170 PARTRIDGES 



I do not believe in keeping a lot of hares or pheasants 

 on partridge ground ; partridges will migrate if their 

 ground is overstocked. I do not consider the red-legged 

 partridge harmful to the English birds ; the latter can 

 hold their own, for they are very pugnacious, arid I have 

 seen one thrash a game bantam. I feed with a little 

 wheat, barley, or seeds in the belts when snow lies for 

 long. 



We have had a few birds die from a wasting disease, 

 but although I have had them analysed, the cause of death 

 was not discovered ; they are mostly found after a very 

 cold and wet spring. Gapes are worst when such a spring 

 is followed by a hot, dry summer ; this is the first disease 

 to attack all game birds when there is a lack of natural 

 food. I consider many of the artificial manures and dips 

 injurious to partridges ; I have always noticed birds found 

 in a wasting condition on land where a lot of artificial 

 manure is used instead of farmyard dung. 



I consider 1000 to 1200 acres plenty for a man to see 

 after properly. 



I think partridge-shooting should end first week in 

 January. I prefer a fair stock to a superabundant, some- 

 thing like 150 to 200 brace per 1000 acres, but this varies 

 much on different ground according to how much feed 

 there is. 



Our bags have steadily increased except in very bad 

 seasons, such as the last two. On the 3rd October 1906, 

 seven guns killed 724 partridges here on about the same 

 number of acres. Our best season was 1907-1008, when 

 2598 partridges were killed, of which 2180 came off the 

 light land, and only 418 from the heavy ; so you will see 

 the vast difference there is in good and bad land for 

 partridges. In my opinion heavy land is not worth 

 keeper's wages for partridges. In fourteen seasons our 

 best day off the heavy land was 130 brace. 



