42 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 
come they will not show themselves in ungrateful 
numbers. 
In localities where there are numerous woods 
this luxurious feeding of the pheasants, while the 
partridges are given full option to starve in the 
fields, has a very annoying result, especially when a 
covert belongs to one shoot and the fields adjoining 
it to another. The partridges—and I don’t blame 
them—find out the artificial banqueting-halls in the 
pheasant covert, and regularly visit them each morn- 
ing; and, finding things generally more pleasant 
and comfortable than in the open fields, stay in 
the covert all day till it is time to betake themselves 
to the fields to roost. Now, there is nothing much 
more satisfactory, sandwiched between pheasants 
of satiating sameness, than a right and left from a 
covey of partridges among the trees of a wood. 
But, after all, the fields are where you want to find 
your partridges. To have two or three blank drives 
off fields near woods when plenty of birds are known 
to be about is very annoying. 
Depend upon it, there is no better way to insure 
finding your partridges where and when you wish 
than by feeding them very slightly, but regularly. 
A handful of ‘tailing’ grain, preferably wheat, with 
a few seeds, such as dari, trickled along a furrow 
up the middle of each principal drive, will insure 
freedom from the disappointment of not being able 
to find your birds on driving days. Often have I 
