We have seen a motor-car drive right over a covey of young partridges
as they dusted themselves on a road, leaving half a dozen victims
behind it. But motors are not entirely opposed to game interests. The
dust they scatter on roadside hedges greatly helps the hiding nests.
Then the frequent passing of cars along country roads is certainly a
deterrent to the poacher; the shooting man in his car takes note of
doubtful-looking tramps and gipsies, and can spread a swift warning to
keepers or police. Even the smells of the car are a disguised blessing,
overpowering the scent of the sitting bird, and so, no doubt, often
preventing a dog from finding a roadside nest. The motor has sent up
the value of many inaccessible shooting properties by eliminating
distance. It may be useful to a shooting party when cartridges have
come to an end, or at the close of a day for transporting game speedily
to the station, or at any time for bringing a doctor when the bag has
been enriched by the addition of a gamekeeper.
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