stuart (_The Book of the Sea-Trout_,[33] p. 240) -agree that the young of the sea-trout, if confined in a loch, grow -rapidly if the feeding be good, and are as silvery as sea-trout -that are fresh run. - -My experience in regard to the young of the sea-trout put into this -loch confirms this view, as I have caught sea-trout up to nearly -2 lb. in the loch, which are in no way distinguishable from the -ordinary fresh-run sea-trout. It is curious, however, that so -far no sea-trout larger than 2 lb. have been caught in this loch. - -[Illustration: SUNSET ON THE SHORES OF LOCH CARRON. - -From a Photograph by Miss ALEXANDRA FRASER.] - -To summarise the results of these experiments, it seems clear that -in order to obtain the best results the following conditions should -be fulfilled: - -1. _There must be a sufficient supply of the right kind of food for -the fish in the loch in order that they may grow to a large size._ - -In order to attain this object, it is desirable that the loch -should not be too high above the level of the sea. As Mr. Malloch -says in the work to which I have already referred (p. 179): “Lochs -over 1000 feet above sea-level, fed from snow from surrounding -hills, produce little feeding until May, and owing to the cold fall -off in September, thus giving the trout only four months of good -feeding. On the other hand, lochs at or near sea-level produce good -feeding in March, and continue to do so for three months more than -their Highland brethren. It will be seen, then, that this extra -time for feeding, when extended over the seven or eight years which -constitute the life of a trout, easily accounts for the difference -of size.” Moreover, as the same writer points out, in a loch which -is very high above the sea-level, not only is the feeding-time -shorter, but the food is much scarcer. - -On the question of food supply it is worth while to recall the -words of Mr. F. H. Halford:[34] “Food supply generally is ... -chiefly dependent on the presence of the weeds in which the best -forms of food for the fish are to be found.... It must not, -however, be forgotten that, in Marryat’s terse words, ‘while -floating food is caviare, sunk or mid-water food is beef to the -fish.’ Hence, when engaged in his examination of the weeds and -the animal life contained therein, the fisherman should remember -that he can only expect well-fed, good-conditioned, healthy, and -consequently game trout in a (loch) which contains a bountiful -supply of crustaceans, such as fresh-water shrimps and mollusks -such as snails of the genera _Limnaea_, _Planorbis_,” etc., etc. - -Further, it is of the utmost importance that the number of fish in -the loch should be regulated in such a way that the food supply may -be sufficient to enable the fish to grow to a large size. - -Where the fish cannot spawn effectively, and it is therefore -necessary to renew the stock, experience alone can decide the -number of fish which should be put into the loch every year. Spring -is the best time to do this. The number of fish which should be put -in will obviously depend chiefly upon the amount of food in the -loch and the number of fish caught, and destroyed by their enemies, -during the preceding year. In many lochs there are stones under -which the small trout can find protection from the large ones, but -where there is no protection it is worth while to put stones or -small drain tiles round the edge of the loch. - -In lochs where, as is usually the case, the fish can spawn -effectively the fish increase so rapidly that there is not a -sufficient supply of food, and the result is that the loch is -filled with hungry small trout. When it is remembered that it is -reckoned that every spawning trout produces 800 to 1000 eggs for -every pound of its weight, some idea is obtained of the rapidity -with which fish increase. In many lochs Nature intervenes and -the enemies of trout--divers, herons, ducks, otters, etc.--keep -the numbers down, sometimes to the point of extinction; in other -lochs, owing to the severe frosts and other causes, it is only -occasionally that the eggs are hatched out. - -2. _The lock must not be too deep or the trout will not rise or -will not rise well._ - -This, I believe, is the cause of my failure in several of the lochs -upon which I have been making experiments. As Mr. Malloch truly -says: - -“When a loch is more than 12 feet deep the supply of food soon -becomes scarce and the trout small, while shallow lochs produce -plenty of food, therefore large trout.... In constructing new -lochs, one should endeavour to have as much shallow water as -possible.... The best depth is from five to nine feet; beyond -twelve feet food becomes scarce and trout do not rise well in deep -water.” - -[Illustration: (Deep Water)] - - - - -[Illustration: (The Loch Shore)] - - XVI - - THE SURGEON OF THE DEER FOREST - - -“In the Forest and on the moor there is a mighty Doctor before whom -the greatest physicians and surgeons in the world must bow down. -Nature acting in a pure air on an absolutely healthy subject will -work wonderful cures.... It seems marvellous that the broken leg of -an animal so restless as a stag should heal, but it is the case.... -Such a wound will heal and the animal ultimately be little the -worse for it.” - -Such are the words, in his book _Wild Sport with Gun, Rifle, -and Salmon Rod_, of Mr. Gilfrid W. Hartley, a stalker of great -experience, and the author of some most fascinating reminiscences -on stalking. - -Every good sportsman is, of course, greatly distressed if he has -the misfortune to wound a stag without being able to kill him. No -matter what care may be exercised, it is impossible, even for the -best of shots who has been accustomed to stalk for