1 64 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 



regularly. They soon got to understand the sport, 

 and were keen about it, so I drilled them thoroughly, 

 until it became a pleasure to shoot alongside of them. 



One drill, or two feet behind the gun, the line was 

 kept exactly ; the next man on the right of a gun 

 marked his first barrel, he on the left his second, and 

 if more rose and were killed, the next two on the right 

 and left took up the marking in succession. The 

 birds, unless plainly to be seen on the ground, were 

 always lifted by a keeper, of whom we had two out, 

 with four dogs ; the spot marked was indicated on 

 getting near it by the beater, and under no circum- 

 stances was he allowed to advance to the spot itself 

 until after the dog had been laid on, nor to interfere 

 in any way with the search. We hardly ever lost a 

 bird, and there was really no difficulty about the 

 matter at all. The men knew their places in the line, 

 which were never changed, and what they had to 

 do ; so long as they stuck to their orders they were 

 sure of their extra pay and a good lunch, and the 

 whole business suited them, and us, very well. We 

 killed 105 brace there on our best day, with four 

 guns, and often fifty or sixty brace with two guns. 



Perthshire is in some districts a fine country for 

 partridges, the only drawback to it being the pre- 

 valence of stone walls, and alas ! barbed wire, which 



