80 SHOOTING. 



Norfolk, on a chasse for their friend Lord Cholmondeley, and killed 

 there, with their three guns only, in one day, fourteen brace and a 

 half of hares, sixteen couple of rabbits, twenty-four brace of phea- 

 sants, thirteen brace of partridges, and sixteen couple of wood- 

 cocks. All these achievements, fifty years back, have been eclipsed 

 by the exi)loits in more modern batteaux in England ; but the par- 

 ticulars of them we refrain from giving in detail. 



On the Continent similar sports have long been indidged in, and 

 to a greater extent than in this country. We are told that game 

 was so splentiful in Bohemia in 1753, that the Emperor Francis L, 

 made a shooting excui-sion to one of the estates_ of the Prince Col- 

 leredo ; in the space of eighteen days the imperial sportsman fired 

 116,209 shots, and killed 19,545 partridges, 18,213 hares, 9,499 

 pheasants, mth other inferior game, amounting in all to 47,950. 



In Sweden there is something of the battue shooting prevalent, 

 but different in some essential particulars from what is followed 

 here and in Erance and Germany. Indeed,^ all over the Continent 

 we find innumerable traces of this kind of sporting with the gun.. 

 but yet not of the kind which can add much either to a true sports- 

 man's knowledge or his love for his favourite amusement. In 

 everything of this kind there must be some portion of reason and 

 sentiment thrown into them, or they cease to have any hold on the 

 good feelings of the world at large. 



CHAPTER Vin. 



QUAIL SHOOTING. 



The Quail {Telrao Coturnix, Linn.) is described as follows \—\\ 

 is nearly seven inches long ; some approach even to eiglit. The hil 

 is dusky ; the irides hazel, and m old males yellow ; the crown o1 

 the head is black, transversely marked_ with rufous brown, aiic 

 down the middle is a yellomsh white line. Above the eye, in c 

 backward direction, is another line of the same colour, and on the 

 chin and throat is a black mark, which lias a turn upwards toward'^ 

 the ears. The remaining parts are white, and the hind portion ol 

 the neck is black. The scapulars and tail-coverts are of a_ rufoiit 

 bro^vn tint, and the middle of each feather is streaked with yel- 

 lowish white, surrounded more or less with black. The sides are oj 

 the same colour, but not having quite so much of the white streaks 

 The breast is light ferruginous brown, shafts white, belly paler 

 The wing-coverts are pale rufous brown, streaked hke the back. 

 but more minutely distributed. The quills are dusky ; the outei 

 webs more or less mottled with yellowish white. The tail is dusky, 

 tipped with white, and consists of twelve short feathers hidden bj 