many years, not -to experience some time or other a catastrophe of this kind. It is -at any rate some slight consolation to know that Nature can effect -the marvellous cures of which there is authentic record. - -Much can, no doubt, be done to improve one’s shooting by regular -practice. Some years ago I was discussing the subject with one -of the old Highland proprietors who is a first-class rifle shot, -and he told me that for many years he had been in the habit of -practising shooting at a small wooden stag, which he had placed -in all kinds of different positions and at different distances on -the hill. He added that he was sure that this had greatly improved -his shooting. This interested me greatly, for I had for a long -time been doing the same thing and am a great believer in its -advantages. Amongst other things which it teaches one, is to judge -distances more accurately. - -In the course of my wanderings through many forests, I have often -discussed with experienced stalkers the subject of Nature’s -wonderful cures, and as recently as the year before last, whilst -I was stalking in a forest in the Western Highlands, the head -stalker related to me a remarkable experience of his own. I thought -the story worth recording in some permanent form, but felt that I -myself could not do justice to it. I therefore asked my friend the -stalker if he could find time, after the stalking season was over, -to write out for me the account of this particular experience. - -Some five months later I received the account from him, accompanied -by a letter which contained the following words: “You will find the -enclosed story about the wounded stag. And indeed, I would prefer -stalking through wet and bogs for six hours than one hour trying to -put my experience on paper.” Here is the story in question: - -“As I promised, I am writing about one of my experiences which -fixed it greatly on my mind as to the power of a stag to recover -from a serious wound. - -“The year 1905 was a very wet season in this district, and while -stags were not good in condition, there were some good heads to -be seen. I had that season one of the best of sportsmen who knew -a great deal about deer and their ways, and had an experience of -thirty years behind him. - -[Illustration: ON THE EDGE OF THE DEER FOREST. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -“My beat is a narrow long piece of high ground and stretching well -in between three adjoining forests coming to a narrow point, and -on this narrow part there is a small corrie. This corrie is the -best for keeping stags I know of, but rather difficult to stalk -except with north-west wind. With other winds, although successful -in a stalk, one is sure to drive the rest of the deer into one of -the adjoining forests, the stalkers in which were very much on the -alert at that time to make the best use of any move in their favour -on the marches. There was a long spell of south and south-west -wind, and although there were quite a lot of stags in this corrie -we had to wait long for favourable wind so as to move them further -into our own ground. About September 25 we were having a spy at -the corrie, and noticed a newcomer with quite a big, strong head -of ten points, and on each horn very peculiarly shaped tops with -cups, the three points on the top in each horn curving towards -one another until the tips almost touched. We at once came to stalk -him, while keeping so far as safe with wind between them and the -boundary. We came to a point we considered likely if they kept -on their way feeding, as in so doing they would pass us within a -reasonable distance. This they did, but the ten-pointer keeping -well at the end. When he was within 150 yards head on, all of a -sudden he turned right round and began feeding quietly away tail -on, with haunches towards us. We were in a high fever discussing -whether he would still turn and follow the rest of the deer or had -made up his mind to part with them altogether. We concluded the -last was his decision, and so prepared to have a long shot if he -would give us the best chance. When well over 200 yards, he turned -half-broadside, and immediately the gentleman had a go at him. His -first shot went high, and the stag bolted down the corrie, and -with his second got him high in the offside hind leg and broke -completely his thigh-bone, as I could see his leg swinging out to -his side at every jump. We sat down, watching him going down the -lower corrie until he came to a shoulder, and began to climb up the -ridge towards the highest part of the mountain. When almost on the -top he stood looking towards us, and after a long time lay down. -When we saw him settling we moved quietly to where we left the -gillie, and gave him instructions to watch and let us know which -way the stag went if he got up and went away, for we had to make a -long detour out of his view to get round and, if possible, to get -above him. When we arrived he was not to be seen anywhere, so we -began to spy and get directions from the gillie, who signed that he -went round the shoulder before us. It was getting late and dark, so -we hurried after the stag. When we got round the shoulder we could -dimly see him limping away a good deal below us, and towards the -boundary, so we considered it was best not to follow further in -case we forced him over the march and then lost him in the dark, -for we were in hopes to find him next morning near this place, and -possibly dead. As he did not catch us following him, he slowed down -to a stand, so we left him there. - -“Next morning, we were on the move early and got up to where we -left him, searched every hollow and corner on our side and as far -into the other side as I dared, but