23 FEBRUARY 1929, Page 33

In The Frequent Gun and a Little Fishing (Philip Allen,

10s. 6d.), Mr. Patrick Chalmers gives us some thirty articles on shooting, fishing, and dogs, on the ways of keepers, sports- men, poachers and the like; Each one of these sketches from the Field has an accompanying poem from Punch. Mr. Chalmers concerns himself for the most part with anecdotes of little shoots, and of days, sharp with the scent of turnips, that have been spent in walking up the partridges, those little " bread and butter birds." His gun is never too frequent, and the most squeamish-minded reader need fear no tale of massacre, but will rejoice in the stories of stray dogs befriended and of cats and stoats released from traps. There is, too, all mingled with tales of birds, beasts and fish, some excellent advice on the choosing of gun-dogs and the duties of shooting host and shooting guest. It is all, the verse and prose of it, very kindly and wisely and beautifully written. Mr. Balfour-Browne's illustrations are delightful.

* * *