179 



"KITING" ON THE DOWNS 



AFTER seven years' experience of the district, I 

 may say without qualification that I have nowhere 

 found partridges so impracticably wild late in the 

 season as those bred on the high downs by the great 

 White Horse. Apart from the known fact that hill 

 partridges are generally stronger and fly further than 

 those on lower and more sheltered ground, there are 

 scarcely any fences on the downs ; consequently there 

 are no local limits suggested to the birds' flight other 

 than those given by the natural lie of the ground. In 

 an inclosed country a few brace may always be had 

 by an active walker, even when single-handed, as they 

 can generally be got to " fence." Such at least was 

 my experience in Suffolk, when we as boys often made 

 a Christmas bag when sturdy but short-winded 

 farmers had returned almost empty-handed. 



" Well, what sport have you had ? " inquired my 

 old friend Mr. Tom Barrett, as we met him walking 

 rather sulkily home with the claws of one partridge 

 sticking out of his covert coat-pocket. 



" Oh, pretty good for us, thank you, Mr. Barrett," 