could not find or see him -anywhere. So, when home, we wrote to the surrounding tenants with -a description of the head, and to have a look-out, when we would -expect the head to be sent to us if the stag were found dead. But -none ever came across him, so we gave up hopes and expected he was -dead in some hole. - -“The following year the forest was taken by a new tenant, and there -was no more thought about the lost wounded stag till, about the -beginning of October, what was my surprise to see, and very near -the same place and corrie, a stag with the same kind of head and -peculiarly formed tops. I mentioned to the gentleman our experience -last season with one very like this stag in the same corrie, but -I remember our remark was that it was more likely one of the same -breed, so lost no time in spying, as everything was favourable for -a successful stalk. We got to a nice distance, and shot him dead. -When I went down to examine him I was surprised to find that he had -no brow-points, and instead of being a ten-pointer he was only an -eight-pointer. I could not see anything like last year’s wound at -the time, but next morning, when I went to the larder where he was -hanging skinned, I noticed at once his right leg showing exactly -where our last year’s bullet had broken it, but now nicely healed -up, and it looked as though both legs were exactly the same length. -I could not say if he had a limp, as he was standing all the time -till we had our shot. I got this haunch for my own use and had it -boiled and stripped of flesh, when I could see plainly how well it -joined. The bone was jagged at both ends, and the longest points -exactly touching, and the missing parts were filled up with tough -hard flesh. I noticed a splinter on the outside which lay so neatly -in place, and even to both ends. The stag weighed 15 st. 11 lb. He -was in fair condition, but not up to the average; he looked to me -to be much heavier the year before, although that year we had much -better average weights.” - -Lieut.-General Crealock, in _Deer Stalking in the Highlands of -Scotland_, relates a case of the same kind: - -“I remember,” he says, “wounding a Royal Stag some years ago at -Loch Luichart--I broke his fore leg at the shoulder. Having no dog -with me I never succeeded in getting up to him to finish him before -dark, and so lost him. The wound was not mortal--it had shattered -the bone; he recovered and lived for several years after, but -he always had a stiff joint. The first year he never shed his -velvet and dropped a point from his royal head; the second year -he cleaned, but never regained his royal head or even a good one -again.” - -[Illustration: IN ACHNASHELLACH FOREST. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -In Speedy’s _Natural History of Sport in Scotland with Rod and Gun_ -there is an interesting account of a thirteen-pointer whose hind -leg was broken above the hock. In the forest in Inverness-shire -where this stag was, the deer were regularly fed during the -winter. “When feeding commenced he came regularly as before; but -in consequence of his wound he was reduced to a skeleton, and, -being very weak, was kept off by the other stags. He used to hide, -however, not far off, and when the others took their departure he -returned to the feeding-place, when the keeper attended to him and -had opportunities, with the aid of his glass, of noting the injured -limb at a comparatively short distance. Within a month after -feeding commenced, he was able to use it, and in three months was -master of the herd.... As the new antlers grew it was found that -the one on the opposite side from the broken limb was minus the -brow-point.” He was shot in that season, and scaled 17 st. 12 lb. -clean, being then nine years old. - -I myself had a personal experience which is perhaps worth recording -in this connection. I was stalking late in the season--indeed it -was the last day that I was out--and we had been unable to get -a shot until late in the evening, when I killed a good stag. We -had some miles to go before we reached the end of the road in the -forest where the motor-car from the lodge was to meet us, and the -light was beginning to fail. We were high up on the side of a -corrie, and were preparing to start on our homeward journey, when -Sandy, the stalker, suddenly turned to me and said, pulling out his -glass, “I see some deer down there on the flat.” - -In a moment he had his glass on them, and said: “Would you be -liking another stag? There’s a fine stag with hinds, and we shall -not be long getting down to them. It’s been poor sport to-day.” - -I hesitated for a moment, and then, I am afraid, considering how -late it was, weakly yielded to the temptation. I said: “All right! -We shall have to be quick, otherwise we shall not be able to see -what we are doing.” We soon decided our method of approach, and -lost no time in getting down the hill. The deer were feeding -on a small flat piece of ground near the ruins of what had been -a watcher’s cottage many years ago, and we hoped, by getting -into a broad and fairly deep burn, to reach a point about 200 -yards further down, from which I could get a shot. The water was -sometimes up to our waists and bitterly cold, and our movements -were necessarily slow, but we arrived at last at a point which was -about 140 yards from the stag. Peering over the top of the bank of -the burn, we saw that the stag was on the far side of the hinds -from us, and was lying down in a dip of the ground, so that only -the tops of his horns were visible. After we had been waiting in -the burn for some time, the stag got up, and, without giving me a -chance for a shot, walked on to lower ground, where he began to -feed in such a position