CHAPTER I 



'ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO' 



A DIFFICULTY in the way of writing about the par- 

 tridge is the question : To whom shall I appeal ? 

 ' To the public,' I am told, but here I am doubtful, 

 for the public knows nothing of partridges, excepting 

 towards Christmas-time the price per brace. In my 

 Oxford days, ' Student Williams ' was a Fellow of 

 Merton, when Randolph Churchill and I were under- 

 graduates there a very brilliant and characteristic 

 specimen of the Don of that day, whose literary and 

 classical ability forced from his seniors a measure of 

 the popularity which his wit and liberality of opinion 

 readily secured for him from the younger men. 

 Afterwards one of the most fluent and versatile of 

 the well-known band of writers who have made the 

 variety of the articles in ' The Daily Telegraph ' so 

 famous, he was one day, being in town on August 31, 

 asked. by his editor to write an article to appear 

 the next day on the ist of September and partridges. 



