2 DECEMBER 1911, Page 35

MILITARY MA.NCEUVRES AND GAME.

[TA THE EDITOR Ol THE " SPECTATOR."]

Zut,,—I have read with much agreement your article of last week on " Military Manceuvres and Game Preserves," and I may say at once that. I 'cordially admit that military needs anust come before sport at any cost. I also confess to being that malignant being a " shooting tenant," so far as Suffolk is concerned, though I shudder at the lower depth of " Syndical- ism." Still, even shooting tenants are human, and are not for- gotten when assessment of rates is made, Hereabouts we have bad, till this year, five successive bad partridge seasons. This is the first moderately good one, and manceuvres were announced. The prospect, was not altogether welcome, but it led me to snake inquiry as to what, had been the experience of others. The chief injury-done, so far as I could gather, was, that, when large bodies of troops were engaged in show battle over a wide district, partridges were simply marched about till they died of exhaustion. 1 should be very glad if any of your readers could tell whether this is really a frequent occurrence. Of course, in any case, it may be inevitable ;- but the information would assist in preparing a mons aequa rebus in arduis for the wicked shooting tenant (if not for the partridge), even if it did not explode an alarming fallacy--I am, Sir, &c.,

R. K. H.