that it was impossible to see him until he -put his head up, and then we could only see the upper part of his -horns. After a few minutes I whispered: “I really can’t wait here -any longer, it is so frightfully cold, and the light will soon be -gone. Let us get out of the burn and chance our being seen: at any -rate, we shall be higher up there, and be more likely to see the -stag.” - -We cautiously hoisted ourselves out of the burn on to the flat -ground on the top of the bank, but even there could only see the -stag’s horns and a very small part of his head. - -Sandy whispered to me: “You will have to shoot off my back, sir; it -is the only chance.” He carefully raised his back, and I put the -rifle over it. I said: “I am too low now; I can’t see the stag’s -body.” - -“Ye’ll just have to put the coat on my back,” said Sandy, pushing -towards me my rolled-up shooting-cape, which was fastened up with -a strap. I hoisted the rolled-up cape on to Sandy’s back, and then -prepared for a shot by putting the rifle on the top of the cape--an -extraordinarily foolish proceeding. What I certainly ought to have -done was to have stood straight up and fired at the stag from my -shoulder. However, I took my shot in the position described, and -something, I don’t know what exactly, caused me to pull off. - -“His hind leg is broken,” said Sandy, as away went the stag and the -rest of the deer. I instantly handed him the rifle, as I knew he -was a first-class shot at running deer, and told him, if he could -get the chance, to finish the stag off. - -After a short interval I heard a shot, and then a second shot. Soon -afterwards Sandy returned, and said, “You’ll never see him again, -sir. I never touched him.” - -It was almost dark, and we started on our homeward journey along -the narrow foot-track through the forest. Sandy asked me to walk -first so that I could go at my own pace. He followed me, and behind -him came the gillie, there being only room to walk in single -file. It is not easy to carry on a conversation with any one who -is walking behind, nor did the fact that I felt very depressed -at having left the wounded stag in suffering, perhaps to die a -painful, lingering death, make it any easier. At first I made an -occasional observation and then lapsed into silence. As I was -walking along engrossed in my melancholy thoughts I noticed that -the path was becoming more and more difficult to see, and indeed -hardly visible in the growing darkness. - -I said, “It’s getting awfully dark, and I can hardly see the path.” -No answer. I turned round: neither of the men was to be seen. -I stopped and shouted loudly, “Sandy!” Still no answer. This I -repeated several times with the same result. I then began to think -what I had better do. It was almost dark by this time. I was in -the heart of one of the largest forests in the North of Scotland, -miles from any human habitation, without a scrap of food, with an -empty flask, and soaked to the skin up to my waist through wading -and standing in the burn, which was in flood. - -I decided to retrace my steps to the old ruins of the watcher’s -cottage from which we had started. Taking great care not to lose -the path, I began to do this, shouting now and then but hearing -no reply. I tried to think out why the men should not have been -following me on this path on which I was now returning, and which -ran beside a broad burn which was in spate. I then remembered that -the path which I had been following across the forest before I came -to the burn was almost at right angles both to the burn and the -path I was now on, and it occurred to me that possibly the path -which I ought to have taken lay straight across the burn, and that -the men might have crossed the burn and gone in that direction. I -had, I knew, been walking, as I always do on these occasions, very -fast, and this made me think it not unlikely, especially as it was -so dark, that the men had assumed that I had crossed the burn in -front of them. Being careful not to lose the narrow track I was on -in the darkness, I discovered the point at which I had turned up -the burn-side, and found that the other path leading up to the burn -was a little wider, which encouraged me to hope that my supposed -explanation might prove to be the true one. I then waded across the -burn and found there was a path at right angles to it on the other -side which looked more used than the track which I had just left. I -therefore made up my mind to follow this path for a time, shouting -every now and then in the hope that the men might hear me, and if I -did not hear any reply I would then consider whether I would go on -or retrace my steps to the old ruins and there spend the night--a -cheerful prospect indeed. - -After going some distance along the path I suddenly heard what I -thought was the sound of shouting a long way off. I stopped and -shouted more loudly than ever, and then heard the shouts coming -nearer, and very soon after Sandy and the gillie appeared. It -turned out that what I had supposed had happened, and that they had -crossed the burn thinking that I was still in front of them. - -I have never since then, on my return from stalking, walked in -front of the stalker along a path which I do not know. This -unpleasant incident made us later than ever, and I did not get back -to the lodge until nearly 10 P.M. - -The following season I was again stalking in the same forest, and -on my first day was on the same beat where I had had the misfortune -to wound the stag, as described above, and the same stalker was -once more with me. I asked him whether he had heard anything of -the wounded stag, and he replied, “Nothing whatever,” adding that -although he was sure that the near hind