236 PARTRIDGES 



game, and that signifies less crop production, and consequently 

 less food for the masses. 



Tenant-farmers are practically powerless to deal with pheasants 

 to their advantage, for the killing season does not begin till Oc- 

 tober i, and then the pheasants have been withdrawn from the 

 fields and overgrown hedges into the coverts. Recouping them- 

 selves for damage in that respect is out of the question, and as for 

 compensation in regard to amount of good done by the insects 

 consumed, that is relegated to the rearing field. 



Pheasants are easily caught in traps, such as the ordinary wicker 

 (Wm. Burgess & Co., Malvern Wells), and the wire cage (Boulton 

 & Paul, Norwich) ; these are generally used for taking up pheasants 

 for breeding purposes, but, of course, they answer at any time. 

 Makeshift "take-ups" are formed of wire-netting with pockets or 

 mouths easy of entrance, but difficult of egress, and tanned netting 

 on top. The wood-pigeon cage may also be used for capturing 

 pheasants. Poachers have recourse to various wiles to capture 

 pheasants, one of which, on the authority of a gamekeeper, is given 

 as the most telling, namely, strewing sultana raisins about and 

 leading away from the feeds ; and when this has been effected to 

 a safe place, a number of small fish-hooks are secured by short lines 

 to underwood stems or pegs and each hook baited with a sultana 

 raisin. The pheasants swallow the raisins and hooks with a result 

 that may be better imagined than described. 



PARTRIDGES. Under any and all circumstances partridges 

 are far less destructive to farm-crops than pheasants, and unless 

 over-preserved, when injury to root and other crops may result 

 from the numerous " dusting " places and also feeding on produce 

 they otherwise would not, probably compensate for their keep by 

 devouring obnoxious pests. The most damage is done when the 

 cultivation is high and the game-preserver, intent on as large a bag 

 as possible, regardless of where the nests may be, little diffident 

 about bushing, and not careful in ranging potato and turnip 

 fields. The two never agree. The tenant is wholly bent on crop 

 production, and the owner acts as if desirous of sharing in the 

 profits by preserving and even rearing as much game as possible. 

 This, however, occurs but rarely in the case of partridges under 

 normal circumstances, for though large bags may be made in some 

 districts as on the famous partridge grounds at Chippenham Park, 

 where a day's shooting in October, commencing shortly after ten 

 and closing at five o'clock, the King being one of the shooters, 

 resulted in a bag of 669 partridges, 38 pheasants, and 82 hares 

 the difficulty is more in the opposite direction, for which 

 letting the shooting is in the main responsible. 



But in not a few instances the natural stock of partridges on 

 an estate is improved by turning down some imported Hungarian 

 birds in order to mate with the native birds, and thus strengthen 



