88 PARTRIDGES 



and will fit a man with his wits about him 

 and his heart in the work for any head- 

 keeper's place. The conditions and sur- 

 roundings may be very dissimilar, but his 

 education will apply anywhere. He will 

 have learnt to work hard himself and 

 expect others to work hard under him ; to 

 live on good terms with all those around 

 him, while avoiding undue familiarity with 

 any ; to move about his business with 

 energy, never quite satisfied with the past, 

 always seeking to do a little better in the 

 future ; to profit by failures, working out 

 for himself how and why things went 

 wrong ; and finally to take an honest pride 

 in himself and his work. If they want 

 their shootings run efficiently and economi- 

 cally, proprietors when selecting a head- 

 keeper should always consider what school 

 he has been trained in rather than what is 

 the actual range of his experience. 



So we lose the services of one or other 

 of the under-keepers most years. This 

 does not in practice prove such a handicap 

 as would appear, for the head-keeper has 



