PARTRIDGE-SHOOTING 213 



sport is made easier for them. As he 

 stretches his pleasantly wearied limbs to 

 the fire, after a long and healthy day in 

 the fresh country air, and recalls every 

 shot, every manoeuvre that went to make 

 the bag of 5 or 6 brace of partridges with 

 sundries enough to complete the 20 head, 

 he is tasting to the full such pleasure as 

 sport can afford ; nor does the crack shot 

 who has killed his 40 birds in one drive 

 experience one whit more satisfaction. 

 Only let him rest content with what he 

 has ; to dabble in big days may well breed 

 discontent with the humbler results which 

 formerly pleased him so well. 



Certainly every novice should be 

 trained to hunt and kill his game for 

 himself in the earlier days of his shooting 

 career. Just as a guardian should be 

 averse to giving a young fellow 10,000 

 a year to play with, however well the 

 state of his finances might seem to 

 warrant it, so in the world of sport I 

 feel convinced that it is a grievous error 

 to allow any one still in his teens to take 



