20 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



are the same, but the corn was then mown with the 

 scythe, which left a much shorter stubble than the 

 reaping machine does now. With the machine there are 

 constant patches left of long straw, where the corn has 

 been " laid," that afford more concealment than the old 

 stubbles did. In addition, the days of high farming are 

 over, and the land is far fouler than it used to be. A 

 farmer was then ashamed to have thistles and nettles 

 on his land, but now they and the docks often seem 

 to be the chief crop grown. Though there is no reason, 

 as far as agriculture is concerned, why pointers and 

 setters should not still be used, other conditions have 

 changed, and this is probably the real reason that dogs 

 have gone out of fashion. How many keepers and how 

 many owners are there who, if they were given the best 

 brace of dogs in the world, would know how to set 

 about working them ? About fourteen years ago, having 

 some excellent partridge shooting at the foot of the 

 Hambledon Hills, friends often came to shoot with me 

 there. Many a time, when asked if he was ready to 

 start, the guest would say, " Oh, yes ! — but is nobody 

 else coming ? " Then when told, " No, we are going 

 to shoot over dogs," the exclamation was quite a common 

 one, " Dogs ! I have never seen dogs work in my life." 

 At the end of the day they would agree that a bag 

 of thirty to forty brace of partridges, for two guns, was 

 a charming day's sport, and they had also learnt — the 

 chief pleasure in shooting thus — the cliasse, the covey 

 gives when broken up, before all the scattered items are 

 accounted for. Of course, " driving " birds requires 

 infinitely more skill for the actual shot, but apart from 

 that, there is nothing else demanded from the shooter. 



