Sir IRtcbarfc Sutton 405 



with Osbaldeston's ninety-eight pheasants out of a 

 hundred shots a feat, by the way, accomplished over 

 Sir Richard's preserves. But in the number of head 

 of game that fell to his own gun in a single day the 

 baronet, I admit, surpassed the " Old Squire." Sir 

 Richard is credited with 112^ brace of partridges 

 to his own gun in 6 hours ; and Lord Walsingham 

 referring, I imagine, to another occasion, says, in the 

 Badminton volume on " Field and Covert Shooting " : 

 "It was on Abbey Farm (near Thetford, in Norfolk), 

 the property of Lord Ashburton, that the late Sir 

 Richard Sutton, one of the finest sportsmen of his 

 day, killed over one hundred brace of partridges in 

 1854 during the early part of one day. Being near 

 the boundary of his own estate he shot his way 

 home afterwards, and is said to have added between 

 twenty and thirty brace to his score." 



As against this record the " Old Squire's " best days 

 were, one at Ebberston, his own place in Yorkshire, when 

 he bagged ninety-five brace of partridges, nine brace 

 of hares, and five couple of rabbits 218 head ; and 

 another which is thus described by his friend Mr. E. H. 

 Budd, himself a fine shot as well as a splendid all- 

 round athlete : " I had backed him with Thellusson to 

 kill eighty brace of partridges in one day. I handed 

 him the gun for every shot. He killed ninety-seven brace 

 and a half, and there were five brace and a half of 

 partridges picked up next day, so that he in reality killed 

 one hundred and three brace and a half of partridges, 

 nine hares, and a rabbit in the one day." Mr. Budd 

 thought this " a feat never equalled in the annals of 



