280 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 



to influence their flight. But in mild, still weather, 

 the soft soil clogs the birds' feet, they are slow to 

 rise, and packs and coveys become split up and 

 their ranks disorganised to the advantage of the 

 sportsmen. 



A mild day may open hopefully enough, but if 

 driving rain comes with blustering wind the sport 

 is spoiled. 



On a frosty day, when things have been going 

 badly, the guns may be congratulating themselves 

 as they reach some big turnip-fields for which 

 the birds have been making. A turnip-field may 

 be expected to steady and control the departure 

 and the direction of birds ; but in the grip of frost 

 turnips are only a little better than the bare, frozen 

 field. For the leaves, that yesterday made luxuriant 

 cover, to-day are flattened to the ground by the frost. 

 Even the charlock, which may have done so much 

 to make up for the thinness of the turnips, has been 

 shrivelled to a few brown stems. Why the farmer 

 leaves the late-grown charlock untouched is because 

 he knows that before it reaches seed-time the frost 

 will have killed every plant. On a small shoot, frost - 

 flattened turnips may ruin the hope of a full day's 

 partridge-driving. On big shoots frost counts for 

 less, for long drives can be taken. Short drives in 

 winter partridge -driving are seldom profitable-" 

 whether a shoot be small or big. 



