SHOOTING 323 



to rise and be shot at, knowing that a beater may 

 almost as well strike at a tlasli of lighting as at an 

 old cock running-. 



I may here remark that some of these old cocks 

 w411 often escape being killed season after season by 

 some dodge or other. In a cover of my own there 

 was an old cock-pheasant who lived between six 

 and seven years, always escaping the guns. We 

 used to drive this cover regularly to the same point, 

 and just before the beaters had finished, this old 

 fellow would get up close to the outside hedge, ris- 

 ing above the underwood as if he would give an 

 excellent shot ; but, just as you thought he was as 

 good as bagged, closing his wings, he would drop 

 into the field close to the hedge, turn round, and 

 run back like a racer, hopping over the fence again 

 into the cover just behind the beaters. He prac- 

 tised this dodge successfully for several years ; but 

 at length the keeper complained so much that he 

 disturbed the cover, and w^ould not let any other 

 bird come near, that I had to devise means to kill 

 him, which was effected by driving the cover the 

 opposite way to wdiich he w^as accustomed. The 

 old fellow w^as so bewildered that he rose, gave a 

 fair shot, and was killed. A more splendid bird 

 than he was could scarcely have been seen — in full 

 plumage, a broad and perfect wliite ring round his 



