PARTRIDGE-SHOOTING 53 
modern ejectors, handled even with moderate skill. 
What awful carnage there would be! The task of 
finding the slain in vast seas of such high, dense 
cover would change the keeper into a sort of 
sporting scavenger. There would be, however, in 
these days, one redeeming feature about old- 
fashioned cover—there would not be so many 
birds wounded, to carry on and die, which is the 
curse of modern partridge-shooting, by the walking- 
up method. Probably there is no self-styled sports- 
man more despised by keepers than he who comes 
out to shoot for slaughter only. On he races all 
the time, dropping wild-rising birds in all directions. 
But in what direction he knows not, nor cares, when 
the keeper asks him where his birds are down. 
Likely enough he does not know even how many 
he has down. Days afterwards the keeper happens 
on many a maggoty mass, and breathes a sheaf of 
blessings on the murderer's head. 
There is no doubt that partridges nowadays are 
much wilder than they were years ago.. They seem 
to get wilder every yéar. With the coming of 
shaven stubbles, all sorts of rattling machines (even 
to motor-binders), and a general lack of holding 
cover, it was only natural that birds should be more 
difficult to approach. Yet, if one comes to think 
of it, machines and other things which doubtless 
tend to make birds wilder than otherwise they might 
be are not now materially different to what they 
