File:Nature and sport in Britain (1904) (14564921950).jpg

Identifier: naturesportinbri00bryd (find matches)
Title: Nature and sport in Britain
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Bryden, H. A. (Henry Anderson), 1854-1937
Subjects: Horses Game and game-birds Hunting
Publisher: London : G. Richards
Contributing Library: Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University

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and deliberate habits. The keen delight of shooting over dogs is more andmore becoming a thing of the past. For my part Ican never cease to envy the sportsmen of the first three-quarters of the last century, who shot over pointersand setters, took their time, walked steadily all day,and were content with moderate bags. It is, however,a mistake to believe that the immense bags made bymodern gunners at big partridge drives are new togunnery. On the great sporting estate of Holkham,in Norfolk, where for generations partridge-shootinghas been a passion, more birds were killed in the years^797> 1798, and 1800^ than in the two best seasonsbetween i860 and 1870. Upon other sporting estatesvery large bags of partridges were made before 1800,even with the old flint and steel weapon. Partridgesin those days seem to have been generally even moreplentiful than they are at the present time. ^ III these years the seasons bag at Holkham included 3,800, 3,965,and 3,865 partridges respectively. 266
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^ H O O ^—V K Sl .:^ W a w -^ Q 3 ^H ^ C^ rt H r^ <- %H n . U^ :j X QUIET PARTRIDGE-SHOOTING On the other hand, the number of men taking outlicences to kill game was absurdly small, and the areasshot over by the gunners were immense. My owngrandfather, who shot in quite a quiet way, had, witha neighbouring friend, besides their own property,the whole of the shooting for twelve miles in a crowsline, in the counties of Warwick and Northampton.They were the only gunners of their particular neigh-bourhood, and, with their old-fashioned early Englishpointers, they ranged through quite a host of parishes.And in those days, be it remembered, they paidnothing for their sport, beyond giving away a certainpercentage of their birds to the farmers whose landthey shot over. In the first quarter of the nineteenthcentury the men who handled guns and shot birdsflying were few and far between, and the taking out ofa game licence was quite a solemn performance. Now,everybody must shoot, and to the

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