196 LEAVES PROM A GAME BOOK. 



month, and in nineteen days we got 646 partridges 

 and 64 head of other things. During my stay 

 here this season several of us were witnesses of a 

 very remarkable piece of marksmanship made by a 

 distinguished foreign guest at Balls Park, who here 

 made his debut at partridge shooting. In other lands 

 bears, wolves and wild boars had fallen victims to his 

 aim, but up to this time the pursuit of the merry 

 little brown bird was absolutely a sealed book to him, 

 so it was not surprising that he made but little show. 

 After we had been walking in line for some time, an 

 under-keeper joined us with the news that several 

 coveys of birds had settled on a closely shorn stubble 

 field in front of us, and, as on the far side of it 

 there was a thick high hedge, we agreed to make a 

 detour, line the hedge, and have the stubble driven 

 to us. Our novice was placed in the middle of the 

 line, and was hardly there before a large covey of 

 birds came calling high over his head. Holding his 

 gun at arm's length in front of him, with the stock 

 turned directly to the earth, just as if he were 



