MANAGEMENT OP THE BEAT. 47 



tions, and then content themselves with about three, or at 

 most four hours' shooting, which is confined to the turnips. 

 Preparations have been carefully made by the keepers, who, 

 during the two hours prior to eleven, have been beating the 

 stubbles towards the turnips with the aid of spaniels and 

 ponies, and by the hour named, all the birds are collected in 

 the large fields of turnips or other green crop, which are 

 essential to success in this kind of sport. At the hour fixed, 

 the party assemble to the number of four, five, or six, and 

 forming a line, each being about thirty or forty yards from 

 his next neighbour, they walk straight across the field. 

 Between each two shooters there should be one or two beaters, 

 so as to insure a proper driving of the ground, for single 

 birds will lie very closely in turnips. As they rise they are 

 shot at, each by the person to whose share it properly be- 

 longs. In order to avoid confusion or dispute as to the 

 killer, imaginary lines are drawn forward and backward 

 midway between each pair of shooters, and all birds killed 

 within the space enclosed by the line on each side of a gun, 

 are supposed to be killed by that gun. This rule is very 

 useful, inasmuch as without it there would be often two or 

 three guns discharged at one bird, with consequent disputes 

 as to the real killer, which are easily settled in this way, and 

 it is unsportsmanlike to shoot at a bird beyond the proper 

 lines of demarcation. As soon as a bird has crossed out of 

 one of these sections into another it may be shot at, and great 

 pleasure is often afforded in " wiping an eye" in this way. 

 When a shot is made, the whole line waits till the gun is re- 

 loaded, unless breech loaders are used, when the delay is 

 unnecessary, and in this respect a great advantage accrues to 

 this species of gun. Dogs are not used, except to retrieve, 

 which task is left to the keepers, and the whole sport is con- 

 fined to the constant shooting at the birds as they rise, 

 forming a wholesale kind of butchery, which appears to be 

 now the sum and substance of the modern idea of what is 

 good sport. Of course, when birds are so thick as they must 

 be to give occupation to four or five guns, it is out of the 

 question to attempt to follow them up j but when the quan- 

 tity of turnips is not sufficient for the time to be spent in 

 shooting, it is usual to walk them a second time, and this 



