BY MANY HANDS 141 



the garden for naming plants ; placed at a distance from 

 the nest. 



Our vermin in order of precedence at nesting time are 

 rooks, rats, hedgehogs, stoats, cats, and moles. The cats 

 frequent the roads, but their presence is easily detected 

 by their footprints, and steps taken accordingly. Moles 

 have given a certain amount of trouble by working under 

 the nests and letting the eggs down. To remedy this, 

 insert rags soaked in carbolic or reynardine in the runs 

 and remake the nest. 



Owls are numerous, and kestrels fairly plentiful ; 

 neither are found to do any harm, and both are preserved. 



Hares are not found harmful : close on a hundred have 

 been killed in one day's partridge-driving. Pheasants I 

 consider harmful and should be kept within limits. They 

 interfere with partridges by laying in their nests, and 

 leaving the eggs uncovered, even if they do not altogether 

 drive away the partridge. We rear no pheasants here now. 



Partridges are fed in hard weather. 



Enteric in a mild form appeared in 1909, and again in 

 July and August 1910. Gapes has been bad, and reduced 

 the size of the coveys considerably before the shooting 

 season. 



The beat-keepers have each 1500 acres to look after. 

 No partridges are shot after the first week in November. 



We leave as large a stock as possible, and have not 

 experienced a bad season since we commenced preserving. 



The twenty-eight years from 1877 to 1904 give an 

 average of 305 brace annually. In 1905 driving com- 

 menced, and the average of the last six years is 430 brace. 

 No pheasants have been reared since 1906, and the last 

 three seasons average 675 brace for about nine days' 

 shooting. The present year is the best so far recorded, 

 2060 partridges having been killed, being one bird to 

 3 acres on the best beat, and one bird to 4 acres all over 

 the ground. 



