The Field Magazine – December 2014

The black art of late grouse
It requires art to outwit these wary birds, says Antony Milbank

River’s Hall renaissance
Idyllic Constable countryside and good company impress Elizabeth Walton

Shotguns built by the county maker
Provincial gunsmiths, by Bill Harriman.

Great guns remembered
Michael Clayton recalls red letter days enjoyed with horse and hounds.

Thai fly
Tobias Coe’s dream of catching mahseer in South-East Asia becomes reality.

The wheel of Fortuna
Luck or fate, muses Johnny Scott

The courtly love of pets
Johnny Scott charts the dog’s rise from tool to companion in mediaeval times

Young guns shoot challenge
Win a day’s simulated game-shooting

Saints for “pagans”
From fishing to brewing, there’s a saint for every country activity, says Ed West.

The Claus are out
It’s a natural phenomenon – swarms of Santas, as Janet Menzies explains.

Crème Jewels
Thea Jourdan assesses the contents of a modern woman’s jewelry box

Sniffing coup
Nicholas Storey has a nose for snuff

Passing of the passenger
Erol Fuller charts the fate of the pigeon

Currying favour
Could pheasant become a staple in the curry-house, asks Emily Arbuthnott.

Suet doth a pudding make
Hattie Ellis describes classic rib-stickers

On tour with the British Rifles
In 1907, Britain took on the world at shooting, recounts Richard Hopton