SHOOTING RED-LEGS IN THE SNOW 255 



One I " potted/' and as the flock dashed off, I heard 

 my brother's gun, and surmised that they had paid toll 

 in passing. Before long I had two more, and found 

 that he had also secured a couple. By this time, 

 though not too dark to shoot, the cold was so intense 

 that we decided to go home. It was time, for when 

 we got there our stockings were tight frozen to our 

 boots. 



Apropos of shooting in the snow, I may mention 

 a strange experience that occurred to me when shooting 

 in the snow near Pangbourne. It had been intended 

 to drive partridges on a neighbouring property that 

 day, but a deep fall of snow the night before caused 

 this to be postponed. In the afternoon I went out 

 with another gun, more for exercise than with any 

 expectation of killing game. We found one or two 

 hares buried in the snow in the way I have mentioned, 

 but the birds, which were numerous, \yere much too 

 wild to approach, and the immense quantity of snow on 

 bush and branch rendered any attempt to beat even 

 the smallest spinney impossible. Eventually my 

 companion and I separated, he walking along one side 

 of a valley, while I, with the keeper, took the opposite 

 brow, with the hope that one or other might put birds 

 across, and so give a chance of a shot. After some time 

 I was far ahead, when I heard a distant cry of " mark,'' 

 and a covey of seven birds was seen flying across the 

 valley in our direction. The wind was dead against 

 them, and it was some time before they reached the 

 field we were in, and pitched some sixty yards from us, 



