212 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



form line beyond them, and walk them up against the 

 wind. 



One good covey rising within shot is worth three 

 that rise wild, and the best way to induce a covey to 

 lie to the gun is to walk it up against the wind, and, 

 if possible, across the rows, if a root field is being 

 beaten. Birds do not scent you when approaching 

 them upwind, they do not hear you so readily, and, 

 as they always crouch heads to wind, do not see you 

 either in fairly good shelter. 



There is no more common mistake made in walk- 

 ing up partridges than that of leaving ground which 

 still contains a number of birds, to search for birds 

 on land as yet untried. 



In the former case the coveys have been broken 

 and the birds scattered, and if these are followed up a 

 better bag can nearly always be made than if coveys 

 as yet unbroken are sought for. 



This advice is especially applicable if new T ground 

 is beaten after two o'clock, as soon after that hour 

 partridges commence to draw out of cover to feed on 

 the stubbles and seed fields. If a covey has been 

 dispersed, and particularly if the old birds have been 

 killed, the shooters have much in their favour, as the 

 alarmed survivors will remain in cover, and hesitate 

 to trust themselves in the open at their usual feeding 

 hour. One covey well separated may bring three or 



