SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 



partridges are the main desideratum. I append the 

 ground-plans and description of two such preserves, 

 made last year at Sandringham, and furnished by 

 Jackson, the head keeper, which I am able to re- 

 produce and publish in this volume by the gracious 

 permission of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. 



These could not, I think, be improved upon, the 

 only criticism I could make being that the centre 

 ride in No. 2 preserve does not appear to have any 

 practical value, and might, one would imagine, be 

 more usefully employed as cover or crop. Whether 

 or not they would answer better if wired in cannot 

 as yet be said, as, up to the moment of writing, the 

 results of the first season after laying them out are 

 not to hand. 



There is one more point with regard to stock 

 which must not be omitted. I mean the insane and 

 much too common practice of killing down the game 

 near the boundary. This jealousy or mistrust of your 

 neighbour defeats itself. If the land on your boundary 

 is favourable to birds, it will draw them from your 

 own centre as fast as you kill them off. If it is not, 

 constant pursuit will the more readily drive those 

 which you do not kill on to your neighbour's centre. 

 The boundary beats of your property should be 

 carefully preserved, and lie very quiet, though there 