leg was broken, he could -not be sure in the darkness at what part exactly, but he thought it -was low down. - -We began by spying a corrie, which was about three miles from the -place where I had wounded the stag in the previous season, and -presently found five shootable stags which were together. After -watching them for a time, Sandy said, “There are two much bigger -than the others--one a dark beast; he’s a good stag, with only one -horn.” - -“All right!” I said. “Let’s shoot him; he’ll be interesting anyhow.” - -We then stalked the stags and managed to get within about 120 yards -of them. As soon as I got a good view of the beasts I noticed -that the stag with one horn was limping slightly, and it flashed -through my mind that he was almost certainly the stag which I had -wounded in the previous season, particularly as he was the same -colour and the horn seemed to me to be very similar to what I -recollected of the horns of the wounded stag. Whilst these thoughts -were rapidly passing through my mind, Sandy whispered, “Don’t take -the stag with one horn, sir, but the yellow stag on the right which -is a much better beast.” - -[Illustration: EVENING GLOW, POOLEWE, ROSS-SHIRE. - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -I replied by shooting the dark-coloured stag--this time in the -right place. - -“You’ve shot the wrong beast!” said Sandy. I said, “Oh, no I -haven’t. You were with me last time I fired my rifle, and I then -fired it at that very stag; let us have a look at him and see if -I’m not right.” - -On examining the stag we found that low down on his near hind leg -the bone had evidently been fractured just above the fetlock, but -had healed completely and set in the most wonderful way. This, -of course, was what had caused the limp which I had noticed, and -also the absence of the horn on the other side of the head. After -examining the stag, Sandy quite agreed that there was no doubt it -must be the same stag, and we both thought, although it was in very -good condition, that it was at least a stone lighter than it had -been in the previous season. - -It is interesting to note that in the case of stags, as in that -of human beings, the muscular movements are controlled by nerve -centres which are situated on the opposite side of the brain. - - - - -[Illustration: (The High Hills)] - - XVII - - THE SECRET OF THE HIGH HILLS - - -“I shall never forget that day, or the self-sacrifice and bravery -of those men in that Brigade.” The speaker was a chaplain attached -to one of the Highland Brigades which had been fighting in France. -“We were told that a particular position had to be taken, and the -work was allotted to certain of the Highland regiments. My work -was to attend the dying after the attack was over and the position -carried at the point of the bayonet. Amongst them was a piper who -had shown extraordinary bravery in the assault, and who, though -wounded three times, had persisted in carrying on and playing his -pipes until he fell mortally wounded just as the assault, after -very heavy fighting, was proving successful. He knew he was dying, -and gave me messages for his wife and family. He was evidently a -man of strong faith, and had no fear of death. Just before his -valiant spirit passed away, he whispered, ‘Oh, if I could only see -the high hills again before I die.’ His words deeply impressed me, -and I have often thought of them since.” - -This story of the dying piper, told to me in such simple and -touching language, set me thinking and wondering. I could not help -feeling that those last words of the gallant Highlander would -strike a sympathetic chord in the hearts not only of those whose -most cherished and sacred memories are bound up with the Highlands -of Scotland, but of countless numbers of others who also love -that country. In the days of peace I had often pondered over the -irresistible fascination of this call from the North. - -The Highlands of Scotland! Is there any one who has ever seen -them, or who knows even slightly something of their romantic and -enchanting history, who can fail to understand the passionate -devotion of any one with Highland blood in his veins to that -wonderful land? - -“All the world over the sons of the heather and the mist, in -however distant or alien lands they may be, feel always, as they -steer their way through life, that there is a pole-star by which -they set their compass; and that some day, perhaps, they or their -children may steer the boat to a haven on some rocky shore, where -the whaup calls shrilly on the moors above the loch, and the -heather grows strong and tough on the hill-side, and the peat reek -rises almost like the incense of an evening prayer against a grey, -soft sky in the land of the north.”[35] - - From the lone shieling on the misty island - Mountains divide us, and a waste of seas. - Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is highland, - And we in dreams behold the Hebrides.