so soft a breeze, by entering upon his beat from a leeward-most quarter, and working each field up-wind, or by a side-wind; either of which are favourable to the dogs, and the success of the shooter.

If the dogs are young, the sportsman should insist on their hunting the fields closely to encourage them to do so he should walk steadily, taking the field in zig-zag form, after the manner required of the dogs.

In the afternoon the shooter should never pass a turnip or potato field without trying it carefully; such are very likely places in which to find the birds towards the latter part of the day.

In foggy weather they lie close and do not run far: they are then apt to be passed over, unless the sportsman tries his ground closely.

Newly-made plantations of young trees where there is long grass, are extremely favourable resorts of partridges: they go there for seeds and insects, which are generally abundant in such places, and when the birds have been much persecuted during the morning, they are very likely to pitch in such places.

As an invariable rule, if a large covey can be well dispersed early in the day, the persevering sportsman will have fine sport, more particularly if late in the season.

It is of great importance to be provided with one or two good markers on taking the field, and there is no better position to place a marker than on a tree, in the most commanding part of the country.

When birds have been much persecuted they sometimes pitch in most unaccountable places, such as bye-lanes, orchards, and even public highways. Every sportsman of a few years' experience must often have been surprised at the strange places from which partridges sometimes spring, perhaps just at his feet, when he is probably least expecting to find them. It shows that he should always be upon his guard, for sometimes when least expecting sport, he is the more likely to meet with it.

If the sportsman has been unsuccessful in finding the birds during the morning, and traversed a wide extent of country which they are known to frequent, he cannot do better than try the same ground over again, but more minutely, when, as an almost invariable rule, he finds plenty of birds. Many of these facts seem at first sight to be difficult to account for; but on reflection and experience they will be found perfectly correct, and we cordially and confidently recommend them to the consideration of our young sporting friends.

The

In some parts of England the red-legged or French partridge has become more abundant than the English bird; a circumstance which is regretted by every sportsman. It is true they are finer and handsomer birds, and their flesh much whiter than English partridges. modern apician, however, rejects them as far inferior in flavour to the others. They certainly are very trying to the sportsman as well as to his dogs their effluvium is strong to the dog's nose; and though he may easily find them, they run at such a rate and distance before getting up, that they are not by any means easy objects of the sportsman's pursuit, and they do the dogs no good; on the contrary, a great deal of injury.

These birds are very numerous in the western counties, more par

ticularly in Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. In the West of England there are none, or at least they are among the rara aves tribe. It is probable that this will not be so, many years longer, as they are decidedly increasing considerably, and are gradually creeping into neighbouring counties. Those who wish to be rid of them should destroy their nests, and kill them down in snowy weather, when they creep into hedge-rows, and afford splendid sport for two guns with spaniels; one sportsman should walk on one side of the hedge-row, and one on the other, the fallen snow enabling them to walk noiselessly up to the birds, when the spaniels force them to leave their hiding places. These birds are fond of a hilly and sandy country, and they resort in winter very much to woods and small plantations; but they do not generally penetrate far into the cover: they seem rather to prefer the outskirts and open glades.

Having thus far given the young sportsman a few hints as to the habits and resort of partridges, with instructions as to the best means of finding them, it will now be our purpose to add a few words upon the subject of handling the gun, with some other minor hints respecting the sport. At the present day sportsmen use guns of larger calibre for partridge shooting than formerly, though such a system is not to be applauded, but rather condemned. A gun of no larger gauge than No. 13 should be taken into the wheat stubbles; and if it be a 15 or 16 bore, so much the better, such a size being plenty large enough for partridges from one end of the season to the other.

Cartridges have also become very common; but young sportsmen, in their over-eagerness to fire at long ranges, and endeavour to distinguish themselves, load one barrel with a green cartridge, or those of the very longest range, which are only fit to be used in the most open country, and at a season when the birds have become too wild and unapproachable to be killed at any but long ranges.

Let the young sportsman content himself, during the first fortnight of the month of September, with No. 6 shot; the second fortnight with No. 5; and after this he may load one barrel of his gun with cartridges of ordinary range, made of No. 4 or 5 shot.

When the birds are flying straight away, they are generally on the rise; the young shooter should bear this in remembrance, and be careful not to fire beneath them. He should be cool and deliberate, taking care that the finger obeys instantly the correct sight, by pulling the trigger at the moment the bird is covered. The great and universal fault of young sportsmen is, that they fire too soon when birds rise within ordinary range; whereas by taking more time they might be more certain of their birds, and would kill them cleaner.

To those who are not familiar with the distinguishing marks whereby young partridges may be known from old ones, we simply offer the following as two of the best tests: In young partridges the bill is brown and the legs of a dusky yellow colour. In old birds the bill and legs are of a bluish-white colour, the legs being a shade darker than the bill. Another test is by suspending the bird by the lower mandible of its bill between the finger and thumb: if the bill bends, it is a young bird; but if the weight of the bird fails to bend the bill, it is an old bird; these tests, however, like all others, cannot generally be depended upon after November, by which time the young birds have attained a precise similarity to the parent birds.

Let the sportsman beware of loading his gun in too great haste or with carelessness: gun accidents are always serious, and generally fatal. Let him remember at all times and in all situations, in disappointment and in glee, that he holds in his hand a life-taking weapon, which requires careful management in order to prevent accidents to himself, his friends, beaters, and dogs.

The young sportsman must shun spirits: the old one requires a stimulus of the kind, to help him over the hedges, and to lift his legs out of the fallows.

With this introduction to the "Stubbles of 1859," addressed more particularly to the young sportsman, who this day commences his sporting career with his first game certificate, we conclude by heartily wishing him success. We cannot, however, resist appending an old ditty upon a Cockney sportsman, which caused much merriment among the sons of the trigger in years long past:

ENGRAVED BY W. BACKSHELL, FROM A PAINTING BY A. D. COOPER.

Ah, Gemini! here's a brace. They are beauties-Arcades ambo. What's the weight-five pounds? How they glitter! No doubt Mr. Davis Cooper sat down and sketched them on the spot.

We can imagine nothing more delightful to an artist than taking his rod, sketch-book in pocket, and following the windings of some of our English rivers or streams-strolling leisurely along, looking out for the likely places with the eye of a sportsman-enjoying the beauties and freshness of the landscape with that of an artist after the confinement of the studio-combining pleasure with business-taking a pride in throwing his fly within an inch of the spot he intended, and hooking nearly every hungry adventurer that rises.

How often have we hung over the prints, in the Sporting Magazine of Abraham Cooper, R.A.! Whether racing, hunting, shooting or fishing,