ENGLISH DRIVING 



that he should serve his apprenticeship in the pursuit 

 of grouse by walking, stalking, or shooting them over 

 dogs in the usual manner. When they are very wild 

 he will, no doubt, if left to himself, organise little im- 

 promptu drives with the few men who may be out 

 with him, and in the course of a windy day he will 

 get many shots which will teach him something of 

 the calculation necessary to kill a driven bird. To 

 partake in the pleasure of a well-organised shoot which 

 produces a large total is not necessary to human hap- 

 piness, however keen a shooter a man may be, but 

 it is one of the delightfully exciting incidents of one's 

 life ; and if the moor, manor, or covert produces 

 naturally a large stock of game without doing harm 

 to any individual, it is surely better to realise from it 

 to the proper extent. This result will not be achieved", 

 as I mentioned before in the first volume of this series, 

 by anyone not educated to all kinds of shooting ; and 

 the raw youth who has never pursued birds on his 

 own account, nor handled a dog, nor trained himself 

 to shoot carefully and accurately, but, on the other 

 hand, has been allowed by too indulgent elders to 

 take part in big days until he is nearly blase with 

 heavy firing, is neither a desirable object nor a 

 pleasant companion. I am glad to think, however, 

 that these are the minority, and that the English lad 



