HOl-V TO SffOll^ PHEASANTS 147 



and go away on the opposite side. The unnecessary 

 ' tally-ho ' and holloaing by. stops outside the covert 

 is usually what induces a fox to cling closely to 

 the covert in spite of the noise of guns and the 

 advancing line. 



One other simple instance of how to show phea- 

 sants I must point out. This is the common one, 

 where it is necessary or desirable to make a stand and 

 head the birds in a narrowish place between two 

 woods, and where the ground slopes down each way 

 to the stand. Here, if you push the birds in the con- 

 ventional manner down to the end, you will observe 

 the result shown at the point in the drawing oppo- 

 site ; that is, a quantity of low undesirable shots, dis- 

 gusting the shooters placed in the hollow, who can- 

 not from their cramped position get away from the 

 birds, and who will, from reluctance to shoot, after 

 smashing a few, allow the majority to fly on unharmed. 



This is obviated by the simple expedient of placing 

 a wire netting across the covert about 60 to 80 yards 

 from the end, at the point b. The result then becomes, 

 as seen at the point c, very pretty shots for the guns, 

 standing in exactly the same position, and the birds 

 are driven forward just as satisfactorily into the second 

 covert, but minus the proper number realised ; while 

 two or three guns with the beaters will take care of all 



