94 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
Derby winner. Again, a very excellent trap-pigeon 
shot may shoot very poorly at game, but a very ex- 
cellent game shot can always become a fine trap shot. 
The greater includes the less. Partridge-shooting, if 
we take driving and walking together, is an acknow- 
ledged test. There is no class of shot which the par- 
tridge does not afford at some time or other, with the 
exception of the twisting in the first few yards of flight 
peculiar to the snipe, ability to succeed in defeating 
which is the only excuse for placing. a man who is 
peculiarly good at snipe in a class by himself. If you 
shoot partridges, walked up or driven, really well, you 
can shoot anything. The low skim of the grouse 
over the heather may surprise you the first time you 
see it, but will not trouble you, for you are quite used 
to the sort of difficulties it presents if you have stood 
up to a low fence to kill partridges being pushed up 
wind. The rocketing pheasant will but remind you 
of the way the covey comes over a high belt, and 
even a teal coming down wind, perhaps the fastest 
thing on earth, will not beat by much the December 
partridge under the same conditions, either in pace 
or power of swerving in his flight. 
