the way just described, but there are some at the present 

 time on which few, if any, young birds are allowed to 

 remain to nest. 



The question of breeding stock is the most important 

 and one of the most difficult ones that the partridge pre- 

 server has to deal with. If he knows, and he should insist 

 on knowing, what birds he has before he begins to shoot, 

 it will be his own fault if he does not leave a proper 

 breeding stock at the end of the season. 



Many things have to be taken into consideration when 

 estimating the number of birds to be left on a given area. 

 The amount of nesting ground on it, and the number of 

 birds usually left on the neighbouring properties, are two 

 of the fadors to be reckoned with. But as space does 

 not permit of going into the whole question thoroughly, 

 suffice it to say that one bird to every four acres is the 

 minimum which should be left in any year, and that one 

 bird to every two acres is probably the maximum from 

 which any good will be derived ; and the latter number 

 should only be left after a good year. 



When there are not sufficient birds to supply the 

 minimum stock just mentioned, it is better to increase the 

 ^ock gradually by shooting lightly and leaving a few more 

 each year, than to refrain from shooting entirely in the 

 hope of raising the stock to the required dimensions at once. 

 Of late years, many dodges have been introduced, 

 under various names, with the idea of increasing par- 

 tridges by their means. It may be said, at once, that 

 none of them will work miracles, and that all are useless 

 without hard work in other directions as well. 



Isolated and transitory successes only can be claimed 



43 



