BY MANY HANDS 175 



has been sitting for some time a fortnight or more. This 

 plan has proved very successful in hatching off substituted 

 eggs. 



We suffer little trouble from foxes. The rats are our 

 worst vermin ; there are more in this part of the country 

 than in any other district that I am acquainted with. In 

 the year ending March 1, 1911, the keepers killed 11,961 

 rats. We have not many hedgehogs, but they are un- 

 doubtedly harmful, and will drive the hen bird off the 

 nest and eat the eggs. We have few stoats, but a litter 

 of stoats on partridge ground is most destructive. The 

 keepers are warned not to kill owls. The white owl does 

 no harm, though the brown owl will take young birds, 

 as will the kestrel ; but I do not believe they do so much 

 harm as keepers allege. Rooks are troublesome at times, 

 but are less numerous than formerly. It is undoubtedly 

 bad for partridges to have too many hares or pheasants 

 on the ground. I do not think that French partridges 

 interfere with common partridges here ; but we have few 

 French partridges. We kill a certain number every season ; 

 they neither increase nor decrease, probably because in 

 driving they come over singly and get shot. 



The only disease we suffer from is ' gapes' in wet 

 seasons. We have no suspicion of any injury being caused 

 from the use of dressings or artificial manures. Each beat 

 is about 1500 acres. Partridges are only fed in severe 

 weather. I do not think partridges should be shot after 

 Christmas. 



I do not know what to suggest as to stock when reduced 

 by one or two bad seasons, but I do believe that it is a 

 mistake not to shoot over the ground lightly once, even 

 in a bad season. We had a better stock in the spring 

 of 1909 than we have had for many years, but two bad 

 seasons have much reduced this : we now have a fair 

 stock over all the ground. 



It is difficult to answer your question about acres to 

 each bird killed on a beat and all over the ground with 



