94 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 



Derby winner. Again, a very excellent trap-pigeon 

 shot may shoot very poorly at game, but a very ex- 

 cellent game shot can always become a fine trap shot. 

 The greater includes the less. Partridge-shooting, if 

 we take driving and walking together, is an acknow- 

 Jedged test. There is no class of shot which the par 

 tridge does not afford at some time or other, with the 

 exception of the twisting in the first few yards of flight 

 peculiar to the snipe, ability to succeed in defeating 

 which is the only excuse for placing a man who is 

 peculiarly good at snipe in a class by himself. If you 

 shoot partridges, walked up or driven, really well, you 

 can shoot anything. The low skim of the grouse 

 over the heather may surprise you the first time you 

 see it, but will not trouble you, for you are quite used 

 to the sort of difficulties it presents if you have stood 

 up to a low fence to kill partridges being pushed up 

 wind. The rocketing pheasant will but remind you 

 of the way the covey comes over a high belt, and 

 even a teal coming down wind, perhaps the fastest 

 thing on earth, will not beat by much the December 

 partridge under the same conditions, either in pace 

 or power of swerving in his flight. 



