PARTRIDGE-SHOOTING 73 
bag of cartridges without doing any further 
damage. 
Many people fail to make anything like the use 
they might of the partridge’s habit of getting back 
at the earliest moment to its usual haunts. This 
habit is most evident in the earlier part of the 
season. I remember driving successfully the same 
drive three times in one day, though never a bird 
was driven back to it. It was in early October, 
and the ground comprising the drive was so situated 
that it could be driven only in such a way that the 
birds were lost.after passing over the guns. Literally, 
we drove that drive morning, noon, and night. 
During the giving of instructions for a coming 
day one often hears a keeper admonished to be 
sure and get the birds driven into the roots and the 
beaters in their places, so that there shall be no 
delay in giving the guns something to do directly 
they reach their stands. This sounds very well, 
and is not very difficult to carry out—so far. But 
roots almost always are on the wet side so early in 
the morning, as those who have to go through them 
—and the partridges—fully appreciate. No keeper 
or beaters in the world can keep partridges in roots 
if they do not wish to stay there. Besides, at ten 
o’clock on an autumn morning the birds have not 
finished breakfast. Above all things in the shape 
of wet roots, partridges hate a solid mass of rape 
sown broadcast. I have seen hundreds of birds 
