80 Practical Game Preserving. 



ceedings by those possessed of sufficient acumen to discover 

 them. The call and answer of the birds at mating time, 

 and the evening " picking " of the coveys should be well 

 enough known. It may be as well to mention that " coveys" 

 are "sprung" when put up and a " brace }J killed; some- 

 times a brace and a half are called a " leash," but only by 

 old-fashioned sportsmen. 



Of the Red-legged, French or Guernsey partridge there 

 is but little to say. The divergence between its habits 

 and those of the common partridge are few. In the choice 

 of locality they prefer rough hilly parts, interspersed with 

 cultivated ground, and short uneven copse-wood. They will 

 perch on gate rails, trees and hedgerows, and from a sporting 

 point of view, are far inferior to the ordinary perdix, as they 

 invariably refuse to rise ; their extremely well developed 

 powers of running render them almost unapproachable 

 by ordinary pointers, and there is nothing which will put 

 them up like a quick blustering spaniel ; so that, far from being 

 an acquisition to our preserves, they are a disadvantage. 

 Besides, as a table article they are far inferior. It has been 

 noticed, and confirmed by the observations of all sorts and 

 conditions of men interested in game preserving, that where 

 the red-leg establishes itself the ordinary partridge will 

 in time die out ; consequently it has become the custom to 

 endeavour to exterminate the foreigner, but with indifferent 

 success, as besides being so difficult to shoot, it seems very 

 pertinacious of its footing here, and seems resolutely to 

 remain, caught birds and destroyed nests notwithstanding. 

 In its other habits it does not differ materially from the 

 common partridge, except that it packs considerably and 



