WALKING UP 183 



to kill them under the above conditions. Success 

 depends entirely on intimate knowledge of the ground, 

 the whereabouts of the coveys, and their probable 

 or usual line of flight ; but with this knowledge, and 

 straight shooting, you may kill all you want to on 

 any ground, however bare and limited, so long as it 

 is not blowing a gale of wind. 



But if you must secure birds for the pot, and do 

 not mind easy slow shots out of hedgerows, then try 

 the kite. The important thing to bear in mind is that 

 the kite-flyer, if he walks in front of you, is likely to 

 be in your way when the birds rise ; therefore, instruct 

 him to walk rather behind you while he flies the kite 

 in front of you. 



I have seen it used with good effect in shootings 

 on a larger scale, notably at Merton, as a flank pro- 

 tection, to keep birds on a Norfolk heath ; but I 

 believe even here it has been found unnecessary, and 

 in most cases has been abandoned. It makes the 

 birds sit so close that when the heath is driven, many 

 would be passed by the drivers, though it undoubtedly 

 prevents their breaking out on the side where it is 

 being flown. 



Another essential to shooting partridges really well 

 is to be ever ready, for the partridge that rises thirty- 

 five yards off in breezy weather, though quite realisable, 



