128 PARTRIDGES 



When scarcely a young partridge has 

 reached maturity for two or three years, 

 and the ground is tenanted by nothing 

 but hardy veterans of four and five years' 

 standing, it is a tempting expedient to 

 clear out all the old and useless stock and 

 start afresh with a new lot. 



The right course to follow in managing 

 a part ridge -shooting seems then to be 

 this : first, make sure that your staff is 

 efficient, that the wild birds are properly 

 cared for, their enemies reduced to a 

 minimum ; that good and sufficient nest- 

 ing ground is available for the breeding 

 stock, and that the health of the race is 

 ensured by a regular change of blood. 

 When this point has been reached, and 

 not till then, it may be advisable to adopt 

 one of the systems of higher preservation ; 

 but to turn out Hungarians on ground 

 covered with vermin or devoid of places 

 for nesting, or to ask a keeper who has 

 never really studied the habits of his own 

 partridges to undertake the delicate work 

 of successfully pairing penned birds under 



