292 PHEASANTS 



every well-timed shot killing clean ; and 

 there is no sufficient excuse for ever ex- 

 ceeding this limit. As in many other 

 forms of human activity, zeal for a good 

 thing in itself, carried to excess, results 

 only in wanton and unreasoning cruelty. 



It is natural enough that hosts, in their 

 wish to give their friends sporting shots, 

 should sometimes forget to give fair 

 treatment to their pheasants, but when 

 five birds go away wounded to every one 

 that falls to the shot, it is high time to 

 think seriously about the cruelty involved. 

 The danger of letting a right desire to 

 see pheasants fly well develop into a 

 craze for the ' highest possible ' birds 

 should be foreseen ; in this respect keepers 

 are sometimes more sensible than then- 

 masters. 



The definition of the high pheasant 

 has often been attempted, but never 

 with any degree of certainty until last 

 year (1912), when Sir Ralph Payne- 

 Gallwey brought a long series of practical 

 experiments to a successful conclusion. 



