TYPES OF SHOOTERS 189 



found, so the dog is called for. When the 

 dog finds that a bird has run, as is obvious to 

 everyone but the shooter, and goes a few yards 

 from the fall, it must be ordered back. By the 

 time that the shooter has been convinced that 

 his bird is not dead, it has gained such a start that 

 to let the dog follow the trail would be to risk 

 disturbing birds ahead. Thus many unfortunate 

 partridges are lost. 



I wonder how many birds I have been assured 

 were hit so hard that they could not have gone 

 more than a few yards after topping a hedge ? 

 A bird in the keeper's pocket is worth a good 

 many that have topped a hedge. As the exaggera- 

 tion of shooters is to birds that must have fallen 

 over hedges, so is the juggling of keepers with 

 birds already in their pockets. 



A shooter who was only an hour late came to 

 me in great trouble, the barrels of his gun in one 

 hand and the stock in the other. He told me he 

 had been wrestling with his gun (which, by the 

 way, had been borrowed for the occasion) since 

 an early breakfast, in vain. It was a wonder, 

 judging by the marks on the weapon, that it 

 stood the force which had been brought to bear 

 upon it. I was thankful it was not mine. The 

 shooter merely had omitted to open the action. 

 Another man complained that the top lever of his 

 gun (which, I feel I ought to mention, had an 



