245 



clone with the old flint gun, and of course either over dogs, stalking, or 

 walking up the game. During the whole time this sportsman, noble 

 in every sense of the word, was never confined to bed for one day by 

 sickness or accident. 



In the present day, when birds in thousands are driven to a turf 

 bank, which they fearlessly fly for, and from there are shot in hundreds 

 hy a man with two or three breechloaders supplied him in rapid suc- 

 cession by attendants, of course the daily average just given is only 

 live minutes' work. I should like, however, to know if some of the 

 present- d-iy shooters could, starting level and at even weights, beat 

 the record of this great and grand old sportsman. 



One of the first instances, if not the first, in which a thousand 

 pheasants were shot in a day was in 1845, when a party of nine guns 

 shot something over that number on Lord Ashburton's estate at Bucken. 

 harn in Norfolk. 



Mr. J. Sidney Tbarp, of Chippenham Park, Cambridgeshire, in 

 October^ 1826, with one gun, one dog, and one attendant, bagged 

 ninety-nine partridge between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. He was then so 

 knocked up that he was unable to go on to kill one bird more and 

 so make up the hundred. He picked up all the birds and shot quite 

 fair, not killing more than one at a shot. Moreover, the birds were 

 very wild. 



At Orwell Park, near Ipswich, the property of Mr. Tomlins, in about 

 1830, five guns in four days bagged 1,348 partridge. 



In January, 1858, in four days. General Hall and seven fritnds at 

 Wedton Colviile bagged 2,155 partridge. Only one day was fine, high 

 wind on the others, with a hurricane on the first day. 



The largest bags of partridge made by walking in line were in 1858 

 and 1859 on Lord Ashburton's estate in Norfolk, when 314 brace and 332 

 brace were shot by eight guns, some of whom were not first-class shots. 



In Staffordshire, over Lord Stamford's property, in January, 1869, 

 eleven guns in one day's driving shot 551 partridges, and in another 615. 



In January, 1864, one of the largest bags of game on record was 

 made at Bradgate Park, the seat of Lord Stamford, in Leicestershire. 

 In four days were shot by thirteen guns for three days, snd fourteen 

 guns for one day, 4,045 pheasants, 3,902 rabbits, 860 hares, 59 woodcock 

 which, with 4 partridge, 2 snipe, and 28 various, totalled to 8,900 head, 

 showing an average of 2,225 head a day. 



At Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, during the last week of the 

 season of 1869, nine guns in four days shot, driving, 1,940 partridges ; 

 a daily average of 242| brace, or 22 brace to each gun. 



At the same place in December, 1861, three bags were made in one 

 v^e^k which are worthy of record. First day v/ith thirteen guns, 193 

 hares, 267 rabbits, 736 pheasants, 7 woodcocks, 3 varioup, total 1,206. 

 Second day with fourteen guns, 173 hares, 190 rabbits, 1,605 f)heasants> 

 2S woodcocks, and 3 various, total 1,997. Third day thirteen guns shot 

 3,333 rribbits, beside 26 head of other game. A three days' shoot by, say 

 thirteen guns of 6,562 head. 



