180 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
take an hour’s hard walking, possibly in a hot sun, or 
worse still, in pouring rain—and the prospect only 
three or four brace at most to the bag. Then again, 
with a narrow line—for you must walk pretty close in 
the thick cover—in a field of this size the birds would 
often run completely round you, and I have seen the 
whole of such a field beaten without even flushing the 
birds which were undoubtedly in it. 
Now, here a good pointer is invaluable. I would 
not recommend working a brace at the same time, for 
it is not here as with grouse, where very wide range is 
desirable, and the eventual flight of the birds is of no 
moment. ‘This is a close matter of working the birds 
in the direction you want, and if you had two points 
at the same time you would run the risk of spoiling 
the one while dealing with the other. But your 
single steady dog would show you the whereabouts 
of the birds, save you much time and laborious 
walking, while it would enable you to approach 
them from the side most desirable, according to your 
ground. 
It has often struck me as lamentable that in 
small, or shall I say average, partridge-shooting the 
pointer should no longer be employed, because, for- 
sooth, he has become unnecessary to the large and 
carefully organised parties which have to deal with 
