252 PARTRIDGES 



method in arrangement easily disposes 

 of this danger ; guns should be not much 

 more than 45 yards apart, so that each 

 may have a fair chance of killing every 

 bird clean that comes to him, and of 

 stopping any wounded bird that is carry- 

 ing on from his neighbour. This is most 

 important when birds are scarce, for then 

 the odd covey that can be put over the 

 line must give a chance to two or three 

 guns, instead of sneaking through a wide 

 gap without offering a fair shot to any one. 

 So in planning the drives, you have 

 only to reckon the number of guns there 

 will be, allow 45 yards for each, and thus 

 determine the limits of the line. If you 

 have six guns, you can reckon that they 

 will cover 270 yards of fence, and it only 

 remains to decide which 270 yards can be 

 most profitably utilized. The placing of 

 guns is not an easy matter; they must 

 have cover, and the hedge you wish to 

 line may provide none ; they must be in 

 a straight line, and the hedge often turns 

 at an angle most inconvenient to your 



