New-York tribune., 1907-09-22

boars. to red legged partridges. water pigeons
migratory qlail or diminutive snipe
1t is a strange sight to witness the amateur
sportsrnan setting forth from the Paris railway
stations Sunday mornings in September He
may be a barber or shoemaker by vocation, but
he is for the day picturesque Nimrod. attlreo
in flannel shirt brown corduroy breeches. leg
gings with many straps and buckles. huge
game pouch an elaborate cartridge belt, ana
carries his gun IN a bright yellow leather case.
while tugging at chain is a frisky shooting
dog Of doubtful pedigree. The gun license costs
2S francs or Sc T5. and this enables its possessor
to shoot anywhere in the country except on pri-
vate grounds preserves. The number or
licenses issued so far this year is nearly six
hundred thousand. There at least ten thou
sand poachers who operate moonlight nights
with fine nets which they cast with great skill
Nearly three and a half million head of game
were cold in the season OF 1906-'OT at the Cen
tral Market in Paris. OF this there we're 1,2.}5-
lsS larks 5l9,43S rabbits and 35S,923 partridges-
These figures show to what extent shooting has
become a national and popular sport. as COM
pared with the year 1907. when no licenses were
given 10 sportsmen who did not own az least 100
acres of land. each of whom was allowed 70 Oh
tain three licenses for his guests This system
restricted the number OF legitimate shooters 10
tyy, ntv thousand for the whole Of France
NJ CIemenceau the Prime Minister. is fond OF
partridge shooting. and is excellent shot IL
Is perhaps interesting to note that last Satur-
day ne spent the day shooting over the pre-
serves at Orgerus. IN the Department OF the
Seine-et- Oise. in company with President Fai-
Heres. NJ. Pichon. Minister OF Foreign Affairs.
and General Picquart. Minister of War After
bagging forty brace OF partridges NJ. Clemen-
ceau returned in his automobile TO Paris. and
went directly to the Ministry OF the Interior.
q. 81 ting
and still attired in his favorite shooting cos
tune OF dark brown tweed. opened the official
dispatches from Morocco and transacted public
business until 5 o'clock. when he proceeded in
his auto car to his modest apartment in the Rue
Franklin. plunged into cold bath and ate din
ner with a few intimate friends at S45 O'Clock.
This custom adopted by the Prime Minister OF
attending to affairs and receiving his heads or
department in shooting dress has elected from
opposition newspapers tnvidious comparisons
with the famous opening of the States General
by Louis XIV who performed that royal func-
ton In hunting costume. riding whip in hand.
The great feature of the present shooting sea-
son is the use of the automobile which is now
indispensa bic, not only for the grand battues on
the superb preserves owned by the Rothschilds.
the Pereires the Due de Gramont. Count Po
, tocki. the Due de Chartres and others. but also
for the poachers. French poachers by
means casual amateurs but wide-awake
professionals They do their night work this
year in swift and noiseess motor They
pounce down like hawks upon their quarry and
enmesh in their fine silk woven nets sometimes
two hundred partrdges at a swoop. This coup
de flet" is sometimes repeated in eight ten
large fields of stubble before dawn The auto
car, laden with game. is secretly met by dis
Greet agents of the game dealers of Paris of
the large towns and the profits enormous.
Yesterday the quotations for plump partridges
at the Central Market in Paris $50 francs
90 cents) apiece. The auto poachers aver
age six hundred partridges for single nights
operation. The gross receipts thus amount to
$420. The total cost does not exceed 20 per
cent which leaves net average daily profit of
1886 TO be divided between the poachers and the
dealers.
on the great shooting preserves the automo-