x:n. PARTRIDGE SHOOTING (PART /), ' WALKING' 227 



the importance of doing which is great in keeping the 

 birds in (A). 



Now walk (A) up once more towards (B), then (B) 

 back to (A), and if you do not kill a good share of the 

 birds on this occasion in both fields I shall be much 

 surprised. 



ON MARKING DEAD BIRDS 



I have road many directions of how to do this in 

 tit <<//, but I have never seen these theories put into 

 l>ni('ticc with the least success. The fact is, it is 

 utterly impossible for any keeper or beater to remern- 

 her where birds fall if several are down together. 

 A man can, no doubt, by the assistance of certain 

 selected landmarks, keep his eye on one bird and walk 

 straight up to it, but he cannot go forward to do so if 

 other birds are likely to rise, and, perhaps, by the 

 time the guns have reached the spot at which the 

 first bird fell there are several others that have had 

 to be marked also, and how 7 about bird number one 

 then ? The marker can only guess its position at 



. for he has probably shifted his several times. 

 If you had the w r hole field to yourself, and could walk 

 where you wished in it, and had only one bird to 

 mark and gather, it would be an easy job to retrieve 

 it, I have no doubt. The only person w r ho can really 

 mark dead birds is the one who shoots them ; he has 

 far the best chance, if he will only i>ra<-ti*<' his 



