Pheasant Shooting 145 



respective stands, forming a semi - circle 

 round the horn of the wood, which had been 

 arranged to give the "bouquet." Every- 

 thing being in readiness, the signal was 

 passed, and the advance was resumed. The 

 pheasants began to rise more thickly and 

 frequently, and the shooting was almost 

 incessant. At length the head-keeper again 

 halted the beaters, and with only an under- 

 keeper accompanying him advanced quietly, 

 giving a tap here and there with their sticks : 

 this was in order not to rise too large a 

 number of birds at a time, which would have 

 been the case had all the beaters continued 

 to advance together. As the guns were well 

 out in the field below the wood, the ground 

 being sloping, the birds came out very high, 

 and gave difficult and sporting shots ; but 

 most of the party could handle their 

 shooting-irons rather better than well, so the 

 result of this second beat was satisfactory, 



K 



