WALKING UP 169 



they hate, and only go there for shelter when alarmed 

 or hustled. The same may be said of clover, in which 

 crop you will rarely find a bird unless it has been 

 driven there. It must be borne in mind that when, 

 on first attacking your ground in the morning, you 

 find birds in these crops, which they do not frequent 

 because they cannot run comfortably in them, it 

 is possible that they have been disturbed by men 

 working in the fields or crossing by foot-paths. In 

 the afternoon, during feeding-time, it is of course 

 utterly useless to beat turnips unless you have driven 

 birds to them off the stubbles. 



A word or two is necessary on the subject of pace 

 in walking. It is, no doubt, a good rule to walk 

 slowly, and when birds are broken all over a turnip 

 field, and lying well, you can hardly go too slowly. 

 But the rule is by no means invariable, and when you 

 enter a fresh field, the birds in which have not as yet 

 been disturbed, and are inclined to keep rising just 

 out of range, while those that do not rise are running 

 from you towards the end, you will get many more 

 shots by going fast than slow. In wheeling also, 

 unless again birds are lying very close, the wheeling 

 flank should get round rapidly. It is a fact that at 

 times you can run right on to birds, when you could 

 not walk to them. 



