142 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
Undoubtedly, the more shooting you can do in 
front, before birds pass you, the better ; and as long 
as there are birds coming on, you should never turn 
round at all. 
On the whole, I am against scoring, as a matter 
of rivalry, one against the other. It is not always a 
true test of form, although the luck will generally 
equalise itself over a certain number of days, and 
if it promotes good shooting it also encourages 
jealousy, greediness and grumbling. But it is very 
necessary to master the art of counting the number of 
birds you have killed in each drive, that you may 
know how many you have to look for, and so not 
leave them on the ground, and as a check on the 
pilfering of birds by beaters or spectators. This isa 
much vexed question, but it may be easily settled by the 
host keeping count of each person’s claim after every 
drive—only birds actually picked up being counted— 
without putting them against any name, as thus : 
5 —14—I1—I3—2—9 = 54 
1o—I1i—1 —7 —8—3 = 40 
Here are ninety-four birds claimed in two drives, but 
no individual name against the individual scores, 
which, not being put down in the order of the stands, 
will by the end of the day be well nigh untraceable ; 
