218 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



side afterwards, and walk through the field again. 

 You do not want too many partridges in one field, for 

 they are then not only apt to rise in packs, but you 

 will be sure to lose birds, however well trained your 

 retrievers, from the impossibility of marking all that 

 fall to the gun. 



Never allow any talking when expecting partridges 

 to rise. The stentorian ' Mark, mark ! ' of a keeper 

 will start birds running when the firing of guns will 

 not do so, for the human voice has a wonderful effect 

 in alarming game. It would sometimes appear as if 

 keepers thought a shooter was both deaf and blind 

 from the way they often shout ' Mark ! ' at a bird 

 rising in full view. A quick ' Behind, sir ! ' or ' Eight ! ' 

 or ' Left ! ' is all that is required, and that but seldom ! 



Always walk out a field containing birds in once 

 if possible ; even if you have to form a somewhat 

 extended line to do this, it is nevertheless far the best 

 method of sending birds forward to other cover far- 

 ther on, for when wheeling about a field (an unsafe 

 practice at times, too) you never know in what direc- 

 tion the game will fly. If a very wide field has to be 

 walked through, start up one half of it, and then 

 return and start up the other half, both beats being 

 of course taken toward any cover to which you desire 

 the birds to incline their flight. 



