124 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
side can prevent this. No shouting or waving of flags 
on the windward side, but plenty of it on the other 
side as soon as ever birds are on the wing. 
The main‘ direction of the flight will be towards 
the point x, and you will notice that many of the birds 
after the fright of passing over the line of guns will 
swing more than ever with the wind. You will there- 
fore do no good by trying a return drive over the same 
fence from ground straight behind the guns, as ignorant 
keepers often do when there is a cross-wind. Your 
birds will have all gone to x; and from there you 
must proceed with your next drive if you wish to 
bring back the same lot of birds. In a hilly country 
the tendency of all birds is to fly along the hill, 
though they may be pushed pretty straight up it. 
But they never drive well down hill unless there is 
some covert on the opposite side which they must 
make for. If the ground dips heavily behind where 
you stand for the drive, and you have leisure to 
observe the birds, you will notice how they scatter 
right and left after passing over you, and how few 
keep straight on over the valley to the opposite hill. 
In this they resemble grouse; though they are of 
course more influenced by the situation of the root 
crops or other covert. 
What a delightful sensation is the condition of 
