WALKING UP 151 
dogs, of the faults and failings of the men ; and if he 
masters the art thoroughly, and can kill them really 
well, he will find himself, when he comes to joina 
select team for high-class driving, well able to hold 
his own, and will discover that there is no special 
‘knack’ in killing driven birds. I have known a 
youngster, well trained to other sorts of shooting, to 
top the score at grouse the first day he ever sawa 
driven bird, and that against a more than average 
team. 
On some manors, where driving nas never as yet 
been adopted, and where only moderate bags have 
ever been achieved, it may be well to try it for three 
or four years, to disperse the coveys, change the 
blood, and kill off old barren birds. But this is only 
worth doing if you are prepared to stick to it, and 
to give up entirely the old-fashioned system, while 
you must expect some very disappointing days—days 
when the waiting is long and the shots scarce. For 
when, on poorly stocked ground, you have allowed 
the necessary margin for birds that must break out at 
the sides of the drives, the amount left to come over 
the guns will be small enough to try your patience 
greatly. If, after this experiment, which must be 
strictly’ carried out—that is to say, no walking or 
shooting over dogs allowed—you find your stock 
