222 PARTRIDGES 



and cover scanty, the line must needs 

 move at a fair round pace to get any- 

 where near the birds. At all times as 

 the military text-books lay down for the 

 movements of all composite bodies the 

 pace of the whole is regulated by that 

 of the slowest unit, and weight and age 

 must be treated with some consideration 

 in this respect. 



'Half-mooning' is a pleasing varia- 

 tion of walking in line, demanding more 

 skill in execution, both from guns and 

 beaters, to make it a success. It is a 

 manoeuvre best suited for a country 

 where large fields are the rule ; and can 

 be used to advantage in walking up 

 heaths, commons, or any stretches of 

 rough and uncultivated land. Where 

 fields are small it is no easy matter to 

 keep the proper formation, though this 

 difficulty may be overcome to some 

 extent by giving the beaters flags on 

 long poles, so that they remain visible to 

 each other even when a thick hedge 

 intervenes. 



