THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
return drives ; the season being early, the young birds would not get up 
after one or two drives, and this would make it all the easier to pick up the 
old stagers. 
As Mr Alington states in his book on partridges, what you want to get 
hold of is the really old barren pairs and old cocks ; for a partridge of 
two years will both mate earlier, lay a stronger clutch of eggs, and 
presumably have more experience in looking after her family, than when 
one year old. It is, as a rule, after the age of two years that they gradu- 
ally become less prolific and more quarrelsome, as is the case in other 
species. 
Capt. George Taylor, of Pickenham, Norfolk, who, besides being the 
fortunate owner of an excellent partridge manor, is a close observer of 
their home life, sends me the following interesting story; 
“ Some seasons ago my head keeper observed a pair of partridges 
nesting in a small paddock close to his house, and within quite a short 
distance of the dogs tethered to their kennels ; they frequently came and fed 
with his poultry. From the situation of the nest it was probably the same 
pair each year. They hatched out a good covey of about twenty young birds. 
The cock bird had met with some accident in his youth, and always walked 
with a limp, and could be easily recognized. The following year the same 
cock nested in the same paddock and again hatched out a fine covey. 
The following season apparently the same pair carried out the same 
tactics for the third time, and brought off a strong covey. They occupied 
ground that was practically never driven.” 
With regard to the amount of stock required on a beat, this, of course, 
varies in different counties; where foxes abound, many nests and sitting 
birds will be destroyed, and therefore a larger stock will be necessary 
than in a non -foxhunting country. But one point must always be borne 
in mind, the ground will only carry a certain number of partridges; if 
this maximum be exceeded, the surplus will be certain to move off to 
your neighbour’s land, especially if the food supply be short. The hand 
feeding, before recommended, will prevent this to a certain extent, but 
there is always a point where the balance of Nature will assert itself. The 
more arable land there is, the better for the stock. 
A rough calculation may be made as follows. Taking a beat at from 
700 to 800 acres, every year on February 1 the keeper of the beat should 
be able to vouch for 140 pairs being on his ground ; or, say, one pair to 
five acres. In an ordinary good year coveys average all round about 
160 
