148 PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 



by one person (when this work was first printed), in a 

 country not preserved, were twenty-three brace, in killing 

 which I remember, that although he began in the very 

 best quarter, and every thing favoured, as well as it 

 possibly could do, his starting at daylight, yet he only 

 got three shots before nine o'clock. 



Although he had four relays of dogs, he felt con- 

 fident that he should have killed at least seven brace 

 more, if he had left the coveys undisturbed till about 

 half past seven or eight. 



The person who performed, this, and the double 

 shooting before alluded to, went out in a subsequent 

 year at nine o'clock, surrounded by other shooting 

 parties, who had been hard at work since the break of 

 day. He had this season a far inferior breed of birds, 

 and he had only one, and that a very old dog. He took 

 refreshment, and rested from twelve till two ; shot again 

 till six, and then went home to dinner, having killed 

 fifty partridges and a hare, with only missing two very 

 long shots, though he invariably used both his barrels 

 whenever the coveys rose within gunshot. To this one 

 dog he bagged in all, at different times, in a wild country, 

 3163 head of game. In 1827, when'the breed of birds 

 was good, the same person shot with only one dog (ex- 

 cept a short trial of a young one that did more harm 

 than good, but with several markers), and, in eight 

 hours, he bagged fifty-one brace of partridges (besides 

 three brace lost) arid a hare ; and then he did not 

 " throw off" till nine o'clock. This is perhaps the best 

 day on record, for a wild country and one dog. 



Much game as I have seen killed in a September day, 

 I do not recollect one solitary instance of any thing 

 extraordinary being done very early in the morning. 



