23 KEMmiSCENCES OF A SPOETSMAX. 



covey made a sharp turn in that direction, consequently 

 my shot raked them, and down fell five birds, to the no 

 small surprise of my friend and myself: he exclaimed 

 " Hullo, Colonel, I believe you fancy you are at the battle 

 of Waterloo." I confess I felt rather ashamed of this 

 great slaughter *, supposing Mr. Fisher might think I 

 had fired a broadside into the covey, doing which would 

 be considered very unsportsmanlike. When I told him, 

 I had really shot at a bird to the left, he said he had seen 

 the sharp turn of the birds which had proved so fatal to 

 them. 



In the latter end of October, I was one day shooting 

 near Dorchester, in Dorsetshire. Three birds rose and 

 flew through the forked branch of a tree, I fired, killed 

 two of them, and winged the third. A friend of mine 

 shot a rabbit in a turnip field, and on going to pick it 

 up, found he had also shot a hen pheasant which was on 

 the spot. 



I have heard that when birds are very wild and can- 

 not be got at, a curious expedient has been tried, that 

 of flying a paper kite in the shape of a bird of prey, 

 which so terrifies the bii'ds, as to make them lie like 



* The following statenaent is a very extraordinary return of the great 

 number of partridges killed in the month of January 1858, by Major 

 GTeneral Hall, M.P. and a party of sixteen guns, on his estate at 

 Weston- Col ville, Cambridgeshire. On January 12th, 118 ; on January 

 13th, 297 ; on the 14th, 184; on the 15th, 284; total 953. I conclude 

 that the coveys must have been driven over a considerable extent of coun- 

 try into large turnip fields, and perhaps into some low furze covers, and 

 then walked up by the sportsmen and three or four beaters, the persons 

 shooting having a servant behind them with a second gun, who is con- 

 stantly employed in loading. Such slaughter will probably astonish the 

 public, but I would not give one farthing for such shooting. 



