PARTRIDGE BAGS AND DRIVING 265 



arranged in such a manner as to make the next drive to it as 

 perfect as possible. The guns, then, will be posted where they 

 can do least harm to the next drive not necessarily where 

 they can do most execution in the one under consideration. 

 Consequently, the choice of stands for any one drive must be 

 regulated by the distance the birds at the particular time of 

 year are likely to fly after passing and being scared by the 

 line of guns. This distance will grow longer each week of 

 the shooting season. In September birds that would be likely 

 to drop in roots three fields behind the guns, might easily go 

 six, seven, or eight fields in November. 



It is impossible to drive partridges very far directly up wind, 

 and it is almost impossible to turn them very much when going 

 fast and high down wind. Roots are even more important to 

 big driving bags than they are to "walking up." At least, 

 without roots most of the birds will come together, and shoot- 

 ing will be quickly over in each drive, whereas, when partridges 

 can be first driven into a turnip-field, and secondly induced to 

 run, they then become scattered, rise in small lots, and give 

 shooters and loaders a chance. 



The nearer the guns can be placed to the rise of the 

 partridges, the less distant the latter will fly. In a high fenced 

 country noise is often essential to prevent the birds in one 

 field going back over the heads of beaters in the next. The 

 partridges generally decide where they are going before rising, 

 or as soon as they are up, and consequently the flanks of 

 your line or semicircle of beaters will be useless unless the 

 birds know of them either before they rise or the instant they 

 are on the wing. 



Another point to be considered is, that partridges will not 

 drive backwards and forwards over the same fence many times, 

 and if it can be done, a fresh one should be lined for every 

 drive. Often the nature of the ground and the disposition of 

 the hedges will not admit of this. Ideal driving possibly 

 only exists in the imagination, but if it can be arranged 

 that for every drive there is a turnip-field to drive out of 

 near to the guns, and another to drive into at the distance 