[36] - -How many a man at the end of July or the beginning of August, worn -out with his work in Parliament, or the Law Courts, or elsewhere, -turns his face and his thoughts to the North, and finds even in -his anticipations and dreams of the days to come refreshment and -solace! In most things in this life the anticipation is far greater -than the reality, but not so in this case. In the hearts of how -many men and women do the words of Aytoun find a responsive echo: - - Give me but one hour of Scotland, - - * * * * * - - Southern gales are not for me; - Though the glens are white with winter, - Place me there and set me free. - -Why is it that so many persons, young and old, and of such -different character, habits, and classes, are fascinated and held -by the spell of this country? What is the motive which is common -to them all, if there is one? No doubt with some it is the longing -for rest and change of scene, or the opportunity of meeting old -friends or relatives in the far North, with others the desire for -sport or the gratification of artistic tastes, and with others the -ardent yearning to hear again the old familiar sounds, familiar -since their early childhood--the sound of the rushing burn, the -breaking of the sea on the rock-bound shore, the call of the -sea-birds--and to see once more the high hills and silvery lochs -and scent again the fragrant heather. But underlying all these, -and perhaps more often than not quite unconsciously, there is one -dominant governing motive which is surely spiritual rather -than material--the desire for the environment which will uplift -and ennoble, and with it bring a sense of being nearer to the -pure--nearer to the things that are unseen and eternal--removed -from all that is coarse and material. - -[Illustration: “THE MORNING COMETH.” - -By FINLAY MACKINNON.] - -I well remember on one occasion discussing the question of the -future world with a Highland keeper, and the emphatic way in which -he said, “One thing is certain, and that is, that no one could be -an atheist if he spent his life on the mountains.” I also remember -that, curiously enough, the same observation was made by one -Cambridge undergraduate to another, the speaker having been in the -habit of spending days and nights camping out on the mountains in -his father’s Highland property. - -It is not inappropriate that in the Gaelic language the words -used to signify “death” and “died” are not the same when used in -reference to a human being as the words which are used in reference -to an animal, the former words, _caochladh_ (substantive), -_chaochail_ (verb), signifying a change or passing from one state -of life into another, the latter _bas_ (substantive), _bhasaich_ -(verb), extinction or annihilation. - -On the sea coast, at the mouth of one of the sea lochs on the west -coast of Ross-shire, I have often waited for the dawn, looking up -the loch towards the high hills in the distance, and, whilst I -waited, there would come into my mind those impressive words of the -prophet Isaiah, “Watchman, what of the night?” The watchman said, -“The morning cometh.” No one who has had this experience and seen -the sun rise in its splendour over the high hills, flooding the -surface of the sea with brilliant crimson light, will ever forget -the scene, or the uplifting of spirit and sense of abiding peace -which it imparted. - - - - - INDEX - - - _Acanthyllis caudacuta_, 40, 55 - - _Acanthyllis gigantea_, 55 - - Aeroplane, observations on flight of birds from, 50 - - Age of stags, 110-11 - - Air speed, 25 - - _A Joy for Ever_, 181 - - Alpine swift, 41-2, 49-53, 56-7 - - American golden plover, 33 - - _An Angler’s Paradise_, 191 - - Applecross, 141-2 - - _Apus_, 53 - - Armour, G. Denholm, 58 - - Attadale, 73 - - Australia, birds of fastest flight in, 54 - - _Avicultural Magazine_, 54 _n._ - - Aytoun, 218 - - - Baker, E. Stuart, 55 - - Balfour-Browne, Vincent, 164 - - Bas, 217 - - Bhasaich, 217 - - Birds, speeds of various British, 35-6 - - Birds of Australia, twelve swiftest, 54 - - _Birds of Europe, History of_, 53 _n._ - - Birds of Fastest Flight in the British Isles, 23-70 - - _Birds of Great Britain_, 146 - - Birds of prey, 39-52, 57-70, 136-54 - - Blackcock, 35, 37, 45, 50, 58-9, 65, 138 - - Black game, killed by peregrines and eagles, 29, 66, 137-8, 149 - - Blaine, Captain G. S., 45, 148 - - Blanford, W. T., 56 - - Blue rock pigeons, 35, 44-5 - - Bond, William Walpole, 47 - - _Book of the Sea Trout_, 192 - - British Museum (Natural History), 41 - - Browne, Bishop G. F., 22 _n._ - - Buzzard, 49 - - - Caberslach, 74 - - Calf, deer, attacked by eagle, 142 - - _Canadian Boat Song_, 217 - - Caochladh, 219 - - Capercailzie, probably fastest flying game bird, 45, 50 - - Carter, H. R. P., 57 - - Cats, killed by eagles, 138 - - _Chaetura_, 51, 53 - - _Chaetura caudacuta caudacuta_, 40, 53, 55 - - _Chaetura caudacuta cochinchinensis_, 55 - - _Chaetura nudipes_, 55-6, 57 - - Chaochail, 217 - - Chaytor, Arthur H., K.C., 93-5 - - Clough, Arthur Hugh, 21 - - Coignafearn, Forest of, 71 - - Common swift, 40-42, 46, 49, 50, 53 - - Corvidae, 36 - - Crealock, Lieut.-General, 204 - - Crow, killed by eagle, 68-9 - - Culture, trout, 189 - - Curlew, 36, 69 - - Currachd an righ, 179 - - _Cypselus apus_, 40 - - _Cypselus melba_, 40 - - - Danger of wounded stags, 157 - - Deer, Homing Instincts of Wounded, 123-35 - - Deer calves, attacked by eagles, 139 - - Deer-hounds, 128 - - Deer-stalking, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6-11, 97-112, 123-35, 155-64, 170-81, - 197-214 - - _Deer-stalking in the Highlands of Scotland_, 204 - - Depth of loch for good trout fishing, 196 - - Downward flight of the eagle, 57-70 - - Dresser, Henry E., 53, 53 _n._ 55 - - _Dry-Fly Man’s Handbook_, 194 - - Duck, wild, 28-9, 36, 70, 136 - - Duck-shooting, 165 - - Duel between eagle and peregrine, 61-2 - - - Eagle, 36-7, 49, 57-9, 62-5, 67, 69, 70, 107, 136-8, 142, 153 - attack on a full-grown stag, 139 - downward flight of, 57-60 - food of, 38, 136-7 - weight of, 60 - - Eggs, number of trout, 195 - - Eleonora’s falcons, 51 - - - _Falco candicans_, 38 - - _Falco gyrfalco_, 38 - - _Falco islandus_, 38 - - Falconer, 34, 36, 152 - - Falcons, 28, 30, 36, 43, 46, 51-2, 57-60, 62, 68, 70, 143-5, 149, - 151, 153 - Eleonora’s, 51 - Greenland, 38-9 - Iceland, 38-9 - Northern, 38-9, 57 - - Fastest bird in British Isles, 57, 70 - - Fealar, 74, 170 - - _Field Studies of some Rarer British Birds_, 47 - - Fighting, stags killed in, 73 - - Finlayson, John, stalker, Killilan, 