SEPTEMBER 193 



pointer of the breathing-time he deserves after rang- 

 ing under a hot sun; unduly pressed, he commits 

 mistakes ; and the only dog that has a chance of dis- 

 tinguishing himself is the retriever. Into both grouse 

 and partridge-shooting has now been imported the 

 defect that has always marred the zest of deer-stalk- 

 ing ; the sportsman becomes merely a marksman ; all 

 brainwork is performed by the attendant stalker, and 

 in grouse and partridge-driving by the head keeper, 

 who marshals his little army so as to bring the birds 

 accurately over the line of guns. 



Still, when all is said, driven partridges afford most 

 exciting sport, exacting a supreme exercise of marks- 

 manship, and in the highest degree beneficial to the 

 stock of birds. But be it remembered where driving 

 is practised no other form of shooting must be 

 allowed. If the ground be dogged or walked up early 

 in the season and driven later, the stock will inevit- 

 ably deteriorate under such hard usage. Moreover, 

 the ground must not be driven more than once or 

 twice in a season. Record-breaking being the ruin of 

 all true sport, one hesitates before quoting examples 

 of what can be done in driving ; the following instances 

 are given only to show how discreetly such a destructive 

 form of pursuit must be used. At Holkham in 

 four consecutive days December 8-11, 1885 there 

 were shot 3392 partridges, and at the Grange, Hants, 

 in four consecutive days October 18-21, 1887, 4109 

 partridges. 



The 'common' partridge is the term for the bird in 

 ornithological works, but a few dismal summers like 



N 



