FAMILY OF POACHERS. 71 



through which, however, I coulcl detect a smile of 

 secret satisfaction when he informed me that a 

 hawh — with an emphasis on the hated mono- 

 syllable — had carried off several young pheasants 

 from the coops on the lawn; but here let the 

 journal speak for itself 



^^ June 23, 1854. Denyer the keeper has just 

 come up to the house, to tell me that during the 

 last two days he has missed several of the young- 

 pheasants. He vv^ent at daybreak this morning to 

 the coops, in the neighbourhood of which he lay 

 concealed. Soon afterwards a loud screaming and 

 cackling among the hens announced the arrival of 

 an enemy, and by the time that D. had emerged 

 from his hut of oak boughs, gun in hand, he had 

 the mortification of seeing a hawk, out of shot, 

 carrying off one of the young pheasants in its 

 claw^s. I have no doubt that the thief is a sparrow- 

 hawk, and that unless we can extirpate the family 

 we shall lose several of our tame birds. He ob- 

 served the direction in which the hawk flew with 

 its prey, and I have therefore recommended him 

 to search the woods carefully in that quarter for 

 the nest, and to keep a sharp look-out near the 

 coops in the early morning, at which time the 

 previous attacks appear to have been made. I 

 regret much that an engagement at a distance, 

 compelling me to be absent fr'om home for two 