66 - - Finlayson, stalker, Applecross, 142 - - Fisher, Major C. H., 149 - - Fishing, fly-, 13-22, 92-5, 113-22 - minnow-, 93 - salmon, 12-22, 85 - - Flight in the British Isles, Birds of Fastest, 23-70 - of the eagle, downward, 57 - horizontal, 37 - - Forest, Stormy Week in the, 97-112 - - Fox cubs, killed by eagles, 138 - dens, 139 - - Fresh-water shrimp, 184 - - Frigate bird, 54 - - _Fuligula ferina_, 30 - - - Gaelic sayings and words, 111, 179, 219 - - Gannet, downward flight of, 63 - - Geese, speed of, 36 - - Glen Carron Forest, 8 - - Glen Shieldaig Forest, 140 - - Golden eagle (_see_ Eagle) weight of the, 60 - plover, 32-3, 35-6, 43, 45-6, 57, 69 - American, 33 - - Goose, solan, 63 - - Goshawks, 143 - - Gould, John, F.R.S., 54, 146 - - Green Plover, 35 - - Greenland Falcon, 38-9 - - Greyhen, 149 - - Ground speed, 25 - - Grouse, 29, 59, 68, 107, 136-7, 144-146, 149-51, 153 - - Gulls, 43 - - Gyrfalcon, weight of the, 60 - - Gyrfalcons, 38-40, 57, 60, 63, 66 - - - Halford, F. M., 191 _n._, 194 - - Hares, killed by eagles, 136, 138 - - Harrier, 49 - - Hartley, Gilfrid W., 197 - - Hawk, sparrow-, 49, 143, 147-8 - - Hawks, 30, 48, 136, 142-53 - - Hereford, 88 - - Highlands of Scotland, fascination of, 216 - - Hobby, 45-6, 49 - - Homing Instincts of Wounded Deer, 123-35 - - Hounds, deer-, 128 - - Hummel, 74 - - Hurrell, H. G., 39 - - Hutton, J. Arthur, 94-5 - - - Iceland falcon, 38-9 - - - Jackdaw, 35 - - Jura, 111 - - - Kestrel, 35, 49, 142 - - Killilan, 66 - - King’s night-cap, 179 - - Kite, 49 - - - Lambs, killed by eagles, 138 - - _Lame Dog’s Diary_, 217 - - Landrail, speed of, 35 - - Last Stalk of the Season, 170-81 - - _Letters to a Salmon Fisher’s Sons_, 93 - - _Life History and Habits of Salmon, etc._, 190, 193 - - Loch Carron, 10 - Leven, 185 - trout, 191 - Luichart, 204 - problem, 182 - - Lodges in the Highlands, highest shooting, 171 - - Lost in the Forest, 209 - - - Macdougall, stalker, Fealar, 171 - - McIver, Donald, 66 - - Mackay, John, stalker, North Jura, 111 - - Mackenzie, Alick, stalker, Applecross, 141 - - Maclennan, watcher, Coignafearn, 72 - - Macnaughtan, S., 217 - - Mallard, 30-31, 33-5, 70 - - Malloch, P. D., 190, 191 _n._, 192-3, 196 - - Mar Forest, 74 - - Marryat, 194 - - Matheson, Donald, stalker, Glen Shieldaig, 140 - - Meinertzhagen, D.S.O., Colonel R., 27, 31, 33, 35, 42, 50, 52 - - Merlin, 35, 45-6, 49, 147 - - Mesopotamia, swifts in, 50 - - Minnow-fishing for salmon, 93 - - Mosul, swifts in, 50 - - Muckle Hart of Ben More, 164 - - Murray, Charles J., Esq., of Loch Carron, 10, 140 - - - Natural History Museum at South Kensington, 41 - - _Natural History of Sport in Scotland with Rod and Gun_ (Speedy), - 150, 191, 205 - - Nature’s cures of wounded deer, 196-914 - - Needle-tailed swift, 40, 52-3 - - Nerve Centres in deer, 214 - - Northern falcons, 38-9, 57 - - - Orrin, 149 - - Otter, salmon killed by, 20, 86 - - - Partridges, 27, 99, 35, 147, 149 - - Passeres, smaller, 36 - - Patt Forest, 66 - - Peregrine, horizontal flight of, 26-40, 42, 45-6, 49, 52, 137 - downward flight of, 57-63, 68-70 - food of, 38 - how it strikes its prey, 142-54 - weight of, 60 - - Perils, of stalkers, 81 - - _Peschiera_, 21 - - Petrels, 43 - - Pheasants, 29, 35, 58-9, 144-5 - - Pigeons, 37, 44-5 - blue rock, 44-5 - rock-, 51 - speed of, 36 - wood, 35, 152 - - Plover, 33 - American golden, 33 - golden, 32-3, 35-6, 43, 45-6, 57, 69 - green, 35 - - “Poca buidhè,” 180 - - Pochard, 30-31, 45 - - Portal, D.S.O., Captain C. F. A., 26, 34, 52, 146, 151 - - Prey, birds of (_see_ Birds of prey) - - Ptarmigan, 3, 65, 107, 136 - - - Rabbits, 136 - - Radclyffe, Major C. R. E., 28-30, 34, 39, 44, 65, 143, 151 - - Red sedge, 186 - - _Reminiscences of a Falconer_, 149 - - Robinson, W. H., 69 - - Rock-pigeon, 51 - - Rook, 35, 154 - - Royal stag, 80, 174, 179, 204 - - Ruskin, 181 - - - St. John, Charles, 32, 164 - - Salmon fishing, 12-22, 85-96, 113-122 - - Salmon Loch in Sutherland, 113-22 - - Sanctuary, 123 - - Saunders, Howard, 53 _n._ - - Secret of the High Hills, 215-20 - - Sedge, cinnamon, 186 - red, 186 - - Seebohm, 54 - - Sheringham, H. T., 96 - - Shooting, duck-, 165 - - Shrimp, fresh-water, 184 - - Shrimp-weed, 184 - - Snipe, 28-9, 65 - - Solan goose, 63 - - Sovenson, E. S., 54 - - Sparrow-hawks, 49, 143, 147-8 - - Speed, air, 25 - ground, 25 - of Australian birds, 54 - - Speeds of British birds, table of, 35-6 - fastest, 57, 70 - - Speedy, Tom, 151-3 - - Speedy’s _Natural History of Sport in Scotland with Rod and Gun_, - 205 - - Spine-tailed swift, 40-42, 51-3, 55-57, 70 - - Spring-tide, 165 - - Stags, age of, 110-11 - attacking stalkers, wounded, 155 - danger of wounded 157 - eagles attack full-grown, 139 - stalking (_see_ Deer-stalking) - - Stalkers, 64, 71 - wounded stags attacking, 155 - - Stalking, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6-11, 71-84, 97-112, 123-35, 155-64, 170-81, - 197-214 - mistakes in, 6-10 - - _Stalks Abroad_, 156 - - Starling, 35-6 - - Stormy Week in the Forest, 97-112 - - Strathconan, 66-7 - - Stuart, Hamish, 192 - - Surgeon of the Deer Forest, 196-214 - - Sutherland, A Salmon Loch in, 113 - - Swallows, 43 - - Swan, 152 - - Swift, 36, 40, 42-8, 50-51 - Alpine, 41-2, 49-53, 56-7 - common, 40-42, 46, 49-50, 53 - needle-tailed _or_ spine-tailed, 40-42, 51-3, 55, 70 - - Switch-horn, 73-4 - - - Tame pigeons, 36 - - Teal, 28, 33-6, 46, 57 - - Tennyson, 21 _n._ - - Three, luck in number, 92 - - Tickell, 55 - - Tiercel, 42, 46 - - Tracker, 128 - - Trout eggs, number of, 195 - loch, how to improve, 182-96 - - - Velocity of falling birds, 61 - - - Waders, speed of, 36 - - Wallace, Frank, 156 - - Weight, influence of in flight, 30, 60 - of the eagle, 60 - of the gyrfalcon, 60 - of the peregrine, 60 - - Wild duck, 28-9, 36-70 - - _Wild