694 PARTRIDGE 



state of things all the arable part of England is tending — are simply 

 useless, except at the beginning of the season, Avhen the young 

 birds are not as yet strong on the wing, and the old birds are still 

 feeble from moulting their quill-feathers. Of late years therefore 

 other modes of shooting Partridges have had to be employed, of 

 which methods the most popular is that known as " driving " — the 

 " guns " being stationed in more or less concealment at one end of 

 the field, or series of fields, which is entered from the other by 

 men or boys who deploy into line and walk across it making a 

 noise. It is the custom with many to speak depreciatingly of this 

 proceeding, but it is a fact that as much knowledge of the ways of 

 Partridges is needed to ensure a successful day's "dri-^dng" as was 

 required of old when nearly everything was left to the intelligence 

 of the dogs, for the course of the birds' flight depends not only on 

 the position of the line of beaters, but almost on the station of each 

 person composing it, in relation to the force and direction of the 

 wind and to the points on which it is desired that the Partridges 

 should converge. Again, the skill and alacrity needed for bringing 

 down birds flying at their utmost velocity, and often at a consider- 

 able height, is enormously greater than that which sufficed to 

 stop those that had barely gone 20 yards from the dog's nose, 

 though admittedly Partridges rise very quickly and immediately 

 attain great speed. Moreover, the shooting of Partridges to pointers 

 came to an end in little more than six weeks, whereas " driving " 

 may be continued for the whole season, and is never more success- 

 ful than when the birds, both young and old, have completed their 

 moult, and are strongest upon the wing. But, whether the neAv 

 fashion be objectionable or not, it cannot be doubted that the old 

 one could not be successfully restored without a reversion to the 

 slovenly methods of agriculture followed in former years, and there- 

 fore is as impossible as would be a return to the still older practice 

 of taking Partridges in a setting-net, described by Gervase Mark- 

 ham or Willughby. 



The Partridge has doubtless largely increased in numbers in 

 Great Britain since the beginning of the present centur}^, when 

 so much down, heath and moorland was first brought under the 

 plough, for its partiality to an arable country is very e^adent. It 

 has been observed that the birds which live on grass lands or 

 heather only are apt to be smaller and darker in colour than the 

 average ; but in truth the species Avhen adult is subject to a much 

 greater variation in plumage than is commonly supposed, and the 

 well-known chestnut horse-shoe mark, generally considered distinc- 

 tive of the cock, is very often absent.^ In Asia our Partridge seems 



^ Mr. "W. R. Ogilvie Grant has indicated certain characters in the plumage of 

 the two sexes of this species whereby they maybe xmfailingly distinguished. In 

 the adult cock the sides of tlie neck are grey, but in the hen olive-brown, while 



