DRIVING 267 



helping the following drive by bringing 

 in all the birds off the surrounding fields 

 into the turnip-field that is to be driven. 

 The drives cannot well be too short in 

 the earlier part of the season ; later on in 

 the year the birds take much longer 

 flights, and more extended drives are 

 advisable. 



Every endeavour should be made to 

 get the beaters interested in the work ; 

 nor is this hard, if they once get to under- 

 stand the game, for partridge-driving can 

 be great fun to every one who takes part 

 in it, even without a gun, and men and 

 boys, if they once get keen about the 

 business, will drop the idea of doing as 

 little as they can to earn their half-crown 

 or five shillings, and work with a will to 

 bear their share in outmanoeuvring the 

 birds. The human voice is a fatal adjunct 

 to partridge-driving, and any vocal efforts 

 on the part of keepers or beaters must 

 be checked at the outset. 'Clappers,' 

 however, are sometimes very useful, 

 especially early in the season, for they 