Sport with Gun, Rifle, and Salmon Rod_, 197 - - _Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands_, 37, 164 - - Willoughby, Colonel the Hon. Claude, 141 - - Wings, 54, 58, 142, 145, 150 - - Witherby, H. F., 53 _n._ - - Wood pigeon, 35, 152 - - Woodcock, 28-30 - - Wounded Deer, Homing Instincts of, 123-35 - stags, attacking stalkers, 155-64 - danger of, 81, 157 - - Wye, river, 12, 85 - - - _Printed in Great Britain by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_. - - - - - FOOTNOTES. - -[1] “The Death of the Wye,” _Images and Meditations, a Book of -Poems_, by Mary Duclaux. T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd., London. - -[2] It is singular that this poem was written and published in -1849, and that Tennyson’s _In Memoriam_, which contained the famous -lines: - - “’T is better to have loved and lost, - Than never to have loved at all,” - -was written in 1834 but not published until 1850, and then -anonymously. This is surely very remarkable, for it is impossible -to believe that a man of the high and noble character of Clough -would have consciously plagiarised any other poet. - -[3] After the publication of these verses in the above article, as -it originally appeared in the issue of _Country Life_ for August -6, 1921, their authorship was discovered through the kindness of -some of the readers of that journal and the enterprise of its -editor. In a letter in _Country Life_ for August 27, 1921, Bishop -G. F. Browne, late Lord Bishop of Bristol, thus describes their -origin. “The first three stanzas were composed at Lowick Rectory, -Northants, by the rector, J. S. Watson, his daughter Betty, and -Dean Ingram of Peterborough. The authors felt that there ought to -be a concluding stanza, ambiguously stating a final result. I told -the story to Father Waggett on our way from Bournemouth to Clouds, -and he suggested ‘booked it’ as the point of a last stanza. On that -hint I wrote the stanza. In my book I remark that its tendency -would be unjust to any real fisherman’s imaginative powers.” - -[4] December 11, 18, 25, 1921. - -[5] January 28, February 4, 11, 18, 1922. - -[6] _Field_, February 18, 1922, p. 233. - -[7] “Velocity of Flight among Birds,” by Colonel R. Meinertzhagen, -D.S.O., in the _Ibis_ for April 1921, pp. 237-238. - -[8] _Field_, February 18, 1922, p. 234. - -[9] _Wild Sports of the Highlands_, chap. x. p. 135. - -[10] _Field_, February 18, 1922, pp. 233-234. - -[11] _Ibis_, April 1921, p. 234. - -[12] _Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands_, by Charles -St. John, ch. x. p. 131. - -[13] See also the letter of Mr. H. G. Hurrell in the _Field_ for -March 8, 1923. - -[14] This is a very considerable warning--H. F. - -[15] Pp. 258-259 (Witherby & Co., London, 1914). - -[16] Pp. 35, 36. - -[17] _Manual of British Birds_, by Howard Saunders, 2nd ed. (Gurney -& Jackson, London), pp. 264, 266. - -[18] _History of the Birds of Europe_, by Henry E. Dresser, F.L.S., -F.Z.S. (1871-1881), vol. iv. p. 617. - -[19] _A Practical Handbook of British Birds_, edited by H. F. -Witherby, vol. ii. pp. 7, 9. Witherby & Co., London, 1920. - -[20] _Handbook to the Birds of Australia_, by John Gould, F.R.S. -(1865), vol. i. p. 104. London. - -[21] Vol. ii. p. 305, Porter, 6 Tenterden Street, W.; Dulau & Co., -Soho Square, W., 1884. - -[22] _Avicultural Magazine_, Third Series, vol. x. No. 4, February -1919, pp. 73-74. - -[23] Vol. iv. p. 616. - -[24] _British Birds Magazine_, vol. xvi. No. 1 (June 1, 1922), p. -31. - -[25] _The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma Birds_, -vol. iii. p. 173. Published under the authority of the Secretary of -State for India in Council. Taylor & Francis, London, 1895. - -[26] _Ibid._ p. 174. - -[27] March 15, 1923. - -[28] _Ornithological Dictionary of Birds_, by Col. G. Montagu: 2nd -edition by James Rennie, London, 1831. - -[29] _Rough Shooting_, by Richard Clapham, ch. vii. pp. 125-126. -Heath Cranton, Ltd., London, 1922. - -[30] In _One Hundred Years in the Highlands_, p. 132 (Edward -Arnold, London, 1921), Mr. Osgood Mackenzie quotes an extract from -a diary of his uncle, Dr. John Mackenzie of Eileanach, in which an -incident of this kind is described as having occurred in Kinlochewe -Forest. - -[31] Adam & Charles Black, London, 1910. - -[32] See, for instance, the opinions of Mr. F. M. Halford in -_The Dry-Fly Man’s Handbook_, p. 395 (George Routledge & Sons, -Ltd., London); Mr. P. D. Malloch at p. 179 in the work previously -cited; Mr. J. J. Armistead in _An Angler’s Paradise, and how to -obtain it_; and Mr. Tom Speedy in _The Natural History of Sport in -Scotland with Rod and Gun_ (William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh and -London, 1920). - -[33] Martin Secker, London, 1917. - -[34] _The Dry-Fly Man’s Handbook_, p. 319 (George Routledge & Sons, -Ltd., London). - -[35] _A Lame Dog’s Diary_, by S. Macnaughtan, pp. 239, 240 (John -Murray, London, 1915). - -[36] “Canadian Boat Song,” _St. Andrew’s Treasury of Scottish -Verse_, by Mrs. Alexander Lawson and Alexander Lawson, pp. 133, 134 -(A. & C. Black, Ltd., London, 1920). - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -Inconsistent use of hyphens, such as burn-side/burnside and -gyr-falcon/gyrfalcon, has been retained. - -Page viii: M^cIver (superscript c) changed to McIver to match other -instances in the book. - -Index: “Cats, killed by eagles, 38” changed to “Cats, killed by -eagles, 138”. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMID THE HIGH HILLS*** - - -******* This file should be named 63104-0.txt or 63104-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/1/0/63104 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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