PARTRIDGE-SHOOTING 53 



modern ejectors, handled even with moderate skill. 

 What awful carnage there would be ! The task of 

 finding the slain in vast seas of such high, dense 

 cover would change the keeper into a sort of 

 sporting scavenger. There would be, however, in 

 these days, one redeeming feature about old- 

 fashioned cover there would not be so many 

 birds wounded, to carry on and die, which is the 

 curse of modern partridge-shooting, by the walking- 

 up method. Probably there is no self-styled sports- 

 man more despised by keepers than he who comes 

 out to shoot for slaughter only. On he races all 

 the time, dropping wild-rising birds in all directions. 

 But in what direction he knows not, nor cares, when 

 the keeper asks him where his birds are down. 

 Likely enough he does not know even how many 

 he has down. Days afterwards the keeper happens 

 on many a maggoty mass, and breathes a sheaf of 

 blessings on the murderer's head. 



There is no doubt that partridges nowadays are 

 much wilder than they were years ago. They seem 

 to get wilder every year. With the coming of 

 shaven stubbles, all sorts of rattling machines (even 

 to motor-binders), and a general lack of holding 

 cover, it was only natural that birds should be more 

 difficult to approach. Yet, if one comes to think 

 of it, machines and other things which doubtless 

 tend to make birds wilder than otherwise they might 

 be are not now materially different to what they 



