DRIVING 249 



more than a breeding stock at the end of 

 a single day's shooting, killing perhaps 

 two-thirds of the birds on the ground. 



In planning out any day's driving, the 

 first question which arises is how many 

 birds there are on the ground, the answer 

 to which can only be supplied by the 

 keeper on the beat, who presumably has 

 been using his eyes and if his master 

 has ever made him a very useful present 

 his field-glasses. 



The task of forming anything like a 

 correct estimate of the birds on a beat is 

 certainly no easy matter. Appearances 

 are deceptive, and many keepers will tell 

 you that it cannot be done without 

 working a pointer over the ground. But 

 the fact remains that an intelligent and 

 observant man, taking careful notes before 

 the disturbance of harvest, can form an 

 opinion which is accurate enough for all 

 practical purposes. Then the drives are 

 considered and settled on, each being 

 treated as part of the general scheme, 

 which is to collect all the birds from the 



