POACHING PARTRIDGES 75 
thirty yards in length and ten in depth. Such is the 
average size. A more deadly engine is forty yards 
long and measures in depth twelve yards. In either 
case it is made with a two-inch-square mesh. The 
material of which the net is constructed varies with 
the nature of the ground. Where the land is much 
bushed, the net in general use is made of strong pack- 
thread, but a favourite material is silk. The latter is 
of course more expensive than pack-thread, but it is 
lighter and stronger. It has also a special advantage, 
that it occupies less space than the thread net, and 
can be wound round the body without awakening any 
unkind suspicions. In either case a heavy cord is 
attached to the bottom of the net to keep it on the 
ground. Some men attach pieces of lead to the 
bottom of the net when purposing to drag any 
rough land: this expedient is most often put into 
practice when stubble fields are the scenes of opera- 
tion. A cord is fastened to each end of the net, which 
must be worked by at least two persons ; a third 
assistant often facilitates the labours of the two prin- 
cipals. As a rule poachers choose grass and clovet 
fields for their nocturnal incursions, especially if the 
ground is broken and somewhat undulating. 
Partridges prefer to roost on gentle elevations. It 
might be supposed that the finer the night the better 
