288 HINTS ON BEATING THE COVERTS. 



grown, it would be quite as well, for they seldom 

 attain their perfection of growth or plumage until 

 the month of November. Pheasant's polts, as well 

 as turkey polts, are good eating, but they lack the 

 flavour of maturer birds. 



In beating large coverts for game, there should 

 be several guns placed at certain distances in the 

 drives, or close to the high wood, one man with a 

 couple or two of silent spaniels beating the short 

 underwood up to them. In our own woods we 

 always used a long low net when the gunners were 

 few in number ; the pheasants were then obliged 

 to rise, or run back again into the short wood. The 

 word net may sound un- sportsmanlike, but in 

 large woodlands, where we had an abundance of 

 rabbits, it was oiu* quickest plan for reducing their 

 numbers ; and by pitching off a few acres at a time, 

 we cleared the ground as we went. Not being 

 driven by dogs, few were ever caught in the nets, 

 but at openings above and below the guns were 

 placed, and to these points the rush was made by 

 every kind of game. 



The best plan for rabbit shooting is to have a 

 short ladder placed against a tree near some well- 

 used runs, and from this position you may fire 

 away right and left, without their detecting your 

 whereabouts. Seated on the lower limbs with my 



