46 EEMINISCEXCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



turnips, and for half an hour baffled the exertions of a 

 brace of good pointers to make them take wing, and the 

 first that so immediately perched on the hedge, was shot 

 in that situation, without its being known what bird it 

 was. A leash more was at length sprung from the 

 turnips and shot, and two days after a brace more 

 was killed by another person. From that time until 

 November 1799 he never shot one. He was then out 

 at Sudbourn, with a gentleman who was particularly 

 anxious to kill some of the red-legged partridges, and 

 hunted with a brace of capital pointers for them only. 

 The instant the dog stood the red-legged birds ran, and 

 always took wing at such distances as to be out of the 

 laage of the shot from any fowling-piece. Upon the 

 same grounds and on the same day they lay until the 

 springing spaniels almost touched them before they rose, 

 and in a short time he killed two brace and a half." 



They had one peculiarity, that when wounded they 

 will go to ground in the rabbit burrows. 



"WTiilst on the subject of red-legged partridges, I may 

 mention a curious circumstance witnessed by me in the 

 summer of 1813. I was sent, as second in command, by 

 the late Colonel Prevost to receive the sword of the 

 French colonel who commanded the fortress of St. 

 Philippe, which surrendered to us after a seige of ten 

 days. I afterwards walked with the French commandant 

 about the place, and to my surprise I saw several large 

 wooden cases, placed in a secure situation, filled with red- 

 legged partridges, fattening for the colonel's table. But 

 " there is many a slip between the cup and the lip," and 

 I strongly suspect he never tasted one of them, as the 

 officers and soldiers of the garrison were very soon sent 

 off on board our transports as prisoners of war. This 

 proved to me that had I been there a month later, I 



