COMMON PARTRIDGE. 389 



hours, at ninety-three shots ; every bird was killed singly : 

 the day before, on the same ground, he killed twenty-two 

 brace and a half in three hours. 



A more recent match, as recorded in Pierce Egan's 

 Anecdotes, and in the Naturalist's Library, affords still 

 further proof of the abundance of the Partridge, and the 

 excess to which the sport may be carried. This was a bet 

 between Mr. William Coke and Lord Kennedy, for two 

 hundred sovereigns a side, play or pay, who shot and 

 bagged the greatest number of Partridge's in two days' 

 sporting ; both parties to shoot on the same days, namely, 

 the 26th of September and the 4th of October in the same 

 season, 1823. Mr. "William Coke to sport upon his uncle's 

 manors in Norfolk, and Lord Kennedy in any part of 

 Scotland he pleased. The result of Mr. Coke's first day's 

 shooting was eighty and a half brace of birds bagged. On 

 Saturday, October 4th, Mr. "W. Coke took the field soon 

 after six o'clock in the morning ; he was accompanied by 

 his uncle, T. W. Coke, Esq., M.P., and by two umpires 

 Colonel Dixon for Mr. Coke, and F. S. Blunt, Esq., for 

 Lord Kennedy ; also by two of his friends, Sir H. Good- 

 ricke, Bart., and F. Holyoake, Esq. He was attended 

 by several gamekeepers, and by one dog only, to pick 

 up the game. Several respectable neighbouring yeomen 

 volunteered their labours in assisting to beat for game, and 

 rendered essential service throughout the day. Mr. Coke 

 sported over part of the Wigton and Egmere manors. The 

 morning was foggy, and the turnips were so wet that the 

 birds would not lie among them : very little execution was 

 done, in consequence, in the early part of the day ; in the 

 first two hours only six brace of birds were bagged. The 

 day cleared up after eight o'clock, and the sportsman amply 

 made up for his lost time. He found birds plentiful among 

 Mr. Denny's fine crop of turnips on the Egmere farm : and 



