THE PARTRIDGE. 89 



whistling, clapping the hands or knocking the fence rails. The 

 Birds move with great gentleness, following each other, and are 

 kept in the right direction by the Sportsmen. The leading 

 Bird approaches and enters the mouth of the net, the others 

 follow in succession, when the net-bearer leaps from his horse, 

 runs up and secures the entrance, and soon dispatches the Birds. 

 In this manner, fifteen or twenty Partridges are caught at one 

 driving, and sometimes many hundreds in the course of a day. 

 Most netters give liberty to one pair out of each covey, that 

 the breed may be continued. The success of driving depends 

 much on the state of the weather. Drizzly rain or melting 

 snow is the best ; for in such weather Partridges, and gallina- 

 ceous Birds in general, run to a great distance rather than fly ; 

 whereas, if the weather be dry and clear, they generally take 

 to the wing the moment they discover an intruder, or squat so 

 that they cannot be driven without very particular care. . Again 

 when the coveys are found in the woods, they run ofi'so -jTit'i-iv 

 and so far that it is difficult for the net-bearer to rlK<^'':T ^lii? 

 machine in time. 



" The net is cylindrical, thirty or forty feet in length by about 

 two in diameter, excepting at the mouth or entrance, where it 

 is rather larger, and at the extremity, where it assumes the form 

 of a bag. It is kept open by means of small wooden hoops, at a 

 distance of two or three feet from each other. The mouth is 

 furnished with a semicircular hoop sharpened at both ends, 

 which are driven into the ground, thus affording an easy en- 

 trance to the Birds. Two pieces of netting, called wings, of the 

 same length as the cylindrical one, are placed, one on each side 

 of the mouth, so as to form an obtuse angle with each other, 

 and are supported by sticks thrust into the ground, the wings 

 having the appearance of two low fences leading to a gate. The 

 whole is made of light and strong materials." 



This account coincides exactly with the description given us 

 of this sport by several gentlemen residing in the South. Care 

 should be taken, however, to liberate a pair or so of birds from 

 each covey, so as to insure a continuation of that abundance 

 which furnishes such a profuse and epicurean delicacy for the 

 table. 



