34 GAME BIRDS AND SHOOTING-SKETCHES 



whose presence they are perfectly aware, resort to the 

 peculiar diving flight before mentioned. 



In beating for Caper, a small number of men who 

 know their work is all that is required, and often half a 

 dozen, who understand the flight of the birds and the 

 dangerous point where it is likely they may break back, 

 if not properly flushed, can perform mofe than a host of 

 boys and irregular hands, who will not hold their tongues, 

 thinking all game alike, and only requiring a good 

 frightening immediately it is on foot. The beaters should 

 be placed at intervals of from thirty to one hundred yards, 

 according to the number available and the nature of the 

 ground, and being under the orders of one good man in 

 the centre, should advance tapping the stems of the trees, 

 being careful, above all things, to keep as perfect a line as 

 possible ; it is not numbers that are effective, but uni- 

 formity. This tapping on the trunks seems to have a 

 most stirring effect on the Capers, and not a single one 

 will sit on the neighbouring trees after they have heard 

 the sound, whilst those sitting on the ground always 

 follow the line of flight adopted by the others when any 

 have passed over them. 



When beating strips of wood on a hillside that are not 

 very broad, a gun walking along parallel with the beaters, 

 about fifty yards ahead, will often get very pretty shooting, 

 as a number of birds will generally break down-hill to a 

 point about this distance ahead, whether it is their inten- 

 tion of breaking back or going ahead clear of the wood ; 

 but should there be birds sitting on the trees near the sum- 

 mit of the hill, they nearly always go forward. I cannot 

 remember ever having seen a Caper turn in front of the 



