PARTRIDGES ARE STATIOXARY. 21 



bird, unless the hen birds so caught are preserved in 

 places for their reception, and turned out in the breeding 

 season, the setter is trained to the net, which should al- 

 ways be so as to have the wind as favourable to the sweep 

 of the net as his point will allow. In the covey you will 

 generally find more cock birds than hens, and in the 

 breeding season they will be fighting with each other 

 and among the hens : it will therefore be advisable some- 

 times to make use of the net for the purpose of destroy- 

 ing some of the males. 



Blome mentions in his work, published in 1697, how 

 to take partridges several ways, either by net, engine, 

 driving, or setting. " Partridges are naturally cowardly, 

 fearful, simple, and foolish, and therefore most easily to be 

 deceived or beguiled with any train, bait, engine, or other 

 device whatever, whether by enticement, call, or stale. 

 There is a good way to discover them, and that is by going 

 to their haunts very early in the morning or at the close 

 of the evening, which is called the jucking-time,and there 

 listening for the calling of the cock birds, which will be 

 very loud and earnest, and after some few calls the hen 

 will answ^er ; and by this means they meet together; upon 

 hearing which, take your range about them, drawing 

 ueai-er and nearer to the place you heard them jucking ; 

 then cast your eye towards the furrows of the land, and 

 there you will soon find where the covey lies. The nets 

 wherewith you ensnare partridges must belike the phea- 

 sant nets, both for length and breadth, only the mesh must 

 be smaller, being made of the same thread and dyed of 

 the same colour. Having found out the covey, draw 

 forth your nets, and taking a large circumference, walk 

 a good round pace with a careless eye, rather from than 

 towards the partridges, till you have trimmed your nets 



