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Preface
THE popularity of these Sketches has been
attested by the sale of seven Editions since their first publication. But
though the work is admitted to take rank with White's Selborne and
Walton's Angler, no attempt has hitherto been made to illustrate the
scenes, anecdotes, and ferae nature so graphically described by Mr.
St. John. This want—to which attention has often been called—it is the
object of the present Edition to supply.
In Mr. Cosmo Innes's Memoir of Mr. St. John,
he gives the following amusing account of his first interview with him—an
interview which led to the first publication of Wild Sports:— "I became
acquainted with Charles St. John in my autumn vacation of 1844, while I
was Sheriff of Moray. We had some common friends, and messages of civility
had passed between us, but we had not yet met, when one day in October I
was shooting down the river-side and the islands in the Findhorn, making
out a bag of partridges laboriously.
"It was a windy day, and the birds going off
wild, spoilt my shooting, which is at best uncertain. While I was on the
island, two birds had gone away wounded into a large turnip-field across
the river. I waded the river after them, and was vainly endeavouring to
recover them with my pointers, when a man pushed through the hedge from
the Invererne side, followed by a dog, making straight for me.
"There was no mistaking the gentleman—a
sportsman all over, though without any `getting up' for sport, and without
a gun. I waited for him, and on coming up, he said he had seen my birds
pitch, and offered to find them for me, if I would take up my dogs. When
my pointers were coupled, he called Grip,' and his companion, a large
poodle with a Mephistopheles expression, began travelling across and
across the drills, till suddenly he struck the scent, and then with a
series of curious jumps on all fours, and pauses between, to listen for
the moving of the bird, he made quick work with bird No. 1, and so with
No. 2. I never saw so perfect a dog for retrieving, but he was not
handsome. After this introduction, St. John and I became frequent
companions."
The acquaintance thus begun ripened into a
lasting friendship, and at Mr. Innes's instigation, Mr. St. John was
persuaded to note down some of his varied experiences of sport and
anecdotes of animals.
"At that time," continues Mr. Innes, "I was in
the habit of writing an article occasionally for the Quarterly, and I put
together one on Scotch sport, using as my material some of St. John's
Chapters, especially the story of the Muckle Hart of Ben-more. The paper
pleased Mr. Lockhart. It would be sufficient,' he said, to float any
number . . . whether the capital journal laid under contribution be your
own or another's I don't know, but every one will wish to see more of it.'
I received the Editor's letter at Knockomie, and the next day the reading
of it to St. John served for seasoning as we took our shooting lunch
together beside the spring, among the whins on the Brae of Bervie. Our
course was now plain. I divided the money produce of the Quarterly article
with St. John, who rejoiced greatly in the first money he had ever made by
his own exertions, and on my next visit to London I arranged for him the
sale of the whole Chapters, the produce of his last winter's industry,
which Mr. Murray brought out in the popular volume of Wild Sports and
Natural History of the Highlands."
Great pains have been taken in illustrating
this Edition accurately, to enter into the spirit, and where possible, to
depict the actual scene of the events described in the text.
CONTENTS
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Introduction
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Chapter I
Highland Lakes — Steam-boats — Small Lochs — Wild Cats — Ravens —
Dragging the Lake — The Crea — Fishing at Night — Pike — Trolling large
Trout on Loch Ness — Flies, Otters, etc. — Fishing with the Otter —
Spawning Trout.
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Chapter II
Roe: Mischief done by — Fawns — Tame Roe — Boy killed by Roe — Hunting
Roe: Artifices of — Shooting Roe — Unlucky shot — Change of colour —
Swimming — Cunning Roe.
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Chapter III
Grouse's Nest — Partridge Nest — Grouse-shooting — Marten Cat — Witch:
Death of — Stags — Snaring Grouse — Black Game: Battles of — Hybrid Bird —
Ptarmigan-shooting — Mist on the Mountain — Stag Unsuccessful Stalking —
Death of Eagle.
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Chapter IV
The Wild Cat: Strength of; Rencontre with — Trapping tame Cats:
Destructiveness of — Poisoning vermin — Trapping vermin.
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Chapter V
Poaching in the Highlands — Donald — Poachers and Keepers — Bivouac in
Snow — Connivance of Shepherds — Deer killed — Catching a Keeper —
Poaching in the Forests — Shooting Deer by Moonlight — Ancient Poachers.
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Chapter VI
Salmon-fishing — Salmon ascending Fords — Fishers — Cruives — Right of
Fishing — Anecdote — Salmon-leaps — History of the Salmon — Lampreys —
Spearing Salmon — River Poaching — Angling — Fly-making — Eels.
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Chapter VII
Short-eared Owl: Habits of — Long-eared Owl — Tame Owl — White Owl —
Utility of Owls — Mice —Rats: Destructiveness of — Water Rats: Food of —
Killing Rats — Rat-catchers.
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Chapter VIII
Crossbills: Habits of; Nest — Snowy Owl — Great-eared Owl — Hoopoe —
Shrike — Tawny and Snow Buntings — Lizards — Singular Pets — Toads:
Utility of; Combats of — Adders — Dog and Snakes —Large Snake —
Blind-Worm.
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Chapter IX
On the Peculiarities and Instinct of different Animals — Eggs of Birds —
Nests — Feeding habits — The beaks of Birds — Wings of Owl — Instinct in
finding Food — Ravens — Knowledge of Change of Weather — Fish.
