THE PHEASANT 289 



(2) Late in the season stoppers are even of more 

 importance than beaters. All stops should, of course, 

 get into position in the early morning, long before 

 beaters start and guns begin to fire. 



(3) Always shoot the covert that has the most birds 

 in. Do not keep to a stereotyped habit of shooting 

 coverts whether birds be in or not. 



(4) Always shoot the exposed coverts early, as 

 birds stray to warmer quarters on the fall of the leaf. 



(5) All things being equal, outlying coverts proxi- 

 mate to other shooting-ground should be shot early to 

 prevent the loss of birds by straying. 



(6) No wild or untrained dog should ever be allowed 

 in the coverts. 



(7) All birds must be picked up as they fall. One 

 or two keepers with dogs following a mixed line of 

 guns and beaters are useful. A keeper or keepers, in 

 fact, should always be behind guns. In the clump or 

 detached covert system they should be just inside the 

 main covert. 



(8) The coverts should be searched carefully with 

 dogs, preferably on the same day, or the day after the 

 shooting, for the purpose of finding any wounded or 

 dead bird that may not have been picked up. The 

 keeper should be allowed to take a gun and shoot any 

 birds that show signs of being wounded. 



(9) All birds should be counted at the end of each 

 beat. This will counteract any tendency to theft on 

 the part of the beaters. 



19 



