CHAPTER XXVII 



Enemies of the Game-rearer, and how to deal 

 WITH them 



Apart from the destructive effects of disease and the 

 adverse conditions of the weather, the gamekeeper has 

 many other enemies to contend with, but on the rearing- 

 field and covert side his occupation is mainly directed 

 towards the preservation of the young birds against the 

 predatory habits of both ground and winged vermin ; but 

 it is not only the young birds that he has to protect, but 

 the eggs and sitting hens against the felonious intentions 

 of both bipeds, quadrupeds, and certain members of the 

 feathered world. 



His work is one continuous round of watching, not only 

 during the silent hours of the night but from the streak 

 of dawn to the setting of the sun. His watchword is, or 

 rather should be, "vigilance," and it is the special province 

 of the head-keeper and his under men to exercise such for 

 all they are worth. 



To protect the young birds at night, whilst on the 

 rearing-field, it is a universal custom to close in the front 

 of the coop or to let down the shutter, but this does not 

 afford absolute protection, as any unevenness of the ground 

 may lead to the upsetting of a coop by that artful rascal 

 Reynard. Keepers in fox - hunting districts know that 

 foxes are gifted with a certain amount of ingenuity, and 

 more than one of these predatory creatures has been 



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