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Chapter X
The Eagle: Habits; Greediness; Anecdotes of; Killing Eagles; Trapping;
Food of — The Peregrine Falcon: Manner of Hunting — Tame Falcon:
Anecdotes of — Guinea-Hen and Ducks — The Osprey —The Kite: Trapping —
The Buzzard: Nests and Habits of.
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Chapter XI
The Hen Harrier: Destructiveness to game; Female of — Trapping — The
Sparrowhawk: Courage of; Ferocity; Nest — The Kestrel: Utility of — The
Merlin: Boldness — The Hobby — Increase of small
Birds.
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Chapter XII
The Otter: Habits — Catching of — Shooting — Attachment to each other —
Anecdotes — Fish killed by.
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Chapter XIII
Weasels — Ferrets: Fierceness of — Anecdotes — Food of Weasels — Manner
of Hunting for Prey —The Stoat: Change of Colour — Odour of — Food of —
Their catching Fish: Polecat — The Marten Cat — Habits — Trapping —
Eating Fruit — Activity of: Different Species.
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Chapter XIV
Anecdotes and Instinct of Dogs — Anecdotes of Retriever — Shepherds'
Dogs — Sagacity — Dogs and Monkey — Bulldog — Anecdotes of Shooting a
Stag — Treatment of Dogs.
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Chapter XV
Increase of Wood-Pigeons and other Birds — Service to the Farmer of
these Birds — Tame Wood —Pigeons: Food of — The Turtle-Dove — Blue
Rock-Pigeons — Caves where they Breed — Shooting at the Rocks near
Cromarty.
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Chapter XVI
Wild Ducks: Edible kinds of — Breeding-places of Mallards — Change of
Plumage — Shooting —Feeding-places — Half-Bred Wild Ducks — Anas
glacialis — Anas clangula: Habits of — Teeth of Goosander — Cormorants —
Anecdotes.
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Chapter XVII
Birds that come in Spring — The Pewit: Pugnacity; Nests of; Cunning —
Ring Dotterel — Redshank — Oyster-Catcher: Food; Swimming of ; Nest —
Curlew — Redstart — Swallows, etc.
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Chapter XVIII
Sheldrake: Nest; Food — Teal: Breeding-places; Anecdotes — Landrail:
Arrival of — Cuckoo — Nightjar: Habits of — Quail — Grebe: Arrival;
Account of Nest and Young — Baldcoot — Water-Hen —Water-Rail.
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Chapter XIX
Wild Geese: Arrival of; Different kinds of; Anecdotes of Shooting Wild
Geese — Feeding-places —Wariness — Habits — Breeding-places —
Blackheaded Gull — Birds that breed on the River-banks.
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Chapter XX
The Sandhills of Morayshire: Description of; Origin of — Foxes:
Destructiveness and Cunning of; Anecdote of — Roe-hunting in the
Sandhills — Anecdotes.
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Chapter XXI
Death of my First Stag.
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Chapter XXII
The Findhorn River — Excursion to Source — Deer-stalking — Shepherds —
Hind and Calf — Heavy rain — Floods — Walk to Lodge — Fine Morning —
Highland Sheep — Banks of River — Cottages.
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Chapter XXIII
Findhorn River — Bridge of Dulsie — Beauty of Scenery — Falls of River —
Old Salmon-fisher —Anglers — Heronry — Distant View — Sudden Rise of
River — Mouth of River.
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Chapter XXIV
Migration of Birds in October — Wild Swans: Pursuit of; Manner of
Getting a Shot; Two Killed — Habits of Wild Swan.
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Chapter XXV
The Water-Ouzel: Nest; Singular Habits; Food; Song of — Kingfisher: Rare
Visits of; Manner of Fishing — Terns: Quickness in Fishing; Nests of.
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Chapter XXVI
The Muckle Hart of Benmore.
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Chapter XXVII
Different kinds of Gulls: Large Collections of — Breeding-places —
Islands on a Loch — Eggs of Gulls — Young Birds — Food and Voracity of
Large Gulls: Salmon-fry killed by — Boatswain-Gull - Manner of procuring
Food.
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Chapter XXVIII
Woodcock's Nest: Early Breeding of; Habits of, in Spring; First Arrival
of; Anecdotes of; Manner of Carrying their Young — Habits of Snipe —
Number of Jack-snipes — Solitary Snipe.
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Chapter XXIX
Seals — Destruction to Fish and Nets — Shooting Seal in River and Sea —
Habits of Seals — Anecdotes — Seal and Dog — Seal and Keeper — Catching
Seals — Anecdotes.
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Chapter XXX
Fox-hunting in the Highlands
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Chapter XXXI
The Badger: Antiquity of, Cleanliness; Abode of; Food; Family of —
Trapping Badgers — Anecdotes —Escape of Badger — Anecdotes — Strength of
— Cruelty to.
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Chapter XXXII
Autumn day on the Mountain — Stags and Hinds — A Bivouac — Death of the
Stag.
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Chapter XXXIII
Peculiarities and Instinct of Different Animals.
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Chapter XXXIV
Coursing Deer.
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Chapter XXXV
Tameness of Birds when Sitting.
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Chapter XXXVI
Variety of Game.